“just found out today dad has lung cancer. the joy and mirth of radiation and chemotherapy treatments are next. for anyone who has gone thru the treatments or has been close to someone who has, do you have any insight as far as what to expect in terms of possible side effects and recovery?”

“Oh Gosh CrashBang. I am sorry!!!
My mom has lung cancer, but I can't help you much because my mom needs a kick in the butt...
She is not getting any treatment but some sort of homopathic (sp??) drops that she orders from some homopathic doctor.

She does not go to the hospital and refuses to do anything the doctor tells her. She also still smokes.

I think I already told this story. There is really nothing new. Once in a while my sisters or me (if I am in Germany at the time) will kick her to the doc. They pretty much do all the tests while they have her in the office. LOL

Strangly her cancer didn't really get worse. Well, that's not true...it didnt' multiply as they expected, but it did grow a little bit larger.

That was almost 6 or 8 years ago... my mom still smokes. Like you I am not telling this story to hijack your thread, I just wanted to show you that my mom,even very stuborn, is doing fairly well.

I have heard that once they do operate and air gets to the cancer it will rapidly progress to grow...not sure if that's tru or not. But that's the reason why I am not preasuring my mom more.

It's probably best to research some yahoo groups about this. You can chat one one one with some actual lung cancer patients there.

I hope you'll find the answers you need.

Oh, I may should say that my mom did get cemo for here uterus cancer, and had no problem. Tired during the treatments, but she didn't loose a lot of hair either...
last edited: 11/23/04 4:09:48 PM”

“CB, so sorry to hear that. I hope his treatments and recovery go well! You'll be in my prayers.”

“That really stinks, dude. Sorry.

I did a quick search and came up with these online resources that may be more help. I'm sure you could find more by spending some time.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SHR/SHR_0.asp
http://www.thecancer.net/board/
http://www.cancerlinksusa.com/support/index.asp”

“I wish the best for your father, yourself, and the rest of your family Crash Bang. I hope that every thing turns out well.”

“Hugs to you.....and I wish you peace and strength!!!!!!!”

“hopefully in 6 or 8 or whatever months ill start another thread called its a crash bang recovery thang!”

“Scott,

First off, I am very sorry to hear this. I will be thinking of him in my prayers.

My Grandfather on one side died of colon cancer, grandmother on other side died of ovarian cancer.

Chemotherapy is going to be rough on him. The day of and usually after, both grandparents were very sick. He may take it better, I don't know. They caught it way to late for both grandparents. It really didn't work for grandpa. After a few treatments, he declinded it further. Said it took way to much out of him.

On the other hand, my grandma took it well. They tried an experimental drug on her and it extended her life 6 years.

Keep your chin up. Many people are beating this. If they caught it early, his chances will be better.

If you ever want to talk, you know where to reach me.”

“also check out

www.laf.org
http://www.livestrong.org/livestrong/portal/ep/home.do”

“I have been wearing my yellow bracelet since July!”

“the second link in my post is the one for

survivors

!!!!!”

“FWIW - My father beat a fairly aggressive form of prostate cancer about five years ago. He was lucky that they caught it early (hint, hint guys).

I remember fearing we would lose him and know how you must feel right now. He's lived to see several more grandchildren born and we recently celebrated his 77th birthday.

I hug him a lot more than I used to.”

“My thoughts are with you.”

“HI CB--
Sorry to hear that.....
the problem with cancer and the treatments are that each person's body will respond differently.... Some people respond well, others may actually die from the chemo... (I don't mean to say that to scare you, but one of my friends had a father react to the chemo and die within days of it... so, unfortunately, that is a possiblity.)

It will probably have to do with how physically healthy your father is over all, and how his body reacts to the drugs and such.... I am a strong believer that the power of positive thinking is a very big part of someone's will to live and willingness to heal themselves through positive vision. (NO, I'm not saying just to do homeopathic treatments or to NOT go to treatment!) Hopefully, if you father can maintain a positive outlook (like you said-- finding his path to wellness and recovery mentally... this will also help in his medical treatments....

Prayers and good thoughts go to your family-- you have a rough road ahead, but knowing that he has family around him whom want him to get better and love him, will probably really help lift his spirits about beating this disease....”

“I produced a memory piece back when I worked as a TV producer for a dear friend of one of the director's I worked with. She was dying from breast cancer. We worked on it day and night because doctor's said that they didn't think she had long to live.

At a small get together/party for her we played the tape. She laughed, cried and showed a myriad of emotions. A night I will never forget.

A funny thing happened afterwards. She actually started to improve. She was having acupuncture done quite often. Don't know if it was that or something higher but she pulled through.

I saw her about 1 year ago. You wouldn't believe the things she was doing. She has run the Chicago and Boston marathons and several triathlons.”

“That sucks, dude; I'm so sorry. My mother died of cancer. It's like WK said: Different people respond to the Chemo in different ways, but it usually does end up taking a noticeable toll on the person.

That said, ya gotta keep your chin up, as he's gonna need the good vibes from everyone. Hopefully he'll be able to recover enough to get off the Chemo long term, in which case he might be able to recover from many of the effects of the Chemo.

Anyways, good luck to you man, and hopefully your dad will feel better. My thoughts are with you and your family...”

“Really sorry to hear that. Never give up hope, my wife is a cancer surviver of almost 10 years now.

Good thoughts and prayers to your dad and your family.


btw...they have done studies and found that the good thoughts and prayers thing actually seems to work, they don't know why, the people don't even have to know folks are doing it...it just seems to work.
last edited: 11/23/04 7:22:37 PM”

“It'll be rough on everybody, but a psoitive attitude will help. People beat cancer everyday, my wife is a 10 year survivor of breast cancer. you and your dad will be in our prayers.
last edited: 11/23/04 7:35:55 PM”

“Crash Bang, I'm sorry to hear of your father's lung cancer diagnosis.

I had cancer myself 3 times since 1998, a rare form of leukemia in 1998, throat cancer in 1999 and skin cancer in 2000. I had surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments twice since then. Like someone else said everyone responds different to treatment, but I found radiation to have the worse side effects, but mostly because I was radiated from the mouth to my collarbones after I already had total body irradiation. Many side effects from radiation are permanent, but depending on where you get radiated will determine to some extent how serious they will be.

The best thing to do after the shock of a cancer diagnosis is to get moving and start educating yourself about your condition. That helps you make decisions about treatment options and understanding what doctors are talking about when they start telling you about different treatment options. Seek out the best doctors even if you have to travel out of town. Get a second opinion before you make a move to do anything. Contact an organization that can put you in touch with others that have had the same condition and call them to discuss what they did and what the outcome was. Be prepared with questions when you see a doctor and write everything down in a journal. Good doctors are very busy so you need to be able to understand what they tell you and have your questions ready when you're there. Be aggressive and follow up on everything. Cancer centers are very busy and office mistakes do happen. For example, my medical records got misplaced from one office to another and delayed one of my treatments. Had I not called and followed up, I would have been waiting weeks more. With an aggressive cancer that's a situation you can't let happen, so that why I said you have to be aggressive and make things happen. A few other things happened to me that could have been disaster had I not educated myself about my disease and followed up with phone calls to get things moving in a way that I felt would give me the best treatment option.

On the bright side more people are surviving cancer today than ever before. Doing your homework won't guarantee your survival, but it does put you in control to make the right choices about how you are going to fight and win.”

“My mom beat breast cancer in 1986 and died of cancer of the uterus in 2000 - the day after election day.

I think that everyone deals with this differently and no one really understands what you are going through.

I drove my mom to daily radiation and weekly chemo treatments for about three months before she died. It was the best thing I've ever done. We played Scrabble every day. And I jumped at the chance when she was well enough to pull off the freeway to McDonald's. I remember trying to avoid potholes because they hurt. We met so many good, good people.

You don't want to leave anything on the table. But you have to take care of yourself and give yourself permission not to think about it all the time.

My dad and I got 1,000 percent closer in the whole process. I think it was the time that I became a man.”

“CB - I'm so sorry about your Dad. He will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Rich - to me is an amazing survivor and his presence here, especially the trips he went on that I read about here, was inspiring to me when I found out that the thing they took out of my neck was cancerous.

I ducked the chemo and radiation because the stuff I had was impervious to both - but slow growing enough that there is hope that its gone.

My Mom also had cancer. It was taken out 44 years ago and she's been doing darn well. Recently, she found out that there was still some cancer left and it had grown to the point of being detectable again, so she has had 44 great years with cancer in her. The moral is, we can live with it, although - of course - you want to do what you can to get it out.

Attitude-wise, I think it helps to reach the point where you say "there is no better choice than to live" and then embrace life and live it.

Symptom-wise, a good friend had radiation and she said the weirdest thing for her was the hair loss... waking up and finding a lot of hair on her pillow. About 5 months after the radiation, she looked as vital and dynamic as she had ever been. She moved out of State a couple years later, and we haven't been in good touch since - I'm hoping she continues to be well.”

“Just remember, whether the outcome is what you would consider "good", or whether it is "bad", there is a plan for all of us, and a reason for it. Keep the faith and you'll see everyone again in the next life. Keep the faith and you may see them for many more years in this life. Positive attitude and keeping the connection with God is key.

I say this after 5 close people have had cancer in the last 4 years. The latest is pulling through right now and she expects a full recovery. The other 4 didn't have such a happy outcome - but I keep the faith that I'll see them again.”

“CB--
There's a an O. Henry story about a person who was really sick with Pneumonia and in the hospital.

The woman had a window outside of their room with a bunch of ivy growing on it. Each day, she watched as the leaves started falling, she told a friend that she would live as long as the leaves stayed on the plant.....and that she would die after the last one dropped off the vine.

As the leaves started to fade and drop, she counted them to her friend until 1 remained...she was convinced she would die once it dropped, however, over the period of a few days, it remained.

After a few days, with her friend nursing her, she started to improve, and finally, the doctor told her that she was well enought to recover...

It turned out that there was an old artist who lived below her--who felt that he had never made a masterpiece for which he would be remembered.... The woman's friend found out that he died a few days after she had recovered from her illness-- it turns out that he had sat outside in the cold and rain and painted the last remaining leaf on the wall, which allowed the woman to continue living.....

******

The power and will to live is a mysterious thing. A family friend was in his 80s and very sick, however, he had a book he had been translating from to English.... Even through his illness he worked on it. He died a few days after he completed it.

As long as you are encouraging to your father, and let him know that you and your family BELIEVE in his recovery, his positive thinking may go a long way in helping him get over the cancer.....

Many prayers to you!! And, there IS some truth to the old saying that "Laughter is the best medicine".... Make sure not to dwell on the illness, but to help your dad seek new adventures and share the GOOD memories and times... just his knowledge of your love could work miracles!”

“Oh, and here's the link to the O. Henry story,

http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/shorts/lastleaf.html

as well as an adaption of the story to a play called "The Last Leaf" by Jane E. Fiegen.

http://www.heniford.net/1234/2m2f_tll.html”

“My father had half a lung removed and got another 15 years of life. The second time he got cancer he opted not to get treatment and died as a result.

I have a friend who just got over a radiation course for prostate cancer, and he had very little in the way of side effects. In his case they were able to target the treatment so it focused on the tumor, and it was not radiation per se, but electronic impulses. His worst side effect was frequent need to urinate.

All of this varies depending on the kind of cancer, the stamina of the patient, and how early it is caught.”

“Cb, So sorry to hear of your Dad's illness. You're in my thoughts.”

“I just want to wish evryone the best.

Courage.

Doug”

“CB, sorry to hear about your dad. I wish you the best.

One of the biggest things to do for you and your family would be to try keep a positive outlook, even though it seems tough. I know easier said then done.

I'm talking from experience. My oldest brother had cancer and through it all, he just tried to stay positive and didn't let on to the rest of the family how he really felt. He went through all kinds of treatment and operations and he went into remission for five years, till it came back and couldn't beat it that time. Unfortuately it's not the cancer that kills, its infections that do because of the treatments that do the wear and tear on the body.

I don't mean to sound like there isn't hope cause everyone is different and reacts different to treatments, so anything is possible. Just remain positive about things and that'll translate to positive energy around your dad and hope for the best. Best of luck and my prayers are with you and your family.”

“"try keep a positive outlook, even though it seems tough. I know easier said then done"

no its not, its a little thing i call "denial". i dont mean to sound glib, but i had totally eliminated the idea that it was cancerous in my mind, based on what my folks had said the doctors said. i didnt even think there would be a diagnosis yesterday, as the usual m.o. at the kokomo hospital was test, then wait, then results. but down at iu med center in indy, got results same day. i think i wouldve have been happier in blissful ignorance”

“dad got the first of six weeks worth of chemo treatments today, and starts radiation next week, i believe tuesday”

“Live Strong, Resources for Survivors (Survival starts the day of diagnosis!!!!)


last edited: 12/02/04 6:14:53 PM”

“Hey Crash, I visited with my Uncle (who has brain cancer) and my Aunt (who lost her breast to cancer this summer) over Thanksgiving. My uncle isn't receiving treatment anymore and the aunt had two weeks of radiation to go. They both were really surprised at how little the treatments bothered them. I hope your Dad has little trouble too.”

“Good luck! cancer never hits home till it happens to someone close to you.

My mother in law survived breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy about three years ago and has been cancer free since.

My Grandmother in law was not so lucky. The best thing to do is stay positive. It's amazing what a positive attitude will heal!”

“i had an uncle who had brain cancer and he went surprisingly rapidly. dads not shown any ill effects other than poor breathing, and he wasnt in the best of shape to begin with. i have noticed less appetite, but that may just be anxiety”

“dad had some rough days with the chemo and radiation treatments last week, one day especially lots of chilling and nausea, but is handling it much better this week. the doc upped the anti-nausea medication and didnt space the chemo treatments so close together. he usually did chemo monday and thursday, but last week did it monday and wednesday due to office being closed on thursday, so only one chemo treatment this week”

“My best wishes to him on his road to recovery, CB!”

“Did he throw up at all? If not, then he handled it very well. Both of my grandparents were violently ill after the first batch of chemo.

Hang in there Scott.”

“emotional/psycholic/spiritual support are critical for you and your father at this time.

Pathman prayers your way.”

“CB we are thinking of your father! If he is a as strong as you are he will do well.”

“Good wishes here as well.”

“God bless Brother !!!”

“Both you and your dad will most definitely be in our thoughts and prayers, CB”

“Hey Dude,
If your pop is like you, he'll bounce back well. Best wishes to both of you. I'll keep him in my prayers.
NJpacker”

“Here's hoping that 2005 is a very good year for your Dad, CB.”

“dad had the next to last chemo today and will have the last one thursday. 3 more radiation treatments, ending thursday. at the halfway point he had a c-t scan and the tumor was 50-75 percent gone. so maybe this will be the only batch of treatments he undergoes, unless it comes back, which wouldnt surprise me, cuz it seems like it always does.”

“...yes but many times not. Stay positive guy and keep da faith.”

“a guy at work lost his mother to lung cancer, his father currently has it, but the guy still smokes!

i dont get it. the "its hard to quit" excuse doesnt cut it in a situation like that. "gee. i dont want to save my own life. its too hard" u go without cigarettes, you fiend, you get irritable. big deal. im irritable 90 percent of the time and i cope. i just come here and bang heads.

anyway, i probably shouldnt have gone down that path cuz i know there are alot of smokers on the board. please, all of you consider quitting. dad retches after every chemo treatment, hes lost most of his appetite and taste for food, hes tired and cold all the time, and he couldve frickin died. man. he and i have never been all that close, we're completely different and alot alike in all the wrong ways, but i dont want to see him suffer. if it comes back and takes him, i hope it takes him fast. grieving is almost easier than watching suffering. i guess that sounds cold, but i dont wanna see anybody go thru it”

“Crash, I dont know if I ever said this but I am really sorry to hear about your dad. I cant imagine going through what you are,the stress must be nearly overwhelming. I hope your dad pulls through, there is always hope.

As an aside, I saw my aunt this wknd. She has hair now, maybe an inch. She is ahppy about that.
last edited: 1/24/05 7:11:30 PM”

“CB, hang in there. I don't know much to say, but you know that I know how u feel. Been there!”

“The PLAN is not ours. In my prayers, ole 2 poops. Let me know if I can help. Jer”