My father was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in his early 70’s and never smoked. The cancer was lodged in one of his lung and for the 1st year he qualified for a drug medication o keep the cancer from spreading, without needing chemo or radiation. At this stage, we were always told the cancer couldn’t be staged, so I never really knew the severity of it.
1 year later, the mass grew bigger in the lung and therefore he had to start chemo. . He was transferred to Peter Mac from another hospital and this is when we got the horrible news that he was at Stage 4 and they were surprised we didn’t know. So, even with chemo treatments we kept being told there is no cure but a 5 year survival rate.
Unfortunately, dad kept getting infections after chemo treatments and then got a blood clot that eventually ended his life. He lived for 18 months from the time he was diagnosed. I just want to vent and say that I really wished that the medical staff were upfront and honest about the real stats on survival rates when getting diagnosed in your 70’s
Now reading up on the stats on the internet, survival in Lung Cancer diagnosed later in life at Stage 4 is more like 12-15 months on average with treatment, not 5 years!! I just feel so angry thinking I had so much more time with Dad when in reality, his time was really short and if I was given the real facts, that would have prepared me for his death better, instead of being hopeful. I know I sound very grim and negative, but his death was more of a shock to me because I never expected him to only live for that short amount of time. It’s really sad I guess and trying to cope with it.
