Hi

We have just embarked on this journey although are one step behind you as we have no real clarity of the type yet. 

My mother in law received a diagnosis yesterday that she has lung cancer which,they believe, has already started to spread.  She had been housebound for about a couple of months due to what was diagnosed by her GP as sciatica.  For the past 3 weeks she has been bedbound due to a pain in her groin.  She also developed what they thought was a chest infection that they were treating with antibiotics.

My Father in Law called 111 last weekend as her left leg began to swell and they admitted her to hospital with a blood clot in her groin.  Whilst in there they xrayed her chest and discovered a shadow.  She then had a scan and, as I mentioned above, has now been diagnosed as lung cancer.

A biopsy is being done next week and I guess on the back of that we will know exactly what we are facing.

Dr Google is not a great place to look but, like you, I find I just cant help myself as I need to know what to expect. 

Hi Lara, im a 62yr old woman and was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma lung cancer a few months ago. It has also spread to my collarbone and lymph nodes and possibly my liver. I tested positive for the EGFR mutation which means i have been put on a relatively new drug called Afatinib which is only used for people with thus mutation. It's a pill which is taken once every day until it's no longer working, I've been told it should work for about a year and then i will be offered something else. It's a small pill that packs a punch. I've had quite bad side effects..I've worn a path to the bathroom!! Terrible rashes and mouth ulcers etc. I was reduced from 40mg to 30mg which has made things slightly better. However, the good news Is that it's working. My first scan 3 weeks ago showed significant shrinkage in lung tumour and the lymph nodes couldn't be seen, my collarbone is healing but they noticed a spot on my liver. So, apart from the news about my liver it's looking good. I have my second scan on 11th Feb and I'm hoping for more good news. Apart from that I'm pretty good and feel positive. I also have daughters who are very worried about me but we tend to laugh things off just as we always have done. Our sense of humour gets us through. Try not to worry Lara. There has been great progress with cancer treatment and the outlook for lung cancer patients is better than its ever been. Best wishes to your mum. Hope she also gets good news after her scans. You can talk to anytime.x

Hello there, 

Thank you for sharing your story - I hope you all get the best possible biopsy results. The waiting is so difficult, but stay strong  and positive x 

Hello, can’t quite figure out which post I’m replying to...sorry. So I’ll reply again just in case. 

It is encouraging to hear that your treatment is working. Sounds like you’ve had lots of improvement. I suppose it’s all the unknown, the hundreds of questions we have that no one has answers to that is difficult. 

As with you all, we stick together ️ Thank you for sharing x 

Dear Lara, 

I hope your mother's treatement is going well. 

My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer last August.  She has just completed her fifth cycle of chemo.  The other two treatment options were targeted and immunotherapy.  Targetted doesn't work on her type of cancer and her PDL1 marker was too low to use immunotherapy as a primary line treatment. 

The chemo has been partially successful.  The tumour on the lung has grown slightly but the cancer in the lining and lymph nodes had decreased.

I understand your shock and anger.  I am one of three daughters and it really has shattered our world.  My mother is also a non-smoker so it has come as an even greater shock.  

I have attended all the appointments with my parents.  My biggest advice to you is to ask questions to the doctors and nurses; no question is a silly one.  My sisters and father also found it helpful to keep our own record of all her appointments, medicines etc.  My mother became and is still very forgettful (chemo brain) so it's good to make sure someone else is on top of everything that is going on.  

I'm more than happy to answer any questions if that would be helpful. 

Thanks, 

J

Hi Lara87,

My father was diagnosed at the same stage last week so I understand what it's like to seek answers to questions and the variation of information on the Internet.

He too was offered Chemo and Immunotherapy however he has preferenced quality over length of life and although hard to accept I have agreed to support him on whatever journey he chooses.

I've assumed the worst case outcome and anything better then that will be a positive.

Stay strong for yourself and your mum.

XX