Question: My 78 year old mother was diagnosed with squamous cell NSCLC in XXXXXXX of 2012. She had a good size tumor in her left lung and after 7 weeks or radiation and 8 sessions of two chemo agents. It bothers me greatly that I cannot recall the name of them both, but at any rate my mom's oncologist thought that my mom was in the clear and a pet scan in late November proved that the tumor had shrunk from an SUV of 17 down to about 5. Well, in February of 13 some persistent neck pain that my mom was experience turned out to be from a metastasis on C-1 of her spine. We would learn a week or so that there was also evidence of smaller lesions on one of her ribs and I. Her lower spine. Well, my mom had some radiation on the c-1 lesion but had a hard time tolerating the 30 low does treatments that she was to receive for this so she had enough after about 13 treatments---anxiety.
Well, my mom opted to check in as an inpatient t at a local rehabilitation center and after about 6?weeks of physical therapy she felt brand new. One of the doctors at this facility convinced her to go to a new oncologist to continue her treatment and I thank my lucky stars he was able to do this because I wanted my mom to continue on badly. Well, in July of 2013, she started all over again. Now, her last chemo treatment was on October 31st so it had been some months since she had received any treatment. While a pet scan she had in July did indicate some progression, she would endure 6 cycles on Gem/Cis and then have a pet scan in October that, according to her oncologist was almost like a normal pet scan. But for a small light up on C-1, there was no other evidence detected. My mom continued with the gem/Cis and had another pet scan in December. while we had our fingers crossed for NEDS, there was some progression--her original tumor in her left lung and a small area of her lower spine. Well we traveled and celebrated the holidays before my mom started treatment with alimta in January and after receiving her second treatment on January 31st do this year, my mom started feeling a little congested in the beginning of February and then was admitted to the hospital to be treated for a minor cold or infection that was not getting any better on February 24th. Five days later, my mom could no longer breathe on her own and required intubation a tracke and almost seven weeks in intensive care. The origin of the pneumonia was never discovered despite two Bronchs and my mother is currently in a sub acute facility and hopefully in the process of being weened off of the vent.
Now, as much as I wish the nsclc would call a time out during all of this, I know that is not very likely. At the end of this moth, it will 4 months since my mom has received any treatment for cancer. My fear is that the cancer will kill her before she ever gets off of the vent.