My Father has Lung Cancer with a metastasized Brain Tumor. Any information would!


Question: My Father has Lung Cancer with a metastasized Brain Tumor!. Any information would be very helpful!.!?
He has been battling the lung tumor for about 2 years!. Recently it has grown to 8 cm!. He is currently going through Chemo to try and shrink it down!. We just found out he has a 2!.6 cm tumor in his upper lobe portion of the brain!. He will receive 15 consecutive radiation treatments for this!. First question, is 2!.6 cm tumor of the brain considered large!? Second, has anyone had a similar experience!? What should we expect!? Please, don't "sugar coat" your answers!. I want the straight truth, even if it
Answers:
A friend of mine is going through the same thing!. At first I had to read to see if you are one of his stepchildren or not because the situation is similar!. He however first had the brain tumor then the lung tumor!. Usually it is the other way around as the cancer cells move through the blood circulatory system!. I think he has discovered this only in the last year, to year and a half!. We live near one of the best cancer centers in the US, if not the world, and they said they cannot do anything else for him and I expect him to go to hospice in a week or two!. In case you don't know, hospice is to make patients comfortable in the last year (singular) of their life!. People in decent nursing homes average longer stays than hospice!.

An 8 cm tumor is huge!. 2!.6 cm is huge for a brain tumor because there is no extra room in the skull like in your abdomen where the skin can stretch for pregnancies, fat, and tumors!. More important about brain tumors is not their size but their type!. I assume your dad's tumor is malignant if it is metastasized!. Only 32% of people with malignant brain tumors survive the cancer, according to the website below!. Www@Answer-Health@Com

Many questions!. Did he ever have surgery to remove the lung cancer or was the tumor already spread and only chemo and/or radiation given!? Are you sure this is a met!. from his lung cancer!. have they done a biopsy!? If this is metastatic lung cancer to the brain then this is a very bad prognosis, but depending on the type of the primary lung cancer, he may be a good responder to the radiation!. All and all probably less than a year to live!. 2!.6 cm is an inch in diameter!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

No this is not good news as you've all ready expected!. A tumor on the brain that size is big, the radiation might get rid of it!. But be prepared for more to grow!. Your head/brain has no room to expand like the other parts of the body!.Be prepared for changes in your dad, like personality!. And yes it could add to not a very long life!. So spend quality time with him and love him while he is here!.
I will be praying for you and family!. God bless you!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

honey this is all to real to me my mom fought 4 years with lung cancer at the size that your dads is I am sorry to say that there is no way to say this gently i have a vision that your dad will die within the next year!., I truly will pray for u and your familyWww@Answer-Health@Com

If your dad decides more treatments are not for him, I would encourage your family to consider hospice care!. Your dad's primary doctor must write the order for this, and certify that your dad has 6 months or less to live if the disease progresses as expected!. This is NOT "giving up" -- it is a refocus of healthcare from cure to care!.

The hospice team of a primary nurse, other team nurses, the team doc, a social worker, chaplain, and the hardworking CNAs (certified nurses' assistants) will help your WHOLE family cope with the complex physical and emotional challenges of living with a fatal disease!. They can help you learn how to say goodbye, which can be so very important at such a sad and emotionally charged time!. They can also help you know symptoms of nearing death, and will come out to be with you even in the night if you need them (altho most hospices do not promise or provide 24 hr care, unless there is an emergency to manage -- then, care is provided in the home to prevent hospitalization!.)

The hospice motto is helping people to live a better quality of life when quantity is no longer possible!. The hospice nurses are experts in pain and symptom (such as nausea, shortness of breath, lack of sleep, stress, fear) management!. They work with the doctor to help a person get pain under the best control possible!. I always told my patients, "There is always a Plan B!."

the hospice team comes to you, instead of you having to bundle your dad up for a possible painful ride to the doctor, to manage the overwhelming majority of medical and emotional needs!. Dad can stay in the comfort of his own home!.

Hospice is covered by 100% by Medicare, and by most insurance plans (with variations on exclusions)!. Most importantly, the larger, national hospices will also care for patients with no financial resources!. Hospice will pay for all the meds related to the terminal disease, and they will also supply necessary "DME" -- durable medical equipment, such as a commode, bed, special mattresses when needed, dressings for wounds, oxygen, and most importantly, the meds for pain, nausea, shortness of breath, etc!.

To find one in your area, google "Hospice" plus your zipcode!.

Our prayers are with you!. I have lost both my father and my stepfather in the past 2 yrs!. Both benefited from hospice care!. I became a hospice nurse after my dad died!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





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