Hi everyone,
I wrote a post here a few days ago asking for advice about my mum's lung cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, we were informed by the oncologist yesterday that it's terminal and she has been given just a year or two to live even with chemo. This was a huge huge shock because all the news we had had so far seemed like good news - the tumour was 4.4cm (stage 1 sized) and it hadn't spread to the rest of her body. My mum is only 49. The oncologist said that because the tumour is in her lymph nodes, there's nothing that can be done. She has having chemo anyway in an attempt to slow the cancer down.
I'm appalled that myself and my family were lead to believe that everything was going to be okay because they knew about the size and location of the tumour weeks ago after her tests and only yesterday were we given the prognosis. My mum went to her GP later in the day who then told her to ignore the oncologist because they're all overly dramatic. I find this both unprofessional and slanderous but hopeful too. I believe the one to two years estimation comes from averages and lung cancer is usually most prominent between ages 60-80.
However, I'm also worried because my mum has a drinking problem and I know that this could interfere with the chemo. The oncologist told her she can have a drink but she shouldn't over do it but my mum is an alcoholic in denial and doesn't believe that getting drunk every night is a problem.
Thanks for listening
xxx