My mum was recently diagnosed with Stage 3A lung cancer she has non-small cell squamous carcinoma. She had a successful surgery 5 weeks ago to remove the tumour and 2 lymph nodes which the cancer had spread to. At a recent oncology appointment she was told there’s a high risk of the cancer returning due to the spread to the lymph nodes. She has been offered adjuvant chemotherapy - 12 week course to prevent the cancer returning however this only increases the outcome by 3-5%. My mum needs to make this decision based on herself and not doing it for myself and my sisters. I am concerned however at the high risk of infection due to a weakened immune system with chemo. My mum has always been well and this diagnosis has came as a complete shock to us. Just cannot believe this is happening. My grandad (mums dad) passed away with lung cancer just over 2 years ago and I have had Leukeamia as a child. I find myself thinking how unfair life is. I can’t stand the thought of losing my mum and hate that there are just no definitive answers as to what the long term prognosis is. I try to hold onto the positive that she had a successful surgery but being told there’s a high risk of it coming back has thrown me.
Hi Ks88 and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis. A cancer diagnosis like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges can help a lot.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you consider joining and posting in our dedicated Lung Cancer support group. This is a safe place to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, 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 and friends you may also benefit from joining our Carers only support group where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
To join a group first click on the “Bold Links” I have created above then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
You can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post. You can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.
It’s a challenging time for you so you may want to use the Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 or via Webchat and Email too. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
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.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
