mets to lung
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Hi Ladies, been awhile since I joined in on this thread, but have been checking in as I have it on my fav list. I hear a lot of talk about chest pain and pleural effusion or pleural thickening. I am suspicious that I may be developing these issues. First noticed some pain a week or so ago but it passed after a couple days. However it has returned with a vengeance. All along the outer side of my left lung. Both lungs are involved but the left one has the largest amount and was the first. I have an appointment to see MO next Thursday but if it persists I may call the clinic and see if they want me to get an xray or anything before then. I am booked for another cat scan Mar. 2 and so far there has not been any progression since I started this Palbo drug trial last June. Any other reasons for the pain that anyone knows of? And good luck on your treatments ladies.Cathy
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Cathy, I hope your cat scan shows good results! Do you have pain even when you are not coughing? Have you had your heart checked recently? It could be a number of different things, one of which is an honest to goodness infection.
In my case the pain is being caused by progression. We just learned this yesterday. I'm off the faslodex and back to abraxane. I am almost looking forward to the chemo because I am certain it will get rid of the pain.
Is palbo another anti-hormonal?
Hugs,
Brenda
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Adnerb - Yes I have had ekg's on this drug trial. Have had a couple in the last month and they are fine. Yes I have pain (or painful discomfort) steady now. It seems worse when I lay down and then go to roll over and move around. Palbo is not an anti hormonal but I also take Letrozole that is. Will check my temp and that will rule out infection I would think.Sorry about your progression. Its bad when you look forward to more chemo! When I did chemo it was sooooooooooo difficult. I was in bed for days after each infusion. Hope it does the job for you.
Cathy
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Cathy, when I had pain with pleural effusion it was in my chest. It was a constant pain but bothered me mostly at night when I would slow down activity-wise. I felt like I might be having heart problems and asked to be referred to a cardiologist. My Onc at the time suggested she was more worried about Cancer recurrence and sent me for a ct scan. She was right, unfortunately. That was May, 2008. I had the fluid drained one time and have never had the problem since. Pain yes, from pleural effusion, no. Hope you can get to the bottom of the problem and relief from the pain
BTW, Brenda, I checked with my chemo nurse today. I was on carboplatin April through November and started abraxane on dec. 17, 2014. I was confused because when I was sick from August - October with bronchitis/pneumonia, I was taken off chemo. Counts weren't good enough for quite a while. When I started up again he put me back on the carboplatin. For some reason I thought it was a new drug. After Thanksgiving I ended up in the ER with lots of pain and had a ct scan. At that point there was progression and he decided a change in chemo was needed and abraxane was it! Looking at my list of treatments its no wonder I was confused!
Up on my decadron high tonight. Hope I get some sleep! Do you start Friday?
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Thanks GatorGal - Mine is pretty much constant too and to think about it .. it feels like I've been kicked in the ribs or hit with a bat. I find mine worse at night too but its when I try to roll over or move around. Suspicious of mets to ribs but of course you try to self diagnosis and think the worst.
You sure have been through a lot. Good luck to you!0 -
try2staycalm, my current Onc says my rib pain is from the Cancer in the lining of the lung. My pain now is just at the bottom right part behind the rib. Would that BE considered pleural effusion? My ONC called it Cancer. He said the pain is bad even though the cancer is small because the lining of the lungs is like a paper cut ... Large pain, small problem. The fentanyl patch helps me am lot. I rarely have breakthrough pain.
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GatorGal - Pleural effusion is fluid in those linings. Yours is actual cancer. Glad the pain patches are working for you. Last time I had a cat scan my oncologist told me it was "stable" however he mentioned that there was one area that he was unsure what it was. I called and left msg for him today and the nurse called back and said that he looked at the last cat scan and it would be possible that was what it was. If my breathing stays ok I see him next week but should it get worse I'm to go in to ER.0 -
tryn2staycalm, I agree with the ER option if your breathing worsens .... Hopeing for the best!! Thanks for the clarification. I think I knew that but lately have been questioning myself. I seem to be having some memory issues! Couldn't even remember what chemo I was on and had to go back and look at my records! LOL
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GatorGal - I have the same problem at times. With what we are dealing with I think its understandable. Hoping for the best for you also!0 -
I never have had pain from the plural effusion. I have cancer jn my lungs in my ribs which r constantly broken, they pop in n out n i ha e 2 put them back. I have had the fluid drained 3 times n oof course there is cancer in the lining of both lungs. I am on oxygen 24 7 either from the cancer or from chemo they aren't sure. I also got the talc to glue the lining 2 the lung to stop the fluid, it has worked 4 the most part, just nkt enough 2 drain
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Blondie -The ribs sound painful! Hang in there! Hope the are keeping you comfortable.Doing much better here now just now and then I feel some discomfort but nothing like it was. Guess I'll have to let the oncologist figure it out.
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Ladies,
First please forgive me. I started reading thru the postings and got overwhelmed. So, I'm sure my question is on here somewhere. I'm wondering what were your first symptoms before dx of lung mets? I go in on Tues for CT but I'm anxiously diagnosing myself.
Quick background: stage 4 dx Sept. 2014. Have been on hormone and chemo therapies. Mets to liver, nodes, and skin. I'm having a hard time this cycle of Xeloda...doc doubled dose. This cycle was Taxotere, Xeloda, and Faslodex. I've been sleeping ALOT! As for breathing I get winded easily, hard to catch my breath, O2 sats were at 90 this last week, and small cough. I find if I roll out of bed I have to cough when I sit upright. I am diabetic type 1 as well and my ketones have been very high. I had a bag of fluids to help the other day. My tumor markers are up and so I'm thankful for the CT. I'm also having a hard time eating or drinking.
Thanks in advance for your time and input.
~Mtmom
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Hi, mtmom, my breathing problems started in Sept. 2013 when I started on Xeloda. I had some lung mets at the time. My breathing problems got worse as I went to Navelbine and Abraxane, but my lung mets got worse, too, so it's really not possible to tell what's affecting what. My onc always says the mets in my lungs aren't bad enough to cause me shortness of breath, and he didn't think it was the chemo, either, but oncs can be like that, never wanting to blame things on either the cancer or the chemo.
The onc sent me to a pulmonologist, and I had a lung biopsy and a lung capacity test. The biopsy confirmed the presence of lung mets, but that we knew already. The lung capacity test results were that shortness of breath was caused by both COPD and the chemo. Seems like even when I get enough air, it's not being utilized by my body because of the chemo. That's how I understood it anyway.
So shortness of breath is complicated. I will tell you it got considerably better with a 3-week vacation from Abraxane before I started the Doxil.
Don't know if any of this will help, but hope it might at least a little.
xoxoxoxox
Calico
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Hi, Blondie, just wanted to say I'm sending you big hugs and lots of prayers for peace. You are such a trooper. Think of you often. Thanks for posting.
xoxoxoxox!!!
Calico
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Thank you, Calico. It does help to read all that. Gives me additional info when I go in on Tuesday. I hadn't ever heard of chemo affecting breathing in that way but it makes sense. That stuff causes such chaos sometimes.
Thanks and blessings,
~Mtmom
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Thanks cat
Mt my mo didnt know ehat the breathing is is, been on oxygen since july of 2013 24 7. I have cancer in the lining n in the fluid of the lungs as well as nodules. Not sure what chemo i was on but i think it was taxotere. What they say is that the air is not being pushed from one liung to the next. When i cant breathe it feels like i am having a heart attack in the center of my chest, hope that helps
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Thanks for the response. After CT lungs themselves look ok but I did have fluid around both. Had a liter drained off right lung yesterday and they will let the left sit and see what happens. Waiting for results of biopsy on fluid. Today I see the surgeon and tomorrow I go in for lymph node biopsy on left side (had mx on right already). Not quite sure how I went from worrying about lung mets to getting a node biopsy!!??!! Sometimes...cancer, the gift that keeps on giving. Darn!
~Mtmom
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Mtmom, hope you're breathing easier after the fluids were drained from your right lung. Glad they are doing a biopsy on the fluid. Busy week for you ... Surgeon today, lymph node biopsy tomorrow. Hope the meeting with your surgeon went well. Yeah, Cancer, the gift that keeps on giving! Hope everyone has a relaxing week-end!
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GatorGal, do you remember having hand/foot syndrome on the Doxil? I'm in my 3rd week on 2nd monthly treatment and it's hit me like a ton of bricks in my hands. I can just hardly use them it hurts so badly on the palms and fingers, particularly the skin at the finger joints. I think they're swollen, too.
Onc nurse called today and talked to my husband and said week 2 on Doxil is when it gets the worst, and that it should get better. I see my onc on March 9th, and am due for my 3rd Doxil treatment. The onc had said that on the dose I am on, hand/foot syndrome shouldn't be a problem. Yeah, right!
On two treatments, my tumor markers went from 1188 to 1140, not exactly what I'd call a home run. I really don't think I can do the Doxil again. It's just too painful.
xoxoxoxxoxo
Calico
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Calico,
Your doctor may want to reduce the dosage of your doxil.
Take care.
Brenda
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I have had hand foot, adnerb, and I am pretty sure it was on the doxil. It was so bad that I asked to stop before my last treatment. we were going to ireland and I wanted to be able to walk! It was painful. I bought the kind of gloves you wear with lotion for my hands and socks for my feet. I lathered up every night with a real thick ointment (bee balm or rawleighs). I did this every nights and if i woke up in the middle of the night, lathered it on again. It helped a lot but not enough. I can understand you wanting to give up on it! Talk to your Onc. Maybe a reduction in dosage would help. Good luck
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Thanks, Brenda and GatorGal, nothing to do but talk to my onc when I see him. His nurse sent in a script for pain (Talwin), which I'd heard of, but didn't know anything about. I took the first dose a few hours ago, and man, after an hour, I'm having major dizziness and light-headedness. I called the pharmacy and talked to them about drug reactions/interactions, and am reassured, at least. Since my goal for pain relief was to become more functional with my hands, this definitely isn't achieving that! Goodbye Talwin!
xoxoxoxoxox
Calico
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Adnerb- I also had to quit anti- hormonals d/t side effects. Tried 5 over the years. I had lymph node under collar bone zapped w/Rads summer 2013 Held off other chemo as the spot on my lung is still no bigger and I can breathe fine. So until then the good Lord is taking care of me- and doing me pretty good except from neuropathy. Hugs and prayers to all you super strong ladies.
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BTW, my neuropathy has been around since 1987. Not terribly bad, but worsens with some chemos and lessens with others. It has never gone away, however! Brenda, nevER heard of twila but I think you are wise to discontinue it's use.
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Well, I'm back with more mets to sternum and ribs. Also, the fluid is building so Onc wants to me to start Xeloda. I am not convinced. I have to have the fluid drained soon as it is causing pain and SOB issues. I will search Xeloda info on the boards but any info would be helpful. Also any info on the actual fluid draining would be appreciated.
Also, I read thet SSDI will be insolvent by 2016. Anyone else hear/read that? I just got approved! Ugh
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CalicoCat- Talwin is an old pain drug similar to an IV Ibuprofen. I had it after I was in auto accident and fractured my sternum. I eventually had to accept a does of Morphine as the pain was unbearable when they moved me to scan.
Except for stomach irritation never had any bad effects. It is not a narcotic.wrsmith2x- so sorry your mets have spread. I am sure you must be having some pain. Hope its under control. Yes, the fluid build up will need to be drained but may come back again. A thoracentesis is the name of the procedure for pleural effusion. Its pretty serious so you may wish to really consider the Xeloda before you are at the point of not return. No what you want to hear I know. I too will be facing this decision down the road. There is no other way to remove this type of fluid unfortunately. ( the retired RN in me thinking here) Hugs and prayers to all.
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Hi, Wrsmith, I'm on SSDI, too, and have been for years. I'm glad the SSDI situation is at least being discussed. Remember, too, that one way to discourage people from applying for SSDI (and there are many hurdles to clear to get it), talk it up that it's going broke, so why bother to apply?
I do not believe it will just go away. It may be reduced some or for some people. I don't think you need to lose any sleep over this, but you might remember it when it's time to vote.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Calico
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Wrsmith,
I didn't find thoracentesis to be painful, and it greatly improved my SOB. Mine were both ultrasound guided, and the doctor was very responsive to any twinges I was feeling. After draining over a liter the first time and just under the second, my pleura adhered to the lung and no more fluid accumulated, although CT scans still show loculated pleural effusions that compress the lower lobe of my left lung and innumerable pleural nodules. Some people do have a lot of pain with the procedure, but finding the right doctor may make a difference.
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Had the thoracentesis and they drained almost a liter and I still don't feel better. The pain may be from sternum mets...not sure...do they hurt? Also the draining did not hurt. The worst part was the numbing shot.
I just want to feel better. I am not afraid to die. I just don't want to be in pain.
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wrsmith2x, please ask your doctor for pain meds. You should not be in so much pain. Sorry for bold print.
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