Ann

I posted this info to your other post but wanted to make sure you saw it. Dennis had a really bad episode with his hands cramping and drawing. It was very painful for him. We're on Florida's east coast but were having treatment at MD Anderson in Orlando. Naturally, this happened in the evening, after office hours. We had a wonderful oncologist that called me back at home right away and had me take Dennis to our local ER to receive lots of fluid via IV. Apparently, he was somewhat dehydrated and his electrolyes and minerals were way down. AFter the fluid, he was fine. After that, Dennis was a real believer in pumping fluids down. He seemed to always have a bottle of Gatorade in hand!!! Hope your Dad's problem is something as simple as this!!!

Dennis experienced terrible drawing of the hands once or maybe twice. It was very painful for him. When this began, I called our oncologist and he advised me to take him to our local emergency room. The doctor ordered fluids and after that the problem seemed to vanish. At the time Dennis was on CPT-11 and Cisplatin. I suppose there was some dehydration which had caused an unbalance in electrolytes and minerals. Whatever the problem, the fluids really helped. After that point, Dennis seemed to always have a bottle of Gatorade in hand.

Carleen, it is so wonderful to hear from you. We have all been worried sick. Forty lashes with a wet noodle to you!!!! I hope you will find someone to accompany you on your trip. I have a friend that lived in New Orleans for a while and I'm sure she still has friends in the area. Maybe I can hook you up with some of them. Just know that we are still keeping you and Keith in our prayers! Hang tough...really tough!!!!

Oh Ginny...I am sincerely sorry to hear this terrible news. Please know that we love you and are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

What a beautiful idea, Curtis. I'm sure it is just as Becky would have wanted!!!! I know this must have been very hard for you to do. Hang in there!

So sorry to hear that news is not god at this point. Thank goodness he is not in pain. The Duke is so very fortunate to have such a loving wife by his side!!! Keeping both of you in my prayers!!!

Betty... I have several things to say here..... 1. Sorry to hear this news. 2. Glad to hear things were found before spinal involvement. 3. Glad to hear you survived the storm in good shape! 4. Do you have power? 5. Please know that I am praying for you with all my might!!!!!

This has to be one of the best posts I have ever read on this board!!! I am sure that my Dennis is there fishing and telling jokes along with so many of our wonderful friends from this board that we miss so much! It's brings so much peace to my heart and a smile to my face to think they are all there together...having a wonderful time and watching us all type away!!!!

Paige...So very sorry to hear of the loss of your mom. My thoughts and prayers are with you in the coming days!

Thanks for all your prayers!!! We had some high winds and some power outage and were scared silly from tornadoes that came very close but...all is fine here today. Both sons that live in Orlando had property damage but are fine. Thank God for cell phones. Had I not have been able to contact them last night as this storm was passing by them, I would have been frantic. So glad to hear all my other Florida LCSC friends are safe. Now, you guys will just have to keep on praying for us, as forecasters are predicting this new storm will follow the same path and we could see results as early as Tuesday afternoon!!!

Please keep all of us here in Florida in your prayers! Charley will now be a category 4 when it hits land. My county is under tornado watch until 2am. Two of my sons are in Orlando and are going to stay there rather than travel on the roads. Some tornadoes have already hit in neighboring areas! Please pray for us all! I know there are some people on this board that are always in close touch to God!!!!! Cat, Betty, pecola and all...please take care. I will be praying for your safety!!!

Our local stations are dedicating all of the news time to nothing but these storms. They now say that Charley will be a category 3 by the time it hits land tommorrow. Cat, if you're reading this message....CALL SOMEONE FOR HELP! Charley doesn't seem to be kidding around here. If you wait till the last minute, it's often hard to get help out. Just call OEM and twll them your situation. I wish I was closer so I could help you but I'm on the opposite side of the state. Pecola...thanks for the information. Please let me know if you need anything. So far, it seems as if the east coast may be in pretty good shape which is very unusual! My boss was in school all of this week in Sarasota. He had to leave this afternoon, as theyare evacuating everyone. Here, we have been under tornado warnings most of the afternoon.

Cat...I think you should call your county's office of emergency management and tell them your situation. If you're not feeling up to getting supplies, someone should be able to direct you to someone that will help. I am praying that you and Betty remain safe. I think my side of the state should be safer than yours but I don't think they ever know what these storms will do. I am very worried about tornadoes in our area. Some of the counties in the central part of the state have been under tornado warnings since early this morning. I pray that we all remain safe.

CAT, where are you? I'm on the east coast of Florida. Things are pretty up in the air here right now also. I made a run last night for water, batteries and some extra canned goods. I have a full tank of propane, so I can cook what's in the freezer as it thaws if the electricity goes. I am going to leave work at noon and fill the car up with gas and get some cash from the bank. I lived through Andrew and there are just so many little things you don't think of until after you have been through days without electricity. I'm hoping all our message board buddies will keep us in their prayers during this mess!

Saying prayers for you and your mom right now, Paige.

Adding you and your family to my prayer list for tonight! Goos luck with the interview tommorrow! I'll be pulling for you!!!

Good news Cindy! When there are strings around, by all means pull them! I am praying that you'll have ggod news and your worries will vanish!!!

Donna, I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. Twenty seven years is a long walk to take with someone you love. I hope you will find peace and comfort in wonderful memories. I'm saying a prayer for you!!!

I know how you feel right now. I was totally obsessed with and overwhelmed by cancer after Dennis was diagnosed. I read everything I could get my hands on. I stayed up late at night searching out information online. Thank God for the help and guidance of this group. I really believe they were my salvation during our bout with cancer. Thinking back, I have no idea how my friends and co-workers handled me. Dennis's illness and treatments were all I talked about. I just couldn't manage to focus on anything else. Fay is right...take care of yourself. Your mother needs you to support and help her through this terrible time. You must stay strong. Take time to do some things for yourself. You have no idea how much better you will feel if you just back off from the situation for an hour or so here and there. I know that sounds impossible right now. Just get in your car and take a short drive. Go shopping...even if it's to the grocery. Just give yourself a little breather and please talk to your doctor if you feel the need! Don't ever worry about "taking" from this group. We have all walked the same walk and are here to listen and try to help!

So good to hear from you Dave. Please keep in touch with us and keep us updated on your progress.

Following your lead Joe. You're right...there are so many of David's words left here for us!!!

This is such great news! Now is the time to work on these politicians in order to get things accomplished. Election years are great for that. I also live in Florida. You're very fortunate to have such a helpful representative! Way to go!!!!!

I just want to throw in my two cents worth here, having been in the same situation. First of all, like all have suggested, get a second opinion. You will find that you will often have to fight the "system" to get done what needs to be done for your husband. Secondly, Hospice is something that does not necessarily mean a death sentence. There are many folks around right now that have been a hospice patient previously. You can discontinue hospice at any time you wish. However, I do believe they will not get involved if the patient is actively receiving any treatment, other than methods to relieve pain. If you are going to get a second opinion, then I would hold off on calling hospice. If you are going to let things be for the time, I would certainly call them. They can be a really big help to you with the care of your husband. Hope things are much better by the time you read this post.

Don, thanks so much for allowing us to know your mother a bit better. This was a very nice tribute, written by a wonderful son!

There is so much going through my head right now regarding this terrible news. I cannot imagine what this family must be going through! Attending a funeral for a grandmother today while planning for yet another. Just yesterday, I replied to one of David's posts about the death of his dog. Someone posted the Rainbow Bridge poem in another reply. In my mind, I keep seeing David and his beloved companion of 11 years, reunited at the Rainbow Bridge! I have been praying so hard for David and now will certainly continue those prayers...now asking God to help guide his family through this tragedy! These poor boys...within days they have lost a great grandmother, a beloved pet and now their Dad.