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Stage 4 Lung Cancer - Query on Maintenance Therapy

jais44
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Hi

I am from Bangalore India. My Mother has been diagonsed with Stage 4 lung cancer in May 2018. She had received 6 session of 1st line chemotheraphy (frequency 3 week ) which was finished on 20th Sep 2018. She was getting treated at a hospital in Bangalore. She was looking better & her PET scan showed Tumour has shrink significantly. Her health started faling down suddenly & we admitted her to the hospital again on 26th Oct. Doctor said its case of  type 1 Respiratory failure & chances of surviving is poor. Doctor advised  weekly Maintenance therapy which she is getting & completed 4 session.

Doctor has again asked to come on 28th Nov for 5th session of Maintenance therapy. Despite doing Maintence therapy she is looking very week, lost her appetite & on oxygen for 24 hrs. She is bedridden & can walk only for tiolet. we have to assist her for tiolet, brush & almost everything. its sad to see her going through all this.

we are not getting any concrete response from her doctor. They simply advised weekly Chemo but does not mention anything about her prognasis. How long she has to get this weekly Chemo & will she improve after this.

Please share your valuble thoughts.

Regards

Anjani

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    Hello Anjani and welcome to this forum.  I am sorry to learn that your mum is not doing very well and you are not sure of what is happening.  Please  bear in mind that we who post here do not have any medical training and it is hard for us to answer the questions you raise.  All we can do is speak from our own limited experiences.    Over the years I have lost friends and family to cancer (including lung cancer) and one of the things  I have learned is that cancer is unpredictable and people's individual response to treatment can vary a great deal.    I think you need to ask your doctor directly what he considers her prognosis.  If - as I understand it - your mum is not improving it may be that he is just giving your mum a bit extra time but I cannot emphasis too much that I really have no idea.  I note you will be seeing your mum's doctor next week and I would suggest that you write down a list of questions to which you want an answer.  This must be such a difficult time for you and I hope you will free to write to this forum again about how your mum is doing and how you are feeling.  I am only sorry that we cannot help you with the medical questions.  Annie

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