mets to lung
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Blessed,
I am so sorry to hear about your BFF. I think it is wonderful that you are on this board doing all you can to understand and learn how to support her! I know people are different and I am still trying to come to grips with this diagnosis. However, I can tell you what has helped me. When I am very upset and crying and in emotional pain regarding the future, having a close friend cry right along with me has helped me feel less isolated and cared about. This has happened two time and it has helped me more than telling me it is going to be ok or stay positive............ I need someone to be with me when I go to that very scary and fearful place.
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Single mom, exactly! That's what I want to try to be for her. She has I'm sure cried at night or alone with her husband by her side, but those dark days will come. Ok now it hits me at random times and I can't help but let it out.
She is my daughter's boyfriend's mom. And we hit if off the moment we met, over three years ago.
Singlemom...I really appreciate you sharing that. I know she has lost a lot of sleep worrying. She has teenage kids she worries about, and lots of family. I know I've had to sort of convince her that chemo is the way to go...she has struggled with this decision and gets a lot of negativity from certain family. I did it gently and calmly but she seemed to grasp the importance of it.
Being TNC makes it really hard for her, as you know. She can't take allot of the regular chemo that others do.
How are YOU feeling? Your recent dx must've been a stunner. What treatment are you going through?0 -
Hi Blessedwith6, first let me say your friend is lucky to have a BFF like you. I am also TN with mets to my lungs. They were discovered last year in May. I am on my second line of chemo...the Taxol didn't seem to do anything for them, so now we are using CMF. Last PET scan showed promise. A few mets were gone, largest (1.5 cm) had not grown and others ( 2 smaller than .8mm) had shrunk. Main thing there was nothing new. I also have 1 met to my sternum and 1 to my hiler node. There are more options than there use to be for TN now. When CMF (and I know it will be when not if) stops working I have asked my ONC to look into the PDL-1 trial (immunotheraphy). I know if that doesn't work we still have many more chemo's to try. So there is promise.....main thing is to try and have a positive attitude!
We are here for her and you!
Julie
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Texas Rose
You are always so upbeat and positive. Just reading your posts and knowing how well chemo is working for you gives me so much positive energy.
Thank you for your posts.
Rosieo
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Thank you Rosieo!
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Blessed,
I am glad I was able to share with you what has helped me the most. Your care and concern for her is priceless right now. In fact, I don't know what I would of done for the firstfew months if I didn't have friends holding me up. I am still adjusting to this nightmare. Some days I feel hope and do pretty good, others days not so good. I am trying to build a strong support system for myself through friends, therapist, workshops, retreats, yoga and meditation. I am hormone positive so that is different than what your friend has. I am on hormone meds and ibrance for now. Please keep checking in. I think it is wonderful that you care so much and trying to understand what she needs right now!
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Just checking in on you ladies....we have been kinda quiet this past week! Hope all is well! Prayers your way!
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Aw youre a sweetie, texasrose.
Well, my friend Mary will be having a lung biopsy on Friday. Apparently one of the doctors realized they hadn't done one yet and wants to be sure it's cancer. Mary was stunned that they were about to start chemo without this being certain. That's what we are waiting on at this point.
She's holding up ok. She's tired. Her husband looks tired too. I can't imagine what he's been going thru.
Hope everyone is doing ok here. Take care...0 -
I just started my second round of Ibrance and I am taking letrozole as well. I had my oophorectomy on Thursday so I am hoping all of this will give the meds a chance at doing a fantastic job. I still have no symptoms to speak of. No shortness of breath, no major side effects of the meds. I have some sore muscles and joints rarely, and the pain is so minor that I often forget to even mention it. I have no pain to speak of from my surgery. The worst side effect are hot flashes (they sucks) and headaches. I got headaches every cycle a day or two before my period started so at the lowest point of my estrogen levels. Now that I was on zoladex then had my oophorectomy, I don't expect it to be much better, but I will live with it. I am a little weird, I have my own pulse oximeter and I make sure my O2 levels are within ranges. I never thought I would be concerned with it, but now knowing I have a tumor in my lung, i just make sure I am taking in enough oxygen.
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Blessedwith6.....praying your friend's biopsy comes back and it is not cancer! That would be awesome! Did she have a PET scan or CT scan?
Julie
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Texasrose, she had a CT scan. They found 5 tumors in her lungs. And yes, wouldn't it be amazing if it wasn't cancer?? They performed the CT scan to verify it but I guess this onc wants further confirmation, and I surprised they haven't biopsied it already. But what do I know...0
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Suersis, I have had the pulse ox for a while, my youngest has asthma but I use it now too. I have so many BP cuffs it is actually kind of funny (I have 4 different sizes), I used them in my EMT course and now in nursing school, there are too many different sized arms in our class, so I have made my oldest son check my BP often. He is an EMT as well and is hopefully starting nursing school. Now if only I could have a 12 lead at home, we could have too much fun playing with tools. I am glad I am not the only one who has one though.
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Hey Blessedwith6...the CT scan just shows size of the mets...a PET scan will show if they are cancerous. So the biopsy would be to determine the makeup (TN, ER+, PR+ etc.) of the cancer in the lungs. I can't remember if she was diagnosed stage IV right out of the box or not. Sometimes the type of BC you have will actually change from the original BC. It is possible that it is not TN. That is what they looked for when they biopsied mine....but I was still TN.
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They only did a cat scan with me. They said nodules too small for Pet. They were able to biopsy hilar lymph node which was positive for cancer.
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Singlemom1....yes...if they are too small they will not be detected on PET. I think they have to be .7mm to 1 cm.
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Hello! Thought I would hop over here and say hi to everyone and also see what I could learn from you guys! I recognize singlemom so far, but I think that's it! I have mets to the lungs and lymph node in sternum area. I just recently, in the past 2-3 weeks, have felt a tightness in my chest. It really kinda hurts! As if you've had a bad cold or I guess bronchitis and all the drainage is down in your chest needing to be broken up and coughed out? Also noticed my breathing has been kind of shallow too. Anybody else felt like this? Oh yeah, and hiccups! I've had them ALOT for about a month. I never get hiccups and its driving me nuts. I had a CT on the 31st which showed progression but not huge amounts. Just curious if it might be a normal thing w/lung mets.
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Hi NicciJ,
We haven't met before, but I wanted to mention that I too have hiccups and did a bit of legwork to find various ways of dealing with them:
Here's a link to a longish report I wrote earlier:
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/...
It sounds like you won't be able to sort out the cold/bronchitis, lung mets symptoms and treatment unwanted effects until your cold/bronchitis heals up.
My own struggles with hiccups seem to be both mechanical (pressure on diaphragm) and biochemical (toxicity from liver mets). I try to work with both and to use natural remedies and movement/position changes to relieve them, but zofran and reglan do help!
I'm up early drinking sauerkraut juice to quell nausea this morning because the hiccups were just setting in and they're exhausting in their own unique way. Not fun!
warm wishes, Stephanie
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Thank you, Stephanie! No, we have not met but I am definitely a fan of yours
I am a reader of the D&D thread and another that is in awe of all that you write. I truly thank you for your passion and honesty. Thank you for returning to the thread! I know I speak for a lot of people. We were a little nervous!Thanks for the link!
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Thanks suersis! I guess its normal.
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Hi Nicci...welcome to the lung mets discussion. I have experienced the tightness to the chest but figured it was because of my lymphodema or from the radiation in that breast (although that was 2 years ago). Not tight all the time just every now and then. Does anyone notice themselves burping more than normal..(not sure what normal would be), but before I couldn't even make myself burp and now it seems very simple. Just curious if anyone else experiences this?0 -
Texasrose, I experience a lot of burping too. I never burped before either and now burp after drinking a glass of water. Strange...I know
Robin
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I posted the other day but it disappeared so I don't know what happened.
Anyway, my friend Mary's chemo will start this week. She had had a pet scan that confirmed the cancer in her lungs. They will give her two pills a day for two weeks, then one week off. It's a lower dosage. I'm not sure if that's what onc recommended or if that's what she asked for. She's been feeling more tired lately and today she felt sluggish, hard to breathe. She says it feels like asthma but she knows it's the cancer.
I've asked what medications they are and she hasn't told me. I've also asked for specifics on discussions she's had with her dr but she's pretty quiet about it all. I know this is a scary time for her.
I'd appreciate any of your input, what to expect in terms of symptoms and what,,if anything, to do about them.0 -
Blessed,
The medication you describe sounds like Xeloda. There is a thread in the Stage IV forum all about that drug and you may want to lurk on that thread for more information about it. As to you friend not choosing to share the information about her new treatment or share specific of her private discussions with her doctor, please respect her choices on those matters. Allow her the space she thinks she needs right now.
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Thx Texasrose! No, now burping is not something that I've been dealing with. This past week the chest pressure has felt even worse. Like someone is standing on my chest. Especially when I lie on my back. I see onc on Friday, so will definitely bring it up.
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Hi Nicci,
Not to diagnose your symptom of chest tightness, but it sounds suspiciously like pleural effusion, when fluid builds up between the lung linings due to tumors. They can cause the body to weep and prevent its natural emptying of normal fluid that keeps the linings from slickly sliding beside one another.
Mine happened with shortness of breath, worse on lying down, worse on the affected side, worse after bending forward then straightening up and worse with movement - even of arms as well as walking. Better sitting in semi-reclined position, even to sleep.
The oncologist still listens with a stethoscope and taps my ribs up and down to listen to it. For many moons I had regular outpatient chest x-rays to check the volume of fluid.
It can be drained off in an outpatient procedure called thoracentesis and 4 years ago I had a big surgery called a VAT's pleuradesis that sealed the lung linings together with talc. I also considered having a drain installed, so I could drain at home (like I drain fluid from abdomen now), but am glad I did the more invasive procedure as it was a good fit for me.
While I hope that pleural effusion isn't in anyone's future, it's good to know there are options for treating it when cancer treatments aren't controlling it.
Bestbird's book includes more complete information. You can find her contact information at the main page at Forum 8.
We're hoping for the best news, but know you still have options!
warmest healing wishes, Stephanie
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Thanks Goodbye girl. I will give her space and avoid too much questioning and bringing up the C word. I've asked her if all me questions bother her and she said not at all. But there's a point I'm sure when one is tired of thinking about it.
On a good note, she's very excited about this form of treatment. She forgot the med name but said its used for TN and lung cancers with success. Believe me, excited is not a word she uses regarding most anything, especially chemo!! She loves that she can take the pills at home and not report in to the dr everyday.
This site has been invaluable to me.0 -
I actually have gotten a copy of Bestbird's book, but I haven't had time to read it all the way through just yet. I will definitely ask about the pleural effusion if they do not bring it up. I always like to see what they say first before I bring up my own self dx, he he. I go tomorrow and see his side kick this time.
Thanks, Stephanie!
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Texasrose53- Burping is related to the gastric-digestive system and so totally unrelated to lung mets. Also chest tightness I had ever since my chest expander placed 10 years ago. My co-worker passed away later that same year w/lung mets (only 38) She had a dry cough for a month or two earlier and shortness if breath. She had pleural decisions several time w/chest tube drainage which help for a while. She also apparently had not been given strong enough chemo originally.
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GrammyR...you mentioned a chest expander? What is that?
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On the 14th I had VATS to remove a lung nodule. At that time they found another nodule growing on the original nodule. I've been diagnosed with TN mets to lung. I see my MO on May 16th to discuss treatment options. I asked about clinical trials but my MO said he wasn't sure if I could participate due to my RA. I'm hoping there are other options besides chemo. He ordered another petscan before my May 16th appointment. I hope to learn more about lung mets by participating on this thread. Thank you for all you share.
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