Lung Cancer Questions

1. What do I do after my doctor telling me I have six months to live?

   No doctor has a crystal ball to know exactly how long you have to live but your disease is serious. If your oncologist is not offering you any other chemotherapy (there may be none except those that are not likely to help or are likely to make you feel awful), then hospice is a reasonable option...
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2. Should I let me father-in-law smoke if it means he'll take his pills?

   I have seen this before -- you're not alone in bargaining with the patient to do things that are GOOD for them. It doesn't seem to make sense. However, there are many considerations behind it: Could they clinically depressed? Are they fatigued or in pain? Have they given up on a cure or on life in general...
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3. What could be causing my husband's shortness of breath?

   I read through your question, and the first thing I have to say is that your husband's case is very complex. He was basically told he had less than a year to live in 2008, and now he has lived for 2 more years. Your main question is really about his shortness of breath...
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4. Does coughing and phlegm mean my mother's lung cancer has returned?

   It is important to remember that while coughing and lung cancer are related, a cough can be caused by other possibilities. A cancer patient can catch a viral or bacterial infection (both of which can also cause headaches) as easily, or even more easily, than a person without cancer. People with cancer can develop ordinary illnesses as well...
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5. Would a CAT scan show metastases?

   Hi:
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6. Why are my husband's dementia and hallucinations at night?

   While many different kinds of cancer spread to other parts of the body, lung cancer is one that spreads to the brain. When this happens, the person may experience headaches, even seizures, and other neurological symptoms such as speech problems, confusion, and quite frequently, hallucinations...
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7. How can I keep active with lung cancer?

   You likely have the double dilemma of low energy from your disease and a change in lung function, which makes it hard to catch your breath or do deep breathing. As you know from your history of going to the gym, breathing is a critical piece of exercise, and your challenge is not to overexert...
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8. How do I know if it's the right time for my father with lung cancer to enter hospice?

   It's tough to know what the right course of action is when you have limited information, but let's talk about what you do know. If he was diagnosed in November, that means that they have a baseline of what his illness was then. For example, they will have scans and other images that will show where and what size the cancer is...
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9. Where can I make a donation to a cancer foundation?

   Hello, That is a very generous gesture. If you'd like to make a donation to an organization focused on lung cancer, The Bonnie J. Addario Foundation is very active: http://www.lungcancerfoundation.org/how-to-help/donate-online-now/.
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10. How can I get my anxiety under control while caring for my mother with lung cancer?

    Your anxiety is a natural response to being under extreme stress. Nobody has a crystal ball and can tell you what is going to happen, and that's really hard to cope with. Remind yourself that you're not crazy when you feel like you're about to crack under the pressure...
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11. Can you have partial lung cancer?

    With a cancer diagnosis, that means there is presence of cancer. It does not mean that a part of the body is 100% cancerous. With the HIPAA laws, it's true that you will not find additional information from the care providers, but you should try to glean the information from your brother first...
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12. Does a lung mass equal cancer?

    Hi. It is important to ask your doctor what type of mass you have. A mass can be cancer as well as not. Your doctor will tell you what test have been done and what type of mass, cancer or not you have. It is of ten intimidating to ask doctors important questions but you should schedule time in the office...
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13. How can I support my wife, emotionally, as she deals with lung cancer?

    You're in good company. I've had several questions about patients with neoplasms lately, many from caregivers experiencing things like you are.
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14. Is there a set amout of chemotherapy a lung cancer can receive?

    You ask several questions having to do with chemotherapy in lung cancer patients. From your description it sounds like your mother's cancer is metastatic. If so I am very sad to write that yes, the outlook for your mother is as bleak as it seems...
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15. How can I comfort my mother when she feels distressed about losing her hair?

    Sometimes it's not what you say to your mother, but what you let her say. She's going through something really major, and she's sad, worried, and upset. It's hard for you to see her distressed, so naturally you try to make her feel better. But you're stuck, because when you say "You look great" or "It...
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16. How careful of germs do we need to be when my father's white blood count is low?

    This is a case where you've got to balance health needs with quality of life. Yes, it's important to be careful about infection, so if visitors have colds or coughs, you should definitely have them stay away. But in general, we encourage patients and caregivers not to let fear of infection drive them to live in a bubble...
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17. Should we see an ear, nose and throat specialist for my mother's issues with taste?

    Rather than starting with an ear, nose and throat specialist, it's probably a better idea to contact your mother's primary care physician and ask for an appointment. At that appointment, describe your mother's symptoms and ask if there are additional tests that should be performed, particularly tests for recurrent, or metastatic cancer...
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18. What can I do help my brother, who has terminal lung cancer and refuses hospice services?

    This must be an incredibly difficult situation for you and yours. It sounds as if your brother is quite adamant about not wanting to be a burden to anyone in his final months of life. It also sounds like he has made these decisions based on how he feels, both physically and emotionally, at least right now...
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19. Is 24 hour care needed for a chemotherapy patient with small cell lung cancer, who is 70 years old?

    If your 70-year-old family member's in reasonably good health before the chemotherapy (and besides the cancer diagnosis), then NO.
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20. My mother won't let us talk to her doctor to clarify her diagnosis; what can we do?

    First, I have to help you remember about HIPAA, which protects patient privacy. What this means for you is that your mother must give you and your sister permission in writing for the doctors or other medical professionals to share your mother’s health information. If she has not given that permissision, you cannot go to the doctors directly...
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