New Hope?

I just heard from my husband that the doctor came in and told our friend
(Robert) that he has (and please know they don't know what to call things)
some type of single cell cancer that will respond to chemo. The doctor said
the cure rate is high on this. Also it hasn't spread anywhere else. They
are starting chemo tomorrow. The doctor said the chemo would melt the
cancer from his lung. Can this be true? I told my husband to write down
what kind of cancer he had, and he forgot. I just need more facts. I don't
want us to get our hopes up. But my husband was adamant that the doctor
said he believes it can be cured. I just don't see how. This man is so
sick. But Robert is very optomistic now, and my husband is elated. Before
I get really happy too, I need to know if anyone knows what they might be
talking about. I promise to write with more info tomorrow. I'm going to
the hospital myself and will find out exactly what type of cancer he has.
But I can't let myself be glad just yet. I've never heard of cancer melting
away from a lung before. Any information is appreciated until I can get the
full story. Thanks to all who are following our story....With love, Chris

Ed's daughter wrote:

> I just heard from my husband that the doctor came in and told our friend
> (Robert) that he has (and please know they don't know what to call things)
> some type of single cell cancer that will respond to chemo. The doctor said
> the cure rate is high on this. Also it hasn't spread anywhere else. They
> are starting chemo tomorrow. The doctor said the chemo would melt the
> cancer from his lung. Can this be true? I told my husband to write down
> what kind of cancer he had, and he forgot. I just need more facts. I don't
> want us to get our hopes up. But my husband was adamant that the doctor
> said he believes it can be cured. I just don't see how. This man is so
> sick. But Robert is very optomistic now, and my husband is elated. Before
> I get really happy too, I need to know if anyone knows what they might be
> talking about. I promise to write with more info tomorrow. I'm going to
> the hospital myself and will find out exactly what type of cancer he has.
> But I can't let myself be glad just yet. I've never heard of cancer melting
> away from a lung before. Any information is appreciated until I can get the
> full story. Thanks to all who are following our story....With love, Chris

Hello Chris,
Hopefully by now you've got all the information.
I don't recognize what your brother relayed to you.

As to whether there's cancer elsewhere, I wish it was so, but I'm a skeptic,
given your description of his lung and the fact that scans cannot see tumors
that are smaller than ~1 cm..
I'm sure your friend will get tumor shrinkage.
We'll see how it (the treament) goes.
Let us know as new information becomes available.
Best
J

"J" <nexsw@nvalid,anon> wrote in message
news:46D87F62.5486F350@execulink.com...
> Ed's daughter wrote:
>
>> I just heard from my husband that the doctor came in and told our friend
>> (Robert) that he has (and please know they don't know what to call
>> things)
>> some type of single cell cancer that will respond to chemo. The doctor
>> said
>> the cure rate is high on this. Also it hasn't spread anywhere else.
>> They
>> are starting chemo tomorrow. The doctor said the chemo would melt the
>> cancer from his lung. Can this be true? I told my husband to write down
>> what kind of cancer he had, and he forgot. I just need more facts. I
>> don't
>> want us to get our hopes up. But my husband was adamant that the doctor
>> said he believes it can be cured. I just don't see how. This man is so
>> sick. But Robert is very optomistic now, and my husband is elated.
>> Before
>> I get really happy too, I need to know if anyone knows what they might be
>> talking about. I promise to write with more info tomorrow. I'm going to
>> the hospital myself and will find out exactly what type of cancer he has.
>> But I can't let myself be glad just yet. I've never heard of cancer
>> melting
>> away from a lung before. Any information is appreciated until I can get
>> the
>> full story. Thanks to all who are following our story....With love,
>> Chris
>
> Hello Chris,
> Hopefully by now you've got all the information.
> I don't recognize what your brother relayed to you.
>
> As to whether there's cancer elsewhere, I wish it was so, but I'm a
> skeptic,
> given your description of his lung and the fact that scans cannot see
> tumors
> that are smaller than ~1 cm..
> I'm sure your friend will get tumor shrinkage.
> We'll see how it (the treament) goes.
> Let us know as new information becomes available.
> Best
> J
>
They've found cancer in his other lung too. We found out tonight. Also in
surrounding lymph nodes. He needs oxygen constantly. He can't even cough.
I don't understand that. He tries to and he can't. He has no breath to
cough with. He's keeping his spirits up though. He had us laughing tonight
over his roommate in the hospital who had to have an enema and a
suppository, and how it got you know what all over the room, including on
Robert. He said he had never smelled anything that bad! He said if he
would write a book it would be called, My Night Of Hell With A Sh*tting
Roommate. They got it all cleaned up though. He still can't talk, and his
face looked puffy to me tonight. He did keep grabbing at his chest also.
All he wants is to get the treatments going and be able to go home and see
his dog. I'm going to cook his meals from here. I will make sure he has
plenty to eat. I don't want him going out and taking a chance with his
immunity down. But of course, I can't control him, and I won't try to.
Thanks J for all the very helpful information. At least now I have
something to read about it. We are going to see him tomorrow. The chemo
was going to start today, but the pathologist wanted another look at his
type of cancer, so he could get the right chemo cocktail. I sure hope chemo
will improve his ability to breathe. I'm not into holistic treatments, but
unfortunately his ex wife is. I just don't believe they work, because I've
tried them all on myself. I suffer from a back injury due to a car wreck.
None of that junk ever helped me. That's all the news for now, I will give
you guys an update on him tomorrow after his chemo. Love you all, Chris

Ed's daughter wrote:

> They've found cancer in his other lung too. We found out tonight. Also in
> surrounding lymph nodes. He needs oxygen constantly. He can't even cough.
> I don't understand that. He tries to and he can't. He has no breath to
> cough with. He's keeping his spirits up though. He had us laughing tonight
> over his roommate in the hospital who had to have an enema and a
> suppository, and how it got you know what all over the room, including on
> Robert. He said he had never smelled anything that bad! He said if he
> would write a book it would be called, My Night Of Hell With A Sh*tting
> Roommate. They got it all cleaned up though. He still can't talk, and his
> face looked puffy to me tonight. He did keep grabbing at his chest also.
> All he wants is to get the treatments going and be able to go home and see
> his dog. I'm going to cook his meals from here. I will make sure he has
> plenty to eat. I don't want him going out and taking a chance with his
> immunity down. But of course, I can't control him, and I won't try to.
> Thanks J for all the very helpful information. At least now I have
> something to read about it. We are going to see him tomorrow. The chemo
> was going to start today, but the pathologist wanted another look at his
> type of cancer, so he could get the right chemo cocktail. I sure hope chemo
> will improve his ability to breathe. I'm not into holistic treatments, but
> unfortunately his ex wife is. I just don't believe they work, because I've
> tried them all on myself. I suffer from a back injury due to a car wreck.
> None of that junk ever helped me. That's all the news for now, I will give
> you guys an update on him tomorrow after his chemo. Love you all, Chris

Hi Chris,
I'm posting what may explain the signs and symptoms you've so far mentioned.
There are illustrations on two of the pages.
If I recall correctly the Pancoast one mentions NSCLC, but if I recall
correctly, the location, not the type, of the tumor is responsible for the
syndrome.

Re: pathologist - I think someone else mentioned it can be mixed type (or in the
NCCN I posted).
I'll find the NSCLC one, should that happen to be what your friend has, but my
gut still says SCLC.
My "gut" has been known to be wrong.
J

Cough
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough
A cough, also known as tussive is a sudden, often repetitive, spasmodic
contraction of the thoracic cavity, resulting in violent release of air from the
lungs, and usually accompanied by a distinctive sound.

Coughing is an action the body takes to get rid of substances that are
irritating the air passages. A cough is usually initiated to clear a buildup of
phlegm in the trachea. Coughing can also be triggered by a bolus of food
entering the trachea rather than the esophagus due to a failure of the
epiglottis

A cough is a protective, primitive reflex in healthy individuals. The cough
reflex is initiated by stimulation of two different classes of afferent nerves,
namely the myelinated rapidly adapting receptors, and nonmyelinated C-fibers
with endings in the lungs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagus_nerve
The vagus nerve (also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X) is the
tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves, and is the only nerve that starts in the
brainstem (within the medulla oblongata) and extends, through the jugular
foramen, down below the head, to the neck, chest and abdomen.

The medieval Latin word vagus means literally "Wandering" (the words vagrant,
vagabond, and vague come from the same root). It is also called the
pneumogastric nerve since it innervates both the lungs and the stomach.

The vagus descends from the spinal cord in the carotid sheath, lateral to the
carotid artery. It carries on past the aortic arch to dip inferiorly behind the
left bronchus. Here it forms the pulmonary plexus, after giving rise to the
recurrent laryngeal nerve.

The vagus nerve supplies motor parasympathetic fibers to all the organs except
the suprarenal (adrenal) glands, from the neck down to the second segment of the
transverse colon. The vagus also controls a few skeletal muscles, namely:

* Levator veli palatini muscle
* Salpingopharyngeus muscle
* Palatoglossus muscle
* Palatopharyngeus muscle
* Superior, middle and inferior pharyngeal constrictors
* Muscles of the larynx (speech).

This means that the vagus nerve is responsible for such varied tasks as heart
rate, gastrointestinal peristalsis, sweating, and quite a few muscle movements
in the mouth, including speech (via the recurrent laryngeal nerve) and keeping
the larynx open for breathing. It also receives some sensation from the outer
ear, via the Auricular branch (also known as Alderman's nerve) and part of the
meninges.

The vagus nerve and the heart
Parasympathetic innervation of the heart is mediated by the vagus nerve. The
right vagus innervates the Sinoatrial node. Parasympathetic hyperstimulation
predisposes those affected to bradyarrhythmias. The left vagus when
hyperstimulated predisposes the heart to Atrioventricular (AV) blocks.

Pancoast
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancoast_tumor
A pancoast tumor, also pancoast tumour (UK) or superior sulcus tumor, is a tumor
of the pulmonary apex i.e. a type of lung cancer defined primarily by its
location situated at the top end of either the right or left lung. The growing
tumor causes disruption of the sympathetic ganglion due to pressure on it.

Symptoms can include miosis (constriction of the pupils), anhidrosis (lack of
sweating), ptosis (drooping of the eyelid), and in severe cases, a complete
Horner's syndrome. In progressive cases, the brachial plexus is also affected,
causing pain and weakness in the muscles of the arm and hand.

In superior vena cava syndrome, obstruction of the superior vena cava by a tumor
(mass effect) causes facial swelling, cyanosis and dilatation of the veins of
the head and neck.

A pancoast tumor is an apical tumor that is typically found in conjunction with
a smoking history. The clinical signs and symptoms can be confused with
neurovascular compromise at the level of the thoracic outlet. The patient's
smoking history, rapid onset of clinical signs and symptoms, and pleuritic pain
can suggest an apical tumor.

"J" <nexsw@nvalid,anon> wrote in message
news:46D9405A.794E156A@execulink.com...
> Ed's daughter wrote:
>
>> They've found cancer in his other lung too. We found out tonight. Also
>> in
>> surrounding lymph nodes. He needs oxygen constantly. He can't even
>> cough.
>> I don't understand that. He tries to and he can't. He has no breath to
>> cough with. He's keeping his spirits up though. He had us laughing
>> tonight
>> over his roommate in the hospital who had to have an enema and a
>> suppository, and how it got you know what all over the room, including on
>> Robert. He said he had never smelled anything that bad! He said if he
>> would write a book it would be called, My Night Of Hell With A Sh*tting
>> Roommate. They got it all cleaned up though. He still can't talk, and
>> his
>> face looked puffy to me tonight. He did keep grabbing at his chest also.
>> All he wants is to get the treatments going and be able to go home and
>> see
>> his dog. I'm going to cook his meals from here. I will make sure he has
>> plenty to eat. I don't want him going out and taking a chance with his
>> immunity down. But of course, I can't control him, and I won't try to.
>> Thanks J for all the very helpful information. At least now I have
>> something to read about it. We are going to see him tomorrow. The chemo
>> was going to start today, but the pathologist wanted another look at his
>> type of cancer, so he could get the right chemo cocktail. I sure hope
>> chemo
>> will improve his ability to breathe. I'm not into holistic treatments,
>> but
>> unfortunately his ex wife is. I just don't believe they work, because
>> I've
>> tried them all on myself. I suffer from a back injury due to a car
>> wreck.
>> None of that junk ever helped me. That's all the news for now, I will
>> give
>> you guys an update on him tomorrow after his chemo. Love you all, Chris
>
> Hi Chris,
> I'm posting what may explain the signs and symptoms you've so far
> mentioned.
> There are illustrations on two of the pages.
> If I recall correctly the Pancoast one mentions NSCLC, but if I recall
> correctly, the location, not the type, of the tumor is responsible for the
> syndrome.
>
> Re: pathologist - I think someone else mentioned it can be mixed type (or
> in the
> NCCN I posted).
> I'll find the NSCLC one, should that happen to be what your friend has,
> but my
> gut still says SCLC.
> My "gut" has been known to be wrong.
> J
>
> Cough
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough
> A cough, also known as tussive is a sudden, often repetitive, spasmodic
> contraction of the thoracic cavity, resulting in violent release of air
> from the
> lungs, and usually accompanied by a distinctive sound.
>
> Coughing is an action the body takes to get rid of substances that are
> irritating the air passages. A cough is usually initiated to clear a
> buildup of
> phlegm in the trachea. Coughing can also be triggered by a bolus of food
> entering the trachea rather than the esophagus due to a failure of the
> epiglottis
>
> A cough is a protective, primitive reflex in healthy individuals. The
> cough
> reflex is initiated by stimulation of two different classes of afferent
> nerves,
> namely the myelinated rapidly adapting receptors, and nonmyelinated
> C-fibers
> with endings in the lungs.
>
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagus_nerve
> The vagus nerve (also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X) is
> the
> tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves, and is the only nerve that starts
> in the
> brainstem (within the medulla oblongata) and extends, through the jugular
> foramen, down below the head, to the neck, chest and abdomen.
>
> The medieval Latin word vagus means literally "Wandering" (the words
> vagrant,
> vagabond, and vague come from the same root). It is also called the
> pneumogastric nerve since it innervates both the lungs and the stomach.
>
> The vagus descends from the spinal cord in the carotid sheath, lateral to
> the
> carotid artery. It carries on past the aortic arch to dip inferiorly
> behind the
> left bronchus. Here it forms the pulmonary plexus, after giving rise to
> the
> recurrent laryngeal nerve.
>
> The vagus nerve supplies motor parasympathetic fibers to all the organs
> except
> the suprarenal (adrenal) glands, from the neck down to the second segment
> of the
> transverse colon. The vagus also controls a few skeletal muscles, namely:
>
> * Levator veli palatini muscle
> * Salpingopharyngeus muscle
> * Palatoglossus muscle
> * Palatopharyngeus muscle
> * Superior, middle and inferior pharyngeal constrictors
> * Muscles of the larynx (speech).
>
> This means that the vagus nerve is responsible for such varied tasks as
> heart
> rate, gastrointestinal peristalsis, sweating, and quite a few muscle
> movements
> in the mouth, including speech (via the recurrent laryngeal nerve) and
> keeping
> the larynx open for breathing. It also receives some sensation from the
> outer
> ear, via the Auricular branch (also known as Alderman's nerve) and part of
> the
> meninges.
>
> The vagus nerve and the heart
> Parasympathetic innervation of the heart is mediated by the vagus nerve.
> The
> right vagus innervates the Sinoatrial node. Parasympathetic
> hyperstimulation
> predisposes those affected to bradyarrhythmias. The left vagus when
> hyperstimulated predisposes the heart to Atrioventricular (AV) blocks.
>
> Pancoast
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancoast_tumor
> A pancoast tumor, also pancoast tumour (UK) or superior sulcus tumor, is a
> tumor
> of the pulmonary apex i.e. a type of lung cancer defined primarily by its
> location situated at the top end of either the right or left lung. The
> growing
> tumor causes disruption of the sympathetic ganglion due to pressure on it.
>
> Symptoms can include miosis (constriction of the pupils), anhidrosis (lack
> of
> sweating), ptosis (drooping of the eyelid), and in severe cases, a
> complete
> Horner's syndrome. In progressive cases, the brachial plexus is also
> affected,
> causing pain and weakness in the muscles of the arm and hand.
>
> In superior vena cava syndrome, obstruction of the superior vena cava by a
> tumor
> (mass effect) causes facial swelling, cyanosis and dilatation of the veins
> of
> the head and neck.
>
> A pancoast tumor is an apical tumor that is typically found in conjunction
> with
> a smoking history. The clinical signs and symptoms can be confused with
> neurovascular compromise at the level of the thoracic outlet. The
> patient's
> smoking history, rapid onset of clinical signs and symptoms, and pleuritic
> pain
> can suggest an apical tumor.
>
All of this makes perfect sense, and I'm so thankful you took the time to
get this for me. The symptoms were very fast to come on. He was fine, and
then in a week he couldn't breathe. I'm not going to the hospital today,
because his chemo starts and I want him to rest trying to talk to me. He
told me if he could just get enough breath to cough it would make him feel
better. Also he gets no sleep because his roommate is 94 years old, and
talks constantly, just a rambling type of talk. He thinks he's in Atlanta
when he's not. He also thinks he's at home. Last night they tied him to
the bed because he would take his gown and underwear off and roam the halls.
I know this is stressful for Robert. He said the old man kept coming to his
bed hollering for help. He also thinks the thing that calls his nurse is a
telephone. Robert says he can't sleep through all of that. I do think he
panics when he lays down. He keeps the bed all the way up and that's how he
sleeps. Today he said his pain was pretty bad, but tolerable. They are
giving him a little morphine every now and then. For some reason they don't
want to give him too much of it, I'm thinking because is surpresses
breathing? I could be wrong though. Robert also can't be still for too
long. He has to get up. He's also now using a cane because walking is hard
for him. I can see him declining. I don't know if chemo will help him. My
husband's father died of lung cancer, as did his uncle. His dad withered
down to nothing, and that was hard to be around. He got to where he
couldn't swallow, and Robert told me he's having trouble swallowing. He's
also not eating much. I'm just waiting to hear about his chemo treatment
today. I will keep you informed about his condition. Thanks so much again
for going through the trouble of looking this up for me. It's extremely
helpful. Thanks for caring like you do. We truly admire and appreciate
you.......With love, Chris