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Uneventful #16 infusion yesterday. All labs within normal parameters. Repeat DLCO test at 64% today, up from 44% after pneumonitis in April. Don’t know if time and healing accounted for generous jump in DLCO value but I'd like to attribute it to my tenacity in starting an exercise program. Baby steps to wellness.....I'll take it. Carry on everyone. With Gratitude and Blessings DFK

Hi All, A 202 area code phoned this morning, normally I don’t answer unknown numbers due to robo call overload. Glad I did— it was a legislative staffer from US Senator Jerry Moran’s office phoning to thank me for me the lung cancer funding advocacy letters! This staffer lost her Grandpa to lung cancer last year. So I used the opportunity to advocate for two more issues we all struggle with: the high cost of our various medications & treatment as well as our HEALTH INSURANCE DISEASE. I suggested Senator Moran sponsor new legislation for a Patient Bill of Rights, whereby anyone with advanced cancer would receive the benefit payment for treatment plans recommended by our physicians. We’re all sick and tired of messing with the insurance companies! They are stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime while enjoying record profits! I invited the Senator to be a speaker at our KC Living with Lung Cancer Support Group too. Not sure if anything will come from the call however I will keep writing letters! Michelle

Weight is increased just short of 10 pounds after two days of chemo treatment. Lasix is onboard. Blessings.

Moonbeam, as a retired RN of 33years, I can tell you without a doubt that there is no reason in this world for a doctore or PA to have a bad chairside manner. Actually the PA who saw your husband came across as disrespectful as well as uncaring. Asking you husband if he wants to continued treatment because of anxiety is the wrong way to go. The correct way would be to ask questions about the anxiety, explore the situation. A trivial tidbit here, a PA’s prior education could have been any mundane course of study totally unrelated to the healthcare industry, like English, theater, Business. An NP would be required to have a BSN to progress to NP studies and 1 - 2 years of working in a hospital in an area where he/or she is planning to specialize. Another thing, I don’t believe a PA’s training focuses on the process of: Assessment, Planning, Intervention, Reassessment, whereas this is the focus for an RN/NP. This process is driven in from the first day of nursing school and continues throughout - it leads the student to being able to set a careplan in place and evaluate the effects.. Your PA did none of this, and this is sad and bad. My best guess is had you seen an NP, she would have done the things I explained, asked questions, really explored the situation and she would have come up with a plan that may have included medications for anxiety or other techniques to reduce the anxiety. Complain, complain, complain. Tell the booking staff and oncologist you no longer what to see that PA and tell them why. He failed at compassionate patient care. He is in the job for the paycheck, simply. I fired the first pulmonary doctor I saw for the very same reason. As an RN i would never allow anyone to treat my patients the way your did and I certainly did not allow the Doctor to treat me the way she did, there are consequences for this type of behavior. Blessings that all is better soon.

Lost a dear friend of 40 plus years on Monday. Im still a bit stunned and so very sad. She was diagnosed less than a month with cancer. I knew her my entire adult life. We raised our kids together, lost parents together and now she is gone. It’s such a reality check when we start to lose our peers. I know it’s part of life but it’s the part that I truly don’t like. You just never think it will happen....:until it does ☹️