My mother in the last two years has been through a lot with many different doctors. She was in Washington state where she was diagnosed with stage II lung cancer, and mesothelioma. This was Novermer of 07. At that time they had decided not to treat her because of her over all health. She also has COPD. This also prevented them from doing a biopsi. Several months passed and there was no progression of the cancer, as well no treatment. In September of 09 I convinced her to move to Minnesota and see different docors, Being there she still hadnt seen an oncologist. She was not given a referal, She was told that it wasn't needed becuse there was no biopsi. She was in to see an oncologist 2 weeks after she was here they did Xrays CTs and tons of blood work all said and done in October she was told that she was cancer free. She did have a tumor in her lung but in comparison to her CTs and petscans in Washington it had not grown a mm in 2 years, there for could not be cancer. November 17th she was called by the oncologist and asked to schedual a new pet scan. That was done the following Monday. December 7th she was told that she has stage 4 mastetic bone cancer. With no known origin. Still no cancer in the lung, lymphnods, or any other organs. She and I are at a loss I have never heard anyone going through anything like this before. I am open to any helpfull comments, or opinions.
well there was no mesothelioma detected in the last pet scan the only cancer that was detected was in the bone and they say that is secondary this is what is so confusing

My mother and I have essentially put our lives on hold to take care of my terminally ill grandfather. We have family members who don't want to respect my mother because she is disabled (they stated it to the police when we had to call the police on them). I had to call the police and file a report against one family member who attempted to attack my mother, and ended up fighting me. They've come over our house (which is actually my grandfather's house but we live with him to take care of him) and have refused to leave. The police again had to be called to make them leave. They have called DHR on us claiming abuse (which was proven to be unfounded), they then called DHR again saying we were murdering my grandfather by over-medicating him with morphine (which was also found to be untrue). They then took me and my mother to court, but my mother was granted guardianship despite what they said. We had to pay money for a lawyer for this event as well. The court said they are allowed to visit between the hours of 10am-8pm. When they come in, they sneak in food to give to my grandfather (we've caught them), and then his hands/feet swell and WE have to answer to the nurse. They leave the door open for one another, so we don't know who is coming in and out of our own house.

Can we sue them for mental anguish? It's hard enough taking care of someone who is 85, has lung cancer, AND mesothelioma, then we have to worry about this. What can we do?

My mother and I have essentially put our lives on hold to take care of my terminally ill grandfather. We have family members who don't want to respect my mother because she is disabled (they stated it to the police when we had to call the police on them). I had to call the police and file a report against one family member who attempted to attack my mother, and ended up fighting me. They've come over our house (which is actually my grandfather's house but we live with him to take care of him) and have refused to leave. The police again had to be called to make them leave. They have called DHR on us claiming abuse (which was proven to be unfounded), they then called DHR again saying we were murdering my grandfather by over-medicating him with morphine (which was also found to be untrue). They then took me and my mother to court, but my mother was granted guardianship despite what they said. We had to pay money for a lawyer for this event as well. The court said they are allowed to visit between the hours of 10am-8pm. When they come in, they sneak in food to give to my grandfather (we've caught them), and then his hands/feet swell and WE have to answer to the nurse. They leave the door open for one another, so we don't know who is coming in and out of our own house.

Can we sue them for mental anguish? It's hard enough taking care of someone who is 85, has lung cancer, AND mesothelioma, then we have to worry about this. What can we do?
Would I go to adult protective services? I also have an email from one of the relatives stating she would leave his oxygen off--which he needs to breathe. Something needs to be done. Who would I ask for in DHR?

Hi, My mother has been diagnosed with Malignant Mesothelioma. Subsequently she has been operated and Extra Plural Pneumenectomy performed. That has been followed with Radiation Therapy. Now CT - Scan has been done, which shows collection of fluid in left hemi thorex (same area where surgery performed) and one suspicious nodule. Are there any radiologists who can review the CT findings for correct second opinion?
I know, I have option of visiting a qualified Radiologist, but I would want some one from recognized cancer institute and having experience of Mesothelioma / lung cancer to do the review. I can send the CD or alternatively, I can upload CD on to a file hosting website and provide link for download and review.

Do people think that hazardous chemicals simply go away? Are that not aware that some toxic chemicals can have a shelf life that can last hundreds, or even thousands of years?

I'm no tree hugger, but I do not believe you can keep polluting our rivers, lakes, and streams without some type of catastrophic event happening in the future. What if one day we must live off the land like they did in the 1800's?

Why do you suppose cancer and heart disease is more common now than it was in the beginning of the 20th century? More people? NO! The percentage is still higher. More smokers? NO! People actually smoke less today. Cancer is not caused by simply smoking alone. There is a wide range of causes.

Why is it that a perfectly healthy person can get lung cancer even though they never have been exposed to asbestos, and most importantly, THEY NEVER SMOKED!

Does the food I eat have the same amount of nutrients and pollutants that it had 50 years ago? Something tells me probably not!
Somehow our government needs to find a way to protect the environment without harming prosperity. Hydrogen powered cars are a start, but thats only a small fraction of the problem.
volcanos are out of our control. And why compound the problem? Should we simply give up because a volcano erupts? That would only make it worse.
Seeing is believing. I have seen it with my own eyes. I live in a state in which every stream and lake is polluted. There was a time when people were not afraid to eat the fish. NOT ANYMORE!

I have also seen a company get fined for dumping toxic wastes into a nearby river. luckily, they got caught! I wonder how many don't.
Great point Jeff, but wouldn't more pollution mean less oxygen? It doesn't have to be cigarette smoke!
It is literally impossible for the environment to be cleaner now than it was 40 or 50 years ago.

What happens if you don't clean your room? Stuff piles up and it looks worse and worse everyday right? These chemicals don't simply rot. They stick around for a very long time!

he told me that he might have inhaled some asbestos fibers yesterday, and now 2day he said he has a bad cough! obviously that isnt a good thing!

if the fibers stay in ur lungs 4 a long time they can cause a certain kind of lung cancer....i am very worried about him because he is my guy version of BFF

please help! and thank u if u do!

My dad had 4 spots on his lung and he was worried it was lung cancer because when he was younger he worked around asbestos. After the chest x-ray he had a CT scan. The results came back today that they are (from what my dad has told me) are calcium build up spots and could or couldn't be cancer cell. They could be scars but no one would know until a biopsy. My dad opted against it because he had one along time ago I believe and he said it was VERY painful and he has a huge phobia of doctors and hates it.

The doctors got together and told him since they were so small, he could come back in a year and have another chest x-ray and they could compare to see if they got bigger. Now to me that's just plain stupid and horrible advice from a doctor. Why risk it? Why not just get the biopsy and rule out if it is cancer. Or if it is, catch it early before he goes back in a year and it be 4 times in size and be told "if only you did the biopsy could we have saved your life"

My dad does a lot for me, and usually puts me before himself. I'm going to business school and something like this would haunt me everyday unless he does it. My dad believes there is no cure for lung cancer, however I read that if you catch it early your chances are way higher.

Where can I find proof that catching any kind of lung cancer is better then waiting? Proof that a biopsy is a good idea. Please help me.
I think the main factor for not doing it is because the doctors said they were small and "nothing yet" however that is horrible information because if it is cancer it could become very bad within a year.

Also, i'm not looking for "he should suck it up" or do it, I'm looking for links with prove that there is cures, and caught early can improve your chances a lot because I want to show him the proof. Also he's 58 and has nothing else wrong with him (had blood tests done to make sure of other things)

Is the pink material found in attics a cause of lung cancer? I have heard that the material may have similar health risks to asbestos. Can anyone please inform me more about the health risks, if any, found in the pink insulation? Thank you

I'm asking this because in 2003, my dad died of lung cancer. He was an insulator and was exposed to asbestos for many years without knowing. We are still in the middle of a lawsuit and next month we have to go to court for something called Work-mans Comp. Some of the people my dad worked with are lying and won't admit that they too worked with asbestos at the time my dad did. They are afraid they'll lose their job because some of the men are still working for the company, so they are going to lie on the stand, even though one of the guys was the best man at my parents wedding. They are going to say he died because he was a smoker. The thing is, even though he was, the specialist who reviewed my dads Autopsy report said that the asbestos had something to do with it whether he was a smoker or not.

My mom is now older than my dad was when he died (he was 45) and she is still alive and she's a smoker, and so are many other of his friends who are his age and smoke. I was just wondering what age people usually die of lung cancer due to smoking? I think it could help with the case, but I'm not really sure. I'm just looking for all the answers I can get so I can kind of see if we have a good chance or not. We've been waiting five years for this to go through and we've been struggling to get by, especially with this economy. I would rather have my dad back, but he wanted this for us because he couldn't be here to support us. He wouldn't want my mom to struggle like she has. We are about to lose our house, so if we win, everything would be okay. I need advice or someone elses opinion on what might happen.

Thanks in advance

-Tammy
The lawsuit is separate from the Work-mans comp, sorry if I made it sound like it was just one thing. What I'm basically worried about is the Work-mans comp. I just wanted to clear that up, sorry.

After my grandfather past away many years ago I began coughing up a whitish, yellowish mucous. This has been going on for a year or two. I had been taking care of him for over ten years. My grandfather had lung cancer & worked in chemical plants with asbestos. Since going to a doctor about 4 months ago, I was diagnosed with a staff infection. The doctor prescribed me with antibiotics. It went away & now it's back. I am still spitting or coughing up this flem. It gets stuck in my throat & drives me crazy. What can I do, is this dangerous?