Hi all,
Literally just joined this forum as I don't know where else to go.
I am 32 with my own children etc.
My dad turns 70 in March, but a week before Christmas was rushed to A&E with severe chest pains.
They did an x-ray and then a CT scan and revealed that he has a 4.5cm x 3.8cm (1.8" x 1.5") tumour in his right lung.
The report also said it has started to erode one of his ribs and also one of his lymph nodes was enlarged.
He has since had an MRI, 2 lung function tests, a lung & lymph node biopsy and PET-CT scan.
He has only ever heard from the Dr once and that was over the phone.
On that phonecall we were told my dad couldn't have surgery to remove the tumour due to the location, and that the cancer has just started to spread to the nearby lymph node.
They've said he can start radiotheraphy soon but we are just waiting with no clue what to do and what is going on.
He is in a lot of pain, cannot sleep at night etc and spends most of the day in and out of sleep. He had codeine pain relief for about a week and is already upgraded to Morphine, which isn't always helping.
Anyway, thought I would join here (and the lung cancer forum) to get some more info, as I don't have much yet.
I don't know what type of lung cancer he has or what stage it is, but from what i've read so far I'm assuming it's stage 3 and the outlook doesn't look good.
Naturally I am distraught and don't know what to do. I spend most nights crying. I haven't told my sons what is going on yet but their grandad is their best friend and so I'm just distraught at what this year is likely to bring. I can see the hopeful look some days on my dads face and my heart just sinks when I think deep down the outlook won't be positive.
It has been 6 weeks and no treatment has been started. Is this normal? I just feel they are just giving him pain relief and not really looking at rushing any treatments.
Anyway sorry for the long spew of info, I'm most likely going to repost this on the lung cancer forum too.
Hi Valentine28 and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your dad’s diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but I do hope you will find the Community a safe place to get support and to ask your questions.
It is an emotional time supporting family so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions.
As for not hearing from the hospital, during these challenging times in the NHS….. you and the family may have to rattle the doors if the system to get answers, to be your dad’s advocates in getting answers why there has been no communication.
You have already seen that the Community is divided into support groups (discussion rooms) and have already joined and posted our supportive Lung Cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis and treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same journey.
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family you may also benefit from joining our general Carers only and Supporting someone with incurable cancer support groups where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
The Macmillan Support Line is open from 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 where you can talk with someone about specific cancer and practical information, get emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just connect with a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area, do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and aim to give support to all the family.
Please do get back to me if you need further help ((hugs))
