Cancer in My Chart for MIL

[Johnny2X2X]

So with all the new technology and data, mostly it makes things easier. My mother in law had some chest pain and went in for tests, they found spots in her lungs. Results come back in her MyChart yesterday morning, on Easter. It's cancer, metastasized to lymph nodes and possibly bones. The pain ended up being a broken rib that they think had a lesion on it where it broke. But whoa, this is some heaving news to get via MyChart. You'd think this is the type of thing they'd want to hold off sending you a message about and instead get you in to tell you in person.

Anyway, wife is really going through it, her and her mom could not be closer. This absolutely sucks, an amazing person that I am close to too. Seems like she's dealing with stage 3 or stage 4.

[surfered]

1. So sorry about this news and the way it was delivered

[marble falls]

2. Advances in lung cancer have been made, I've survived my cancers, this is still hope ...

... y'all are in my prayers and thoughts.

There had to be a better way of letting her know.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Thanks

We're basically waiting to hear about the bones. She broke her rib apparently from coughing and the test results are claiming there was evidence of a lesion on the bone at the break site. So metastasis to the bones from the lungs is classified as Stage 4 and incurable. But we're trying to remain hopeful. It's in both lungs and is in lymph nodes.

This was out of the blue for her. A couple weeks agoshe's totally fine and all the sudden she might have a death sentence.

[babylonsister]

6. My sincere sympathies

Last edited Mon Apr 21, 2025, 04:42 PM - Edit history (1)

for the cold way in which she was informed and the potential diagnosis. Hugs to you all.

[yardwork]

3. I'm so sorry for this news and the way you learned it.

[MLAA]

5. Sending healing vibes and best wishes to your MIL, you and your wife as you go through this very difficult time.

❤️❤️❤️

[mn9driver]

7. Sorry to hear about your MIL and the way she was informed,

The CURES act which took effect last year requires that test results be available to the patient as soon as they are ready. In most cases that means a patient will get them before the doctors have a chance to review them.

https://documents.cap.org/documents/sharing-test-results-cures-act-fact-sheet.pdf

[Johnny2X2X]

8. Ah, I didn't know that

She was called first thing this morning and is going in to meet with doctors this afternoon. So it's not like they didn't follow up right away.

Was just a tough way to hear about it and then all you have is Google to figure out what might be going on.

She had some of her questions answered on the phone this moring, and will learn a lot more today. But it's bad news that they just have to confirm it sounds like. Just stinks overall. I hate cancer. Been just a brutal year for the people around me.

[mn9driver]

9. They are unlocking actual genetic cures for different cancers

Treatments that couldn’t even be imagined a few years ago. My niece experienced one of those and is healthy today. Even five years ago she would have died. Don’t give up hope.

[beaglelover]

11. After my recent experience, I kind of wish they did NOT share so much via MyChart.

Once the MRI results were published and I saw the 'grade' the radiologist had given the lesion they found, and then googling all the medical term stuff regarding the 'grade' I was convinced that the biopsy would show cancer. So in the weeks between the MRI and the biopsy, I was researching prostate cancer extensively, researching the various treatments, etc. Then after the biopsy I had to wait about a week to meet with the urologist to get the biopsy results and found out that the lesion was not cancer which was a great relief.

In retrospect, I wish when I had met with the urologist to review the MRI results, I think he should have just said, the MRI found a lesion so next steps is to schedule a biopsy and based on the results of the biopsy we'll determine next steps. I would have been fine with that without having to see the entire MRI result and analysis by the radiologist.

[beaglelover]

10. That is weird. I think someone made a mistake in releasing that info on MyChart too soon.

I had an MRI of my prostate followed a few weeks later by a biopsy. Neither test result was visible on MyChart until after I had met with the Urologist in person.

Best of luck to your MIL.

[Johnny2X2X]

12. It's just so hard

Advanced Metastic Lung Cancer is what is in her chart several times, but the doctor said they won't have a full diagnosis until the PET scan in about 10 days. She's lost 22 pounds in the last few weeks and is not a big person.

On top of that, my mother is very near the end too and is suffering terribly.

[Bmoboy]

13. Is it better to know?

Without the technology, we wouldn't be told about some diagnoses until later in the disease progression.

Less time to worry, less time to treat.

[Johnny2X2X]

14. What I am wondering

Is, why didn't they catch it way sooner? She's had yearly check ups, but it seems like some of the symptoms have been present for many years.

And lung cancer has the added dimension of everyone thinking she did it to herself. Yeah, she was a smoker. We begged her to stop for years. But it doesn't do any good to bring that up now. And I think some people smoke when they're younger because the consequences seem so far away. But for her, I think the last 20 years she's been battling depression after the loss of her husband to cancer at a pretty young age, There was kind of a fatalism at play with it, "I don't care if I die from smoking because I am still in so much emotional pain..."

But at this point, yeah, it's not going to be curable, so really doesn't matter to hear that now or in a couple weeks.