my dad finished chemo 12 months ago and his latest scan show changes from last time which was last summer, terrified

[saints]

he is seeing consultant this week, is it always bad news

[ericbyrne]

Hi,

I am sorry to hear about your Dads situation,this cancer journey is difficult for the patient,but also difficult for the family and friends too.I can only relate to my personal experience in supporting you,I am not a doctor,and therefore unable to offer any reflections about your Dad on his cancer.My best advice I can offer,is try not to pre-empt what the results of future consultations may be,attend these occassions with your Dad to support him,even taking with you pen and paper to write down comments from your consultation with your Dads doctor,you might even prepare for the consultation by writing down questions you would wish explained.In my own experience going through treatments,my brain was always racing ahead of itself,usually on the gloomy side,whats ifs?what if the chemo makes me violently sick,what if my hair falls out,what if the chemo dos'nt work,in waiting for my operation to remove my tumour,the what ifs became,what if post surgery leaves me a breathless invalid,or is so painful which remains with me for years etc,etc,think you get the picture.Well I have to tell you for all the worrying I did,nothing ever came close to my imaginings.One of the sayings I discovered recently which was appropriate to me at that time was, quote "Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair,it gives you something to do,but it dos'nt get you anywhere".

I know this is tough on you,try to think of living in today and enjoy sharing in your Dads company,dont try to get too far into the future.My very best wishes to you and your Dad,may you share many more happy years together.Please keep in touch.

[saints in reply to ericbyrne]

Thanks very much, my mind does race on at 100 miles an hour, when i think clearly as you say , the consultant said if it does start to re grow they will blast it with more chemo or radiotheraphy. he sailed through chemo with only tiredness as a side effect. My dad has lung cancer by the way. Thanks for taking the time to reply it means a lot to know that other people are there to talk to and say what you want to say but cant talk to family cause you're scared of worrying them xx

[Billculbard]

I was trying to think of something to say last night, but Eric's said it all for me, plus some. I agree with him entirely. Best wishes, Bill

[saints in reply to Billculbard]

thanks for replying, it means a lot x

[saints]

Hi everyone, sorry i havnt been on here for a while, the lung cancer was growing again and had s, pread to his liver, dad has just finished 3 months of the same chemo as last time, apart from being tired from the chemo his symptoms are much better, before he was coughing up blood and always on antibiotics to now he hardly coughs, seeing dr tomorrow for results of his scan, i have everything croosed thats possible xxx

[Hidden]

My dad, is 76 next week and was diagnosed in July 2012 with stage 4 lung cancer, also in his neck. He had radio therapy and chemo which shrunk it. This summer they thought there was a change in his X-ray. We resigned ourselves more chemo would follow and he had a ct scan. This showed there was insignificant change so chemo now on hold. He has another X-ray in 3 months. Stay positive and keep your dad strong. I'm praying for you both that it is good news and that there is not much change so he doesn't need further treatment xx

[saints in reply to Hidden]

Glad ur dad is doing well, always better when they dont have to have treatment but sometimes its the only answer, this is an old post and im sorry to say i lost my dad on 14 oct 2012, he had battled for nearly two years, the scan showed it had spread to his liver, the chemo worked on the lungs again but not the liver, he passed away 3 months after finishing the chemo. I was by his side all night, all the family went home but i knew i couldnt leave, maybe as i had looked after him for so long i could knew how ill he was. Spend as much time as you can with your dad and cherish every minute with him as i did with mine , thinking of you xxxxxx

[Hidden in reply to saints]

Im so sorry to hear you lost your dad. I hadn't looked at the dates, i hadn't been on for a while and it was the first post I came across on my wall, really sorry. It's an awful disease and the chemo is just as nasty. You are right, every day is precious. Take care xxx