What is Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is a cancer of the lungs characterized by the presence of malignant tumours. Most commonly it is bronchogenic carcinoma (about 90%). Lung cancer is one of the most leth...
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My Mom has Stage 4 Lung Cancer
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10:22AM, October 28, 2008
This is the time and date that I found out that my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer that has spread to her Liver and bones. My mom is not a smoker, showed no signs of having anything wrong with her. My mom had been complaining of chest pains and being sore around her ribs, or as she says "right below my bra." My mom went to the doctors on October 22, 2008, the day after her 57th birthday, to find out what was wrong with her. At that time she has had a series of CAT scans, bone density tests and a mammogram which all proved that she had cancer and it had spread. She started IV chemo around the first of December and right around Christmas time she had lost all of her hair. She did about 6 treatments of chemo and they did a CT scan and her results came back that her tumor in her lung had decreased by 20%. Since this was good news the doctor wanted her to take Tarceva and as long as she didn't get any worse she could continue taking pill form chemo since the IV form was making her very tired and ill. August 9, 2009 my mom called me crying because she was in a lot of pain and could barely move. We took her to the emergency room and she was given pain medication and they decided to admit her. August 10th they did a bone scan that determined that there was not a single bone in her body that the cancer had not spread to...which would explain her pain. They decided to do a couple of radiation treatments and told her that they would do 10 treatments and then she could decide if she wanted to go back on IV chemo again...she was against that. She was in the hospital from August 9-21. She agreed to 7 out of 10 radiation treatments and some Palliative care before she decided she had enough and wanted to go home. The doctors released her under 24/7 care and Hospice care at the home. I was told by the oncologist's nurse that she could possibly have 3 months to live. Mom is doing ok at home. She is still in a lot of pain and her doctor/Hospice have not 100% found out what will make her better. And she cannot get comfortable anymore. She goes around the house in circles trying to find the best best, chair, couch that she can sit in. Posted on 09/16/09, 04:09 pm |
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I'm so sorry to hear of your mom's suffering, and I'm sure you're suffering with her. Check with your mom's doctor about the possibility of hospice care in your area. No good comes from pain and suffering and I truly believe hospice services could help your mother and you. God bless. 
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Amanda - I read thru your post again and saw that you're already involved with hospice and I missed that first time thru. I blame it on sitting in the dark at my computer when I should be in bed. So to edit my advice: try to make it clear to your hospice workers that your mother is still experiencing a lot of pain and she needs more help with it. Maybe they don't understand the level of her pain. Is inpatient hospice care, for a short time, a possibility? With 24 hour care they may be better able to get it under control. Once that's accomplished she may be able to enjoy the remainder of her days. Good luck, and keep in touch. There are some very caring people here who are always willing to listen.
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Thanks SpringChikn :) Due to financial reasons, sad but true, I don't think inpatient hospice care is an option right now. They are now uping her patch dosage and changing her pain meds again.
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Soooo sorry to hear about this Amanda. IMHO....espically regarding lung cancer(which is incurable)NOBODY with this should take treatment(I.E. chemo and radiation. Lung cancer (as you know) is NOT curable...you are only prlongong the enivitable....my mom has stage 3 non small cell lung cancer and chose NO treatmeat.............they removed her lung....now she has a cancer spot on her kidney.......which is easily treated,,,,,,,,,,I just watched the Patrick Swaze report the other nite........if you get a cancer that is deadly....not treatable..........you need to ride the tide and take each day as it comes,,,,,,,,,,,NO treatment.........NO poisons put into a susceptible, hurting person. If cuts your quality of life down to nill............ like Patrick Swaze said...........why die trying to fight this thing? The more time you spend fighting it , is time you are takin away from livin.......IMHO Lindsey
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Lindsey...I appreciate your opinion. Cancer is kinda "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of thing...
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Altho' I can agree that lung cancer is incurable, I must respectfully disagree with Lindsey about treatment. I have stage 2B adenocarcinoma, underwent lobectomy due to a 6 cm tumor, and lobe resection 02/09 followed by chemo. In early Sept 09 a CT scan showed no recurrence. I'm aware that this is a temporary reprieve, but my quality of life is tremendously improved from even 2 years ago, when I was obviously already ill. I work 40+ hours per week, enjoy gardening and motorcycling with my husband, and have just joined a gym - without the long-term commitments :)I wouldn't trade the past few wonderful months with my friends and family for anything. It certainly beats coughing up blood and uncontrollable coughing. I'd do it again if need be. So far as "prolonging the inevitable" the very act of living is prolonging the inevitable. I intend to keep doing just that. God bless.
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If you read my previous blogs, you will know I was diagnosed with brain tumors and Stage IV lung cancer back in April 2008. I did the chemo (yes it was awful) and then did the brain radiation treatments and also radiation to my lung. I lost my hair in December and it is now growing back. I work full time and am presently living a normal life - my new normal life There is hope to stay alive. I have regualr PET, MRI and CT scans (and the co-pays ain't cheap!) The scans keep the drs. aware of my condition and progression. For now I am managing my illness and look forward to every day. Lung cancer may be incurable but that doesn't mean you can't live with it. I am "living" proof. And when'that time comes' - I hope I'm finishsed doing what I started - making a difference! Good luck! (I'm 57 also. Your mama is in my prayers)
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Hi Amanda---This is rough, I know how you feel, and yes I am one of the few can honestly say it and mean it. Used to drive me crazy when good hearted folks used to say that to me. My Dad wad diagnosed on October 25th, 2005 with Lung Cancer Stage B, and he passed away on October 14th, 2006. With my volunteer work and all of my research, you can expect about an year, most likely, left with your Mom. Of course only God know when it is someone's time to go, you Mom might be here in 20 years, kicking and screaming. I pray she is. I would do lots of research before any treatments: some of the things my Dad went thourgh seemed rougher then the cancer itself. Also, with pain management, I would be pretty firm on that with them that your Mom feels no pain: they should be able to do a Demerol or Morphine pump for her at this point. If they have the gall to come back with worries about an overdose, stick your ground: at this point with a monster like Cancer, do we really care about overdoses or addiction. I did get it into it with one of my Dad's doctors because he was concerned about Dad becoming addicted--it was obvisous God was close to calling my Dad home, and addiction was something we were not worried about: the doc backed down--but believe it or not, you might run into a few of those. Tell your Mom you love her every single day, and I pray that her time is filled with quality, not quantity--and that may God take her home when she needs to be rescued from this horrible disease we call Lung Cancer. As always, I am here if you need a friend or someone to talk too--It has been three years for me and I am still grieving for my Dad--he was my bestfriend, but through hospice I tell people to be grateful when God finally comes down and takes them into his loving arms--who wants to suffer that way--but for now, enjoy your days, I am sure you still have plenty left. God Bless. --Lisa D
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Thank you again for all of your replies. My mom is gradually getting worse. She now has an oxygen machine that she has been using when she sleeps. She is rarely awake anymore. She can never get comfortable and moves around the house from chair to chair. She doesn't really talk anymore because she feels embarrassed (we think) because she knows what she wants to say but can't get the right words to come out. My sister is having a hard time because she lives with her and sees that mom is getting worse and she is scared to death that she is going to wake up one morning and find my mom dead. We both have a hard time seeing my mom like this since she isn't the same person that we are used to. She has lost soooo much weight and looks like a frail, old lady that walks around the house.
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I know what you and your sister are saying about being afraid of finding your mother dead, but please try to see it in a positive mindset, okay? I was with my former father-in-law at his deathbed, alongside with my former sister-in-law. (This has been over thirty years ago). We knew the end was near and certain. It was emotionally painful, but very spiritually rewarding to be with him when he took his final breath. It was sort of like he was sailing away in his little boat and her and I were sitting there at the shore waving our loving farwells to him.
I've never been too much of a religious person, not then and not now, but there was certainly a profound feeling as though we werre there saying that final farewell to a man at the start of a positive journey of some sort. He was 62 when he died as a result of heart disease. I'll soon be 59 myself, and find myself more and more often wondering if I'll be as lucky as he was having someone close to me like that, and that would hold true even if I had just happened upon him shortly after that final moment, too. Much to the dismay of other family members, unfortunately, I talked openly with dad about the reality of his pending death during those last days. He thanked me, saying something along the lines of, "These people are afraid aren't they?" adding, "They're acting like if we don't acknowledge the reality of this situation it will somehow go away, but it won't, 'cause it's terminal--->Period!" He then made me promise him that, if in fact possible, he wanted to be the first person/soul I looked up when my time comes. I heartily agreed! :) and he and I shook hands on the promise.
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