Prayers for FIL

[Georgesgirl1]

I'm so sorry to hear about your FIL's health issues. Did they find out what kind of tumor he has yet?

He goes for his pre-biopsy blood work tomorrow and then the biopsy is on Monday. I understand that these things take time, but I wish they could just get him in for the biopsy so everyone could know what we were dealing with and we could know how to go forward.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

My Dad went through radiation after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. They could have removed the lung completely if he was in better health, because it hadn't spread anywhere else. But he had a lot of other issues so that wasn't an option for him. He was with us for about 5 years after he was diagnosed. So don't give up on your FIL yet. And he might decide to go for treatment after all. It sounds like right now he's just reacting instead of thinking it all through. Keep us posted.

[Georgesgirl1]

FIL had his biopsy today. It is not small cell which is a blessing. It has spread to his lymphnodes, but only the ones in his lower lung (which is better than the ones in his upper lung?). They could remove his lung, but no one thinks he will go for that. I am hoping that he will agree to do radiation. They are going to do a scan later in the week or early next week to see if it has spread anywhere else, but from the way MIL said the doctor was talking it doesn't seem like they think it has.

[MNNHFLTX]

Thanks for the update. I will keep your dad and family in my prayers.

[WDWFanatic]

I'm glad that it is looking a bit better. I hope you continue to get good news and you FIL will get the treatment he needs.

Best of luck. Sending prayers and pixie dust!

[TiggeRia]

Best wishes to you and your whole family. You need to take this all one day at a time and try not to look too far into the future. My father had been diagnosed with non-small cell lung CA that had spread to his lymph nodes, but he opted for radiation, a few rounds of chemo, and then had his entire left lung removed. We used a lot of prayer and humor to get through it. This October it will be 14 years, and he is still going strong. While it takes him a bit longer to do things because he often has to catch his breath, he still leads quite a full life. If your FIL uses email at all and wishes to talk to someone who's been through it before, PM me and I can give you my dad's email address.

[laprana]

Thanks for keeping us posted and I'm glad to hear it sounds like better news than you all were expecting! Sending more prayers and for successful treatment and a good outcome!

[Cinderelley]

Glad to hear it isn't anymore advanced. I hope the treatment goes smoothly.

[Georgesgirl1]

We found out today that FILs cancer has not metastatized and he will start 6 weeks of a combination of chemotherapy and radiation on the 20th. We are so happy about this good news!

[AvaNellMouse]

Thank you for the update.
Blessings to you and your family.

[MNNHFLTX]

That's wonderful news! Is your FIL feeling more hopeful too? Hope is such an important thing to have when you're battling cancer.

[brownie]

Great news, glad to hear he's still in the game!

[faline]

What wonderful news!

[Ian]

Do they know yet if it's actually lung cancer (sounds like it is, since you said it's non-small cell) or is it another form of cancer that has metastisized to the lungs?

Make sure your FIL explores all his options. I work in marketing and have quite a few clients in the oncology space with fairly cutting edge treatments that have some optimistic success rates.

It's not all chemo and radiation anymore. If that's all his oncologist recommends, I strongly suggest you explore other options and treatments on your own. There's a lot of bad information out there about cancer treatments and a lot of reluctance on the part of community oncs to recommend alternative therapies, but trust me ... they exist and they do work.

[Georgesgirl1]

Ian- It is lung cancer. The doctor did say that removing the lung would be an option if he hadn't had some other health issues in the past years that make his health too fragile. He is doing an experimental chemotherapy treatment and radiation.

[RedSoxFan]

Hope everything goes well for you. Cancer is a nasty disease. My MIL and FIL have both died within the past year from cancer. It's a hard thing to deal with --- never mind losing two parents in 8 months.

[Ian]

Ian- It is lung cancer. The doctor did say that removing the lung would be an option if he hadn't had some other health issues in the past years that make his health too fragile. He is doing an experimental chemotherapy treatment and radiation.

Well that's good that he's agreed to therapy. Unfortunately, lung cancer isn't one of the disease areas that's responded well to the immunotherapy treatments, but depending on how early they caught it there is still a reasonable success rate in some of th clinical trials.

I really wish him the best. I hope for a positive outcome for you. Tell him, though, that an optimistic outlook and a fighter's attitude does make a difference in beating cancer.

[Dsnygirl]

I've been following this thread but hadn't posted yet... just jumping on to say I'm really glad to hear that his diagnosis has come back as one he can work with -- I sure hope he's able to find the emotional strength to fight back!

Like Ian said, a positive fighter's attitude is a great asset in fighting something like this. You and your DH sure have it in spades... he's lucky to have you guys in his corner, as is your DH's mom. Good luck to you guys -- I hope things turn out for the best for him!