Is chemo needed?

Hi the answers to your question is for you to decide treatment affects us all in different ways even if someone has the same diagnosis as you, i am coming up to two years of stage 4 lung cancer the trial i am on has reduced my tumours big time but they are still there, my trestment is to buy me time its working. I hope this doesn't sound harsh this group is excellent for advice but the end of the day the choice is yours personally with my family i want as much time as possible regardless of any outcome. 

Wishing you all the very best on your journey. 

Regards 

Darren

Hi NannyK welcome to the group. 
That is an awful predicament you are in. But I can fully understand why you will be thinking is it worth it. 
There is no denying that chemo is not a walk in the park, but I think I would have to agree with Darren, I would want to give it a go, because I would want to throw everything at the cancer that is possible. But there really isn’t a right or wrong choice with this, and it is a tough decision to make. 

Have you spoken with your oncologist to get their opinion. Ask him if he thinks it will be worth it for that extra protection.  I think you need that chat before you make up your mind xx 

I was diagnosed as stage 2 NSCLC a and told surgery was the best option. Could not have surgery due to positioning of tumour. 

I was I had the option you had. Chemotherapy was not nearly as bad as I was thinking and am due to start radiotherapy soon. 

My advice is don’t limit your options.

best wishes

Mike

Hello NannyK,

I had chemo after surgery to remove my right lung. Personally I wanted to take every opportunity I was offered to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back and therefore I went ahead. It was not pleasant but wasn't as bad as I expected.

My oncoogist told me that on average chemo would add 5 percentage points to my chance of longer term survival, so probably similar to what you're being told. That was in 2014 and I'm still OK thankfully.

It's a difficult decision for some and it's one that only you can make perhaps with support from loved ones. I did think at the time that if chemo made me really ill or I couldn't put up with it I could always stop part way through, but if I didn't have it I couldn't turn the clock back to change my mind. 

I wish you all the very best whichever way you decide to go. If there's anything else you'd like to know, just ask.

Thanks everyone! It's such a big decision! I've read your comments and consulted with the chemo nurse and a few support people. I was just having a bad day yesterday. Onward and upward.  Start my chemo May 19th. Have to do what needs to get done so I'll be around for my Grandbabies!

Good for you we will all be here for you.

Regards 

Darren

Well done NannyK, we’ll be here to support you through it xx 

Good to hear you have made your decision, we all have bad days that’s why it’s good to have a place like this to say what we feel, we will all be here for you. Good luck on 19th xx Donna