@nursed2075- having cancer sucks and so does chemo. I drank tons of water to help get the chemicals out of my system. One of the chemicals that I had was cisplatin and that absolutely killed my appetite. I was also wiped out.
I forced myself to eat, small helpings of at least some protein. I also could handle pastries and the like.
Believe it or not exercising will help with energy.
What type of lung cancer do you have? Did you have any surgery?
Do you have family at home to help you?
@nursed2075- Welcome to Mayo Connect. Yes, we have a lung cancer group. I am the mentor for lung cancer and health. I do have stage 4 lung cancer. Many people in the lung cancer group do. I'm horrible on my cell phone otherwise I'd put the link here. You can access it the same way you found this group.
Why are you interested in stage 4 lung cancer patients? Have you been diagnosed with it?
@merpreb YES, I was diafnoe 0n 9/10. Adinocarsinocasinoma. A right temple lession which began on my left lung. Has metz to middle of my chest bet. both lungs. Stage IV. First chemo and immuno on 12/2. Next on 12/23. Same treatment. After this immuno every six weeks do pray for me. I am NOT quite ready to cash it in. I have things which I need to take care of within my family that it takes me to do!! Thanks for ur attention. Stay blessed and happy holidays. rlf66
@sipka Sorry to hear about your husband's situation and the sudden news. We had a similar experience this summer and took us a while to get over it and accept the fact that my husband has stage 4 with metastasis being asymptomatic. With your situation similar to ours, they may do a chemotreatment cycle first (4 rounds once every 3 weeks) and in between those cycles put him on SBRT radiation if those spots are good targets for radiation. For back pain, oxycodone for 5 days helped him and he could then stop taking them. Hope they give him something to help with pain. Lung cancer is so tricky since lungs feel no pain and they are hard to detect till metastatic sometimes, unfortunately for us. Hang in there!
@strongone21
Thank you so much for responding.
This is so difficult, just trying to keep busy for now, trying not to think about the what ifs.
I wish you and your husband all the best trying to get this nasty cancer to go away!
I will ask my husbands oncologist about possibly taking oxcycodone.
@fowlair
Hi
I am new here. My husband who is 65 years old had a lower back ache and nothing helped it get better. He finally went in to get an MRI and they found a tumor in his right lung and it had spread to his lower back bones.
This was so - out of the blue - but, Thank God we went in to get his back checked.
We are waiting on some chemotherapy for him, it should be soon.
In the meantime, my husband has back pain and pain pills but, he still seems in so much pain. I HATE seeing him in pain, it is so awful. I am really trying to be strong and positive when I am with him , it is difficult.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how better I can help his back pain possibly?
I want to make him as comfortable as possible while he goes through this awful disease.
@sipka Sorry to hear about your husband's situation and the sudden news. We had a similar experience this summer and took us a while to get over it and accept the fact that my husband has stage 4 with metastasis being asymptomatic. With your situation similar to ours, they may do a chemotreatment cycle first (4 rounds once every 3 weeks) and in between those cycles put him on SBRT radiation if those spots are good targets for radiation. For back pain, oxycodone for 5 days helped him and he could then stop taking them. Hope they give him something to help with pain. Lung cancer is so tricky since lungs feel no pain and they are hard to detect till metastatic sometimes, unfortunately for us. Hang in there!
@sipka, it is so hard to see someone in pain. Like you, I hope the chemotherapy will provide some relief from the pain. Does you husband have a pain medicine/palliative care doctor who helps with pain management?
I can imagine you feel helpless and wish you could take his pain away. Sending you a virtual hug.
When will he start chemotherapy? Has raditaion been discussed to help with the pain?
@colleenyoung
Hi
No, we do not have a Dr. for pain medication, we may need to look into it.
Right now, the Dr. said he is going to try chemotherapy first and see how that goes.
I have heard alot of bad things about chemotherapy, it scares me.
He is just waiting on all the referrals to go through and then, he will start, soon.
I guess he will just need to try first and see how things go.
@fowlair
Hi
I am new here. My husband who is 65 years old had a lower back ache and nothing helped it get better. He finally went in to get an MRI and they found a tumor in his right lung and it had spread to his lower back bones.
This was so - out of the blue - but, Thank God we went in to get his back checked.
We are waiting on some chemotherapy for him, it should be soon.
In the meantime, my husband has back pain and pain pills but, he still seems in so much pain. I HATE seeing him in pain, it is so awful. I am really trying to be strong and positive when I am with him , it is difficult.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how better I can help his back pain possibly?
I want to make him as comfortable as possible while he goes through this awful disease.
@sipka, it is so hard to see someone in pain. Like you, I hope the chemotherapy will provide some relief from the pain. Does you husband have a pain medicine/palliative care doctor who helps with pain management?
I can imagine you feel helpless and wish you could take his pain away. Sending you a virtual hug.
When will he start chemotherapy? Has raditaion been discussed to help with the pain?
My husband has Stage 4 lung cancer. Initially diagnosed as Stage 1 in 2013. Had a wedge resection, no spreading to other areas. After that a few very small nodules in lung remained. Follow up scans every 3 months. Stable until May 2020. Growth returned in femur, lungs, liver and brain. Started on chemo, and radiation to brain. Growth again stopped and all except lungs showed no cancer. Chemo halted in November 2021 due to affecting production of red blood cells. November 2022, cancer returned aggressive growth. Cannot go back on chemo, Mayo dr recommended hospice.
He went from 185 lbs to 131 during this time. Hospice put him on a steroid and he gained 30 lbs in 2 months. He’s had more energy and his appetite has increased. But his short term memory is poor, he is unsteady on his feet, and now has urinary incontinence. He has been pain-free this whole time, but he told me last night that he’s having intermittent pain under his armpit. So I suspect it is now in the bones.
We’ve been living with this for 10 years, and with Stage 4 for 3 years. I truly believe the doctors at Mayo have extended his life longer than normally expected. They are wonderful, caring people. I love Dr Manochakian!
@fowlair
Hi
I am new here. My husband who is 65 years old had a lower back ache and nothing helped it get better. He finally went in to get an MRI and they found a tumor in his right lung and it had spread to his lower back bones.
This was so - out of the blue - but, Thank God we went in to get his back checked.
We are waiting on some chemotherapy for him, it should be soon.
In the meantime, my husband has back pain and pain pills but, he still seems in so much pain. I HATE seeing him in pain, it is so awful. I am really trying to be strong and positive when I am with him , it is difficult.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how better I can help his back pain possibly?
I want to make him as comfortable as possible while he goes through this awful disease.
Yes, I also have stage 4 lung cancer. I am about to engage a series of radiation therapy, the palliative kind, to reduce the pain in my chest, mainly. I am not afraid of dying; to me this is a transfer of my essence, my spirit/soul, into the realm of eternal life with my Messiah. However, I do want to live on this earth as long as possible, so I will be fighting this disease as much as I can. I am engaging in visioning various elements attacking the cancer cells and eating them, one by one. I would be interested in knowing about other strategies for fighting this cancer.
Hello @wodlinger, thank you for sharing your story and your outlook on what is yet to come. It's often hard for others to meet us in the place that you describe. I would call it acceptance for what is yet to come. It's nice that you have a way to put it into words that likely eases the minds of others. Many of us are stage IV, but living longer lives than initially expected.
I also appreciate you visualization of your treatment or therapies eating the cancer cells. That one may be helpful for me sometimes too! I take a targeted therapy (pills specific to my type of cancer), but also try to eat well, do some yoga and meditation. I've been fortunate, diagnosed 5 years ago as stage IV and picked up a second cancer (breast) in the past year, so I'm wondering when my luck with the lung cancer treatment will run out. I'm just starting to explore and investigate some more functional medicine types of treatments.
Are others in your life on board with your plan for palliative treatments?
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adenocarsinoma. rlf66
@merpreb I have stage IV adenicarsinoma. Yes, some relatives and a hand full of close associates. Thanks rlf66
stay blessed. rlf66
@merpreb YES, I was diafnoe 0n 9/10. Adinocarsinocasinoma. A right temple lession which began on my left lung. Has metz to middle of my chest bet. both lungs. Stage IV. First chemo and immuno on 12/2. Next on 12/23. Same treatment. After this immuno every six weeks do pray for me. I am NOT quite ready to cash it in. I have things which I need to take care of within my family that it takes me to do!! Thanks for ur attention. Stay blessed and happy holidays. rlf66
@strongone21
Thank you so much for responding.
This is so difficult, just trying to keep busy for now, trying not to think about the what ifs.
I wish you and your husband all the best trying to get this nasty cancer to go away!
I will ask my husbands oncologist about possibly taking oxcycodone.
@sipka Sorry to hear about your husband's situation and the sudden news. We had a similar experience this summer and took us a while to get over it and accept the fact that my husband has stage 4 with metastasis being asymptomatic. With your situation similar to ours, they may do a chemotreatment cycle first (4 rounds once every 3 weeks) and in between those cycles put him on SBRT radiation if those spots are good targets for radiation. For back pain, oxycodone for 5 days helped him and he could then stop taking them. Hope they give him something to help with pain. Lung cancer is so tricky since lungs feel no pain and they are hard to detect till metastatic sometimes, unfortunately for us. Hang in there!
@colleenyoung
Hi
No, we do not have a Dr. for pain medication, we may need to look into it.
Right now, the Dr. said he is going to try chemotherapy first and see how that goes.
I have heard alot of bad things about chemotherapy, it scares me.
He is just waiting on all the referrals to go through and then, he will start, soon.
I guess he will just need to try first and see how things go.
@sipka, it is so hard to see someone in pain. Like you, I hope the chemotherapy will provide some relief from the pain. Does you husband have a pain medicine/palliative care doctor who helps with pain management?
I can imagine you feel helpless and wish you could take his pain away. Sending you a virtual hug.
When will he start chemotherapy? Has raditaion been discussed to help with the pain?
@fowlair
Hi
I am new here. My husband who is 65 years old had a lower back ache and nothing helped it get better. He finally went in to get an MRI and they found a tumor in his right lung and it had spread to his lower back bones.
This was so - out of the blue - but, Thank God we went in to get his back checked.
We are waiting on some chemotherapy for him, it should be soon.
In the meantime, my husband has back pain and pain pills but, he still seems in so much pain. I HATE seeing him in pain, it is so awful. I am really trying to be strong and positive when I am with him , it is difficult.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how better I can help his back pain possibly?
I want to make him as comfortable as possible while he goes through this awful disease.
Thank you
Hello @wodlinger, thank you for sharing your story and your outlook on what is yet to come. It's often hard for others to meet us in the place that you describe. I would call it acceptance for what is yet to come. It's nice that you have a way to put it into words that likely eases the minds of others. Many of us are stage IV, but living longer lives than initially expected.
I also appreciate you visualization of your treatment or therapies eating the cancer cells. That one may be helpful for me sometimes too! I take a targeted therapy (pills specific to my type of cancer), but also try to eat well, do some yoga and meditation. I've been fortunate, diagnosed 5 years ago as stage IV and picked up a second cancer (breast) in the past year, so I'm wondering when my luck with the lung cancer treatment will run out. I'm just starting to explore and investigate some more functional medicine types of treatments.
Are others in your life on board with your plan for palliative treatments?
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