My Mother-in-law felt dizzy (in May of 2003) and saw her doctor who referred her to a specialist --- she was then diagnosed with lung cancer.

Her surgery took place in mid June of that year, when she had about half of her lung removed. Later, she seemed to be recovering nicely, until about November when she felt badly... and shortly after that, they discovered that the cancer had now moved into her brain.

She is slowly getting worse and her family is worried about the outcome.

Can it be that the sudden impact of drugs and treatments can devastate one's body like this? Can it be a "down" in her up and downs?

Any help would certainly be appreciated.

Teresa, I suggest that your family speak with her doctors and get an idea of the prognosis.

I can tell you that Hospice is a terrific program for families and patients who are ill and may not recover. I cannot tell you for sure either way, but once metastasis (movement of cancer from the primary point of origin in the body to other parts of the body) occurs.. often it is very difficult to kick cancer completely.

Frankly, she may never recover from this. I may be wrong of course and I hope that I am, but I think that the family needs to get some answers about prognosis.

Thanks Sher. Her condition was looked into and hospice was suggested a couple of days ago.

Your family is in my prayers. If you have any questions, Shelster is a good resource. I have done Hospice too, but she specializes in it.

Sher

Thanks for your continued helpfulness Sher. I may ask you if it's ok to contact Shelster in the near future.

Tree,

You can contact me anytime. Even if they decide against hospice, I have many patients who aren't hospice as well. My email is in my profile. Feel free to email me if you have any questions, or just need to talk.

I'll say a prayer for you mother in law and your family, Tree. Cancer is an ugly disease that can leave a family devistated.

I have a question though that maybe someone can answer. It seems like when someone finds out they have cancer and then they get surgery on it, it seems like it spreds like wildfire. What if they just never found out they had it? Is surgery making it spred faster and more? That totally confuses me.

Interesting that you should say that, pup. My own Mom died of cancer (several years ago)and she told me that when they operate - the air makes the cancer spread. Forgive this comparision, but it's like anything that you get from a grocery store...as soon as you open it - the shelf like decreases significantly.

I'll never forget her telling me that - and wonder if there's any truth to it.

ok, I can't refuse to chime in here. If it were true that surgery spreads cancer like wildfire, there'd never have been a cure, right? The fact is cure depends on the stage at which the cancer is found. It's true that if we operate and find things have gone too far, that the operation not only didn't help, but, by weakening the person further, may have hurt. But when we get in there in time, we cure things with great frequency. So the concept -- oft repeated, and the stuff of urban legend -- that the air (or some other sinster aspect of an operation) in some mysterious way makes an otherwise curable cancer spread like wildfire is false on its face. Think about it: know anyone cured of cancer by surgery? Well, then, there you have it.(I must admit the "shelf life" thing is a new metaphor. Witty; but absolutely untrue. I speak as one who has operated on literally thousands of people with cancer. I get a lot of cards at Christmas.) And now, like a whisper in the night, I'm gone. Again.

Thank you so much, Sid. I appreciate you taking the time to clear that up. I've been wondering that for years and have heard a lot of people say that when you 'cut someone open, their a goner'.

Now I know different. This is a special interest subject to me. My dad died of cancer and I recentely had a bout with it myself, only nothing that required surgery. I can tell you that my mind is at ease now that I know, fully, the truth from an expert.

Is there any way you can answer my question about marijuana causing lung cancer?

Thank you again. Sid, you are an Angel.

Here is a site with information. Given the fact you are taking a foreign substance into your lungs, it would make sense it CAN cause cancer.

http://www.well.com/user/woa/fspot.htm

Thank you, sid, for chiming in! Your professional views are appreciated and perhaps desperately needed.

I just can't help but think that no cancer is really ever cured - is it? It seems that the ugly disease is cut out and eventually re-plants its seeds in effort to overtake once again.

These are my experiences (as witnessed) through life. We need YOUR experiences even more.

Once again, I welcome your expertise.

Hi. Shirley is now taking steroids. She said that they're making her better and better every day. I think that the steriods are combatting the pressure in her brain, but I wonder what else they would cause. They make her extremely hyper and she chats non stop. How long does the comforting effect last?

Without them, she seems to do poorly, yet with them, she's giving it her best shot!

I tired to email you, Shel, but the message was undeliverable.

The steriods will really help the brain pressure...it is more of a temporary fix. They will continue to help her in comfort but as the cancer grows or invades more, they will gradually not help as much.

I am not sure what may have happened with the email....I will have to look into that...I have other email addresses, I will email Sher

It appears now that the cancer has moved into her kidneys. They have also removed the "steroids" from her medication menu.

Why do they stop the steroids? Is it because they eventually cause damage of sorts? It seems that that particular drug was very helpful for her. Without it she seems so much worse.

I am not sure Tree, so maybe sher can help on this one...but I think that steriods are excreted from the body through the kidneys.

If that is true, the doctors won't want to put any more pressure on her kidneys since they too are compromised with the cancer.