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Caregiver

Hi everyone, It was confirmed yesterday that my father (57) has lung cancer. At the present time we do not know the stage or type as he just had a needle biopsy on Monday and the final pathology results are not yet complete. We have an appointment on Friday with an oncologist. However I have to be honest and admit that I can not believe this is happening to my family. I am the sole caregiver for my father who suffered a stroke 6 years ago. Luckily it was a mild stroke and he has been able to recover. I have a million things running through my head at the moment and I frankly do not even know where to begin or what it is I am suppose to do to ensure that he gets the best treatment possible. We are going to the oncologist that his primary care suggested and I have extensively researched him. I can't even imagine what my father is thinking or going through. He has two children myself (29) and my younger brother (24) and must already feel like a burden. Any suggestions on how you get through this as the caregiver?

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Permalink Reply by GADawg/MOD on July 7, 2011 at 11:49am

Hi KDD,

I'm glad your Dad is doing well. I hope he can start radiation soon. My mom didn't start until later on in her chemo, so don't despair. The two together do pack a punch and my mom was really, really tired at the end of the treatments. You mentioned his taste buds- you'll find some unexpected side effects from chemo. My mom's taste buds totally changed- things she used to love, she will no longer eat. She's always, always cold when she used to be always hot. Little things like that, so just be aware of them. Keep me posted!

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Permalink Reply by KDDHope on July 31, 2011 at 5:17pm

Hope everyone is doing well...I am in search of some advice...My dad has had 3 rounds of chemo...they repeated the PET scan after round 2 and everything has showed that things have shrunk or are no long showing up on the scan, with the exception of a new lymph node under his left arm. They biopsed it on Tuesday and it came back negative...So we are set to start radiation August 8. I mentioned to the oncologist that I find my father is forgetting some things (maybe he is just ignoring me, who knows) I don't think it is severe, but it is occasinly so he suggested to repeat the MRI just to make sure nothing new is showing up in the brain. He is confident it is just the chemo, but its better to be safe than sorry I suppose...So I guess my question is this...Has anyone else experienced memory loss with chemo? Also anyone have advice on how to get through radiation? I am really nervous for him to start radiation since they have to do such a large area...and there is some concern about him being able to swallow. I am also struggling with the fact that I can not go to every treatment appointment, as I still need to hold down a job.

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Permalink Reply by AmyLCA on August 1, 2011 at 10:05am

Hey KDDHope,

You might want to start a new conversation with this question - It's a really good one and I have a feeling a lot of people will weigh in, since lots of folks on LungLoveLink have been through chemo. Put the question "Has anyone experienced memory loss with chemo?" and we'll see what happens. Also, put it in the General Lung Cancer category, as opposed to the Caregiver Corner.

I think sometimes when new topics spring up in the middle of an old string, people might not read it if they didn't have any feedback when it started. And the folks who had chemo might not be reading caregiver stuff anyway.

Just a thought!

Amy

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Permalink Reply by GADawg/MOD on July 31, 2011 at 6:40pm

Hi KDD,

Congrats on your Dad's wonderful PET results! It is better to be safe than sorry, I'm glad you're doing an MRI of the brain as well. There is definitely a link between memory loss and chemo- there's even a term for it- "chemo brain." It can last several months after stopping chemo. Perhaps that's what's happening to your Dad. Also, extreme stress can cause someone to be forgetful- your Dad is going through a lot physically and emotionally- he may not be able to "keep it all together" like he once did with all this going on. As far as radiation, it's usually quick and painless. Some people experience redness at the site of radiation, hair loss, fatigue, etc. My mom experienced all those. Some people, depending on where they radiate, can have trouble swallowing. My mom never experienced this, thankfully. There are different treatments that can help with that- some people have written of a "magic mouthwash"- I believe it contains a numbing agent that makes it less painful to swallow. And I think the difficulty in swallowing usually isn't permanent- it goes away with time after the radiation has ended. Also, a soft foods diet can help- ice cream, pudding, mashed potatoes, macaroni, etc- no scratchy crackers, popcorn, etc. This will make it easier for your Dad to swallow. Others have more experience with the swallowing problems than I have as my mom thankfully never experienced this. But as far as radiation in general, he should be fine- it's usually much easier than chemo. Let us know the MRI results when you get them. Hang in there!

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Permalink Reply by KDDHope on August 1, 2011 at 9:06am

Thanks KDD, hope your mom is doing well. I was not aware of "chemo brain" but I just goggled it and sure enough my dad fits into some of those categories. I am honestly not worried about the MRI...I am sure it is clear and radiation can begin. I truly feel so fortunate that my dad is responding so well to treatment when others haven't been so fortunate. I just hope we can get through treatments the next 2 months with little issues and things continue to shrink. I realized we need to deal with one thing at a time...from the start I was always planning for the what if's and thinking worse case...now my perspective is much different, and we just roll with the punches...2011 started off terrible, but I hope it will end on a positive note. Fingers and toes are crossed :)