Hi all my sister has just been diagnosed with lung cancer T4 N3, it was only discovered after she was getting very breathless and needed the area around her lungs drained a month ago. We're all in shock, she's only 45 and has had poor mental health for the last 12 years, she really has had all the bad luck!
I am a pain in the arse and need to know the ins and outs of everything so I know what I'm dealing with but I feel non the wiser about what to expect from the medical team. Google comes up with all sorts as you can imagine, she starts immune therapy this week but we've been told it's inoperable and incurable, is anyone else going through this? Can you let me know what questions I need to ask the medical team and what to expect? She is already losing weight, is very short of breath (probably needs draining again) lost her appetite. We've never had any experience of cancer before fortunately but that does mean we haven't got a clue on
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Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am sorry to see you finding us and so sorry to hear about your sister.
Indeed a cancer diagnosis can bring a lot of stress, confusion and questions on all the family but talking with people who are on the same journey can help a lot.
Can I first direct you to this link to our Lung Cancer group as this will open up your concerns to a wider audience who know exactly what you are going through at the moment.
Just follow the link above, hitting ‘Join the Group’ tab just under the main group name, then go to the 'Start a Discussion' tab and set up your own Discussion and introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you have in this first post.
As I was the person with the cancer my experience of supporting someone is very limited, although my wife has been amazing over my 20 years. You may also find our Friends and Family group a good place where you can connect with others support family through their cancer journey but more importantly the carers care for each other.
You may find our various Macmillan Support Line Services to be helpful - call them on 0808 808 00 00 This free service covers Emotional Support, Practical Information. Clinical Information, Financial Support and Work Guidance mostly open 8.00 to 8.00 but check the link.
We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’. section where you can post questions to our mostly Volunteer Experts but please allow 2 working days to get a reply.
Our Online Information and Support Section is a good place to find information covering cancer diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers.
When you feel up to it try putting some information in your profile. This really helps others when answering. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. Just click on YOUR username, select 'Edit Profile'. Put as much or as little in your profile and you can amend it at any time - you can see members profiles by hitting our forum names.
All the very best.
