We got a phone call today telling us that my 82-year-old paternal grandfather (Poppy), who apart from a stroke last year that left him totally blind in his left eye for a few months (he can make out shadows now) has been totally healthy, now has lung cancer.
They said that because the lesion wasn't on his x-rays taken 2 months ago, but was found on the CT scan, it's likely very early stage and they're hoping maybe they can get it with surgically removing that part of his lung. But they're also not 100% sure it's cancer; though they're 99.9% certain it is.
So, thoughts/prayers needed for him. He's taking it well (better than when he had the stroke) but they also have him on morphine so who knows how much of his positive attitude is his own and how much is the drug. He did say he is in quite a bit of pain even with the morphine.
My dad is taking the news well, too, though there's really nothing we can do as we live 3-1/2 provinces away from them, but I know as things progress (if they do), he may not fare so well. He just turned 60 himself, so I'm a bit worried about him.
*sigh*
Last edited by Rainbowgirl; 03-31-2012 at 01:53 AM.
Thank you to everyone. He seems to be getting worse. He's going in to the city tomorrow for tests (the results of which won't be back for 2 weeks) which include a bronchoscopy and a gastroscopy as he says his pain is in his stomach (which makes me worried about a metastasis). He recently has begun to vomit up blood and is unable to breathe fully due to the pain; he starts to cough, and then up comes blood.
We're going to wait to hear the results of the tests and depending on the type (small cell vs non-small cell), I'll be pressuring my dad to take time off work to fly home to see Poppy. I have a feeling that he may not make it to Christmas this year just by how fast everything seems to be progressing.
So for any prayer circles out there or whatnot, please keep him in your thoughts. He's being so strong, but I know he needs more strength. We all do right now.
You say they're not sure if it's cancer. Could it be Blastomycosis?
I live in a Blasto hot spot. Many times it mimics cancer and pneumonia. Problem is, cancer and pneumonia treatments exacerbate the Blasto. Also, Blasto tests, just like strep tests, have false negatives.
I lost a puppy to Blasto. Just as I was sad and feeling sorry for myself and the pup, I learned that a 16 year old boy in town died the very same day of the very same thing. That put things right into perspective.
I'm just posting to "think outside the box". When you said they weren't sure it was cancer, that whole scenario popped into my head.
We tend to trust the doctors. But sometimes the science leads the doc in the wrong direction. Obviously, you love Poppy. Maybe you can be his advocate.
Unfortunately, I live a 3 day drive from him and even if I were there, they don't listen to me anyway. I was there in July, and told him he HAD to take his antihypertensives or he'd end up with a stroke. He just smiled and nodded and 3 days after I got home from the trip, we find out he had a stroke and was blind in the left eye. He has emphysema (from YEARS of heaving 3-4 packs/day smoking underground in a coal mine with no filters) and asthma, yet he will walk 2 miles to the store in the Northwestern Ontario heat (40C, 98% humidity) and carry back heavy groceries - damn near killed him last year; he barely made it in to the house.
The doctors are 99% certain it's cancer. There's, I don't think, ever really any 100% until the tests are done and so far all he has had is the CT scan. The bronchoscopy and gastroscopy will show for certain, and the biopsy they will likely take will show the type and stage. At this point, he has no symptoms of blasto other than they're mostly certain it's cancer, and he has a lot of pain and coughs. No night sweats that we're aware of, no lesions, etc.
I actually suggested to dad to tell them to try and get a prescription for marijuana - it might be a better pain killer than the morphine they've given him.
I'm scared, my dad is a bit worried, and the rest of the family is all bickering about who should be doing what on Facebook and who should or shouldn't be driving in to their small town to see them. One aunt told my uncle "no one from the city should come and see mom'n dad, they want to be left alone" (uncle lives in the city) yet we all know that the 2 other sisters and the grandkids and their family that live in the small town WILL be at my grandparent's house. It's ridiculous.
If I try to tell them some suggestions on what to ask the doctor - they ignore me. When my Nan (Pop's wife) broke her hip 2 years ago, my aunt said she wasn't sure how they'd do surgery on her because of her "weak heart valve" and they couldn't put her under general anesthesia. I told her:
They will give her IV sedation and a likely a spinal block.
My aunt argued with me. After the surgery, she raved about how amazing it was that they just gave my grandmother an IV and then did a spinal block to "freeze" her legs. *facepalm*
Anyway, rant over. I'm trying to stay positive and optimistic for my dad. I haven't told him about small cell or non-small cell. I just keep telling him they'll get it, they'll remove it, he'll be ok. That is, until we get the results..then I'll be a bit harsher. The last thing I want him to do is fall into the belief that it'll be over like a bad cold - I don't want him standing here when it's too late wishing he should have gone home to see his father again.
He has inoperable lung cancer with metastases throughout his entire body, mostly his spine and pelvis.
Three weeks ago he was raking the lawn, crushing cans, and walking around town - today, he can't walk 8 ft to the bathroom without a walker, and any farther than that, he needs to be in a wheelchair. He's in a lot of pain and my aunts figure that by June, he either won't be with us any more or he won't even know who anyone is.
We're making the trip back to Ontario on June 3rd, but we'll go sooner if we get a call from any family back there saying he's getting even worse.
Please pray that he holds out until June, so my dad can see him before he goes. We all need the help right now. He is, as far as I'm concerned, the heart of our family.
Thoughts/Prayers Please
