by Carol De Jacimo

Created on: January 26, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I recently lost my husband to Stage IV Lung Cancer. This is the first time in my 56 years of life that I have been affected by this dreadful disease. My husband was 71 years. He quit smoking 15 years ago when he suffered a stroke followed by a series of other problems that almost claimed his life then. He fought back then and he gave it a valiant fight this time after he was diagnosed with a large mass in his upper right lung. It was inoperable. It was too big and it encased his airways so that he needed to be on oxygen twenty-four hours a day. Also, it had already metastasized to his lymph nodes and liver and then the bone. Radiation and chemotherapy were going to be a part of our daily lives for awhile.

The treatments began on August 27, 2007. Both were tolerated quite well. My husband never got sick, but he did experience pain and burning from the radiation. He was taking a medication that helped relieved his cough and the pain. His radiation treatments only lasted a short time each day. Chemotherapy lasted much longer, about three and a half hours. After a few weeks, Gene's breathing had improved. There were a few other accomplishments as well, but he still didn't feel up to par. At the end of his radiation on October 10, he was scheduled to get a CT scan on the 15th of October.

We expected to receive bad news from the scan, but the oncologist had wonderful news! The tumor had been shrunk. There was no sign of it on the scan. Wow, the treatments had worked!
So, why didn't we feel like celebrating? Shock and disbelief. We didn't believe what we just heard. If the tumor was gone, then why didn't he feel better?

This is how it went throughout the remainder of his chemotherapy treatments. It appeared like Gene was responding well,but in reality, the cancer was winning. We just weren't aware of it yet. Chemotherapy has several side effects whether it's tolerated or not. Queasiness, pain, fatigue, and lack of appetite are just a few. I believe the worst of those side effects is lack of appetite.

My husband, when diagnosed in late July 2007, weighed 206 pounds. Although he needed to lose some weight, that certainly wasn't the way to do it. The first couple months only 20 pounds came off. Not bad, but it didn't stop there. By the beginning of December, he was down to 160 pounds. He wasn't strong enough to fight anymore. His body was malnourished. Other problems were occurring and his condition spiraled downward.

About a week after Gene's last chemotherapy, his breathing

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