Pain management for Lung cancer 3A - Cancer: Lung Message Board

Josie115 · 09-24-2005, 05:46 AM

A dear friend was dx in July with lung cancer. From what I know, he is 3 a..small cell squamous ... He has finished all the radiation he can have..the mass was fairly large, upper right lobe with spread to the esophagus and limited to a couple of lymph nodes. He is now getting chemo..has a few sessions left. He's in pain and was wondering what is the usual combo, dosage, etc. for pain managment..he's currently on oxycontin I think 30mg. 12 hrs. plus hydromorphone..(dilaudid?) 2mg. 3-4 x per day...The worse pain is the esophagus..(can't spell that one)..burns from radiation.

Can anyone tell me what they have found to work better and if his dose needs upping? I'm on fentanyl and hydrocodone for bt..it seems to be working better than the other stuff I've tried..(avinza, percs)..they just make me really nauseous..

Any suggestions on what he could talk with his doctor about? Also, he's had some side effects..hives, the usual itching and now very swollen legs. He's not sure if the swollen legs are from the meds or what.

Thank you for being here for others..support is so necessary and you all are wonderful to be sharing so much of your experience and your support.. I pray for all of you....

tuckygal · 09-26-2005, 06:23 AM

Hello, I experienced pretty terrible pain in my esophagus just from radiation to the lymph nodes on each side of my neck, so I can't imagine how severe the problems are if the esophagus is hit directly. My radiology oncologist prescribed what she calls 'Magic Mouthwash' that contains Maalox, a numbing agent and a pain reliever. I don't have the names of the two medicines but can find out if your friend is still having throat pain. Mine felt like pieces of glass working up into my throat. I couldn't eat or drink for one whole day, and it finally started easing up. The mouthwash mixture, which you do swallow even though the name sounds otherwise, did bring relief. Please keep us posted. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your friend.

Josie115 · 09-28-2005, 06:20 PM

Thank you for responding..my friend was over the other day and the pain when swallowing is horrible. His appetite is good, but the esophogus pain bad. I told him to ask..there had to be some sort of drink with a numbing agent in it. I also found out that its not small cell..but squamous cell and that in an old report from a year ago may..the radiologist reading his chest x-ray had noted that he should be refered to a specialist for a scope and all he was told was it was fine. Then, in Dec. he had another chest x-ray..was told he had a node that looked like a calcification and they blew that one off..now..it doesn't look so hot. From what he knows at this point, the radiation and chemo have shrunk the tumor by half..but he's almost finished with the chemo..he's not sure what he's going to do about the negligence yet..he wants to wait until he's through with this treatment. geeeez...the health industry.

Thank you again for posting..I sure hope things are going well for you..