Wendy

I am sorry to hear about your aunt. Prayers to you, your aunt and family. Wendy

Lisa, I am sorry to hear that things aren't going well right now. I agree with Becky - You need a break. Nurse or not, I believe that dealing with cancer is much harder mentally on the spouses since they are the one that needs to provide so much emotional support to their spouse. Call and get some help - you will still be present to make sure that Ahmed is getting the best care but it will help eliminate some of the stress and give you a few minutes for you. It is so hard to be strong when you are exhausted. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I truly hope that tomorrow brings a better day for you and that your husband finds some relief! Wendy

Thanks Elaine: As one on Iressa right now, I will definetely check it out.

I just want to add that NO ONE IS LUCKY if they have been diagnosed with this dreaded disease. No matter the stage or the treatment, it still changes you forever! This beast is does not discriminate if you are stage I or IV - its tough on the mental health all around. Deep Breathing, mediatate, relax and don't kick yourself for feeling as you do. I know exactly where you are right now - been there and it isn't a fun ride. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. Wendy

Keeping your family in my prayers, Wendy

Jim: Think Positive! Good luck, Wendy

Connie: I am so excited to hear about Austin's progress! I can only imagine the amazement on his face as he hears new sounds. Thank god we have come so far in medicine. See you tomorrow! Wendy

I am sorry that your mom has had such a bad time. I wish I could be of more help but I really don't know the ins and outs on Cobra The company I work for is really small and we did have a situation where someone went on medical disability and the company paid for the employees health coverage until she was terminated with the company (1 1/2 years after going out on disability). Unfortunately I don't know if the company was required to pay the premiums while the employee was disabled or if they did it out of the goodness of their heart. I am sure that someone on the board will have good information for you. I am glad your mom is doing good and good luck with the insurance. Wendy

Caleb sounds like a great young man. Prayers on the way for him and your families. Wendy

Hopefully with this great news you will be able to "breath" a little easier! The stress of waiting for the results seems to be the worst. Enjoy!!!!!!! Wendy

I think Becky said it best - the little buggers were removed!! Most days I try to think on the positive side instead of the negative, but some days it just grab's you. Thanks for the reminder to think POSITIVE! Wendy PS-Curtis I have never been to the Fitzgerald but I have heard great things about it. MN is a great state for the theater!

Yikes! As I have viewed posts and signatures I have noticed that many of us have had lymph nodes positive during this journey, but I have not seen anyone with a large number of positive nodes. My experience included a PET scan that did not pick up on any node involvement prior to the removal of my L Lung. During my surgery 22 nodes were tested with 21 positive. Is there anyone else here with a similiar experience? Wendy

Nothing does the mind better than a little fun! Come on 7's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers to another 4 NED years! Best wishes, Wendy

Your post was just what the doctor ordered for me today! Thanks for the inspiration. Wendy

Hang in there!

Hang in there!

What a great way to end the week! Awesome news.

Unfortunately welcome to the club. I too slept in a recliner due to the problems laying flat. Have patience, it does get better. I was one of the lucky ones to have problems with my voice as well. I was told that the nerves were damages to my left vocal cord and basically paralyzed it. The strength of my voice was a little above a whisper. The harder I tried to talk louder the worse my voice got. Luckily the fix is pretty quick and easy if you have a similiar problem. I had collagen injected into the cord and this helped tons. My voice wasn't perfect but much better than it was. The procedure it self was under general anesthesia through a scope. No external wounds and done on an outpatient basis. The injection is not a long term fix, many times I am told the nerve grows back on its own and your voice will return. Unfortunately for me, the injection is now gone and the nerve hasn't grown back on its own. I am considering having a more permanent surgery that is more like a teflon injection and made through a small incision in your neck. Time will tell where and if your voice returns on its own. As others have said, recovery is slow but you will recover. Best of luck and keep us posted. Wendy

THANKS TO ONE AND ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL WELCOME! Sorry it has taken so long to express my thanks to all, I am still trying to get the hang of this. It is certainly exciting to hear from others that "have been there". Cheers to LCSC for establishing this site!! Wendy

Thanks for asking this question and posting it here. I was wondering the same thing and now know where I can go for further information!

I am a "newbe" on this board and I am not exactly sure how I am suppose to respond here - so I will post a reply here. (Can someone let me know how it is normally done?) Thank you one and all for your insight and information. Many gave some pretty graphic and hiliarious details that keep me smiling long after I sign off this site. Your information actual makes me feel much better knowing that my aches and pains are normal! Donna G and Fay A both made comments as to whether I did indeed have ribs broken during the actual surgery. Your comments made me want to investigate further - I could have swore that the surgeon said that the ribs were only spread during the surgery - BUT now I am curious as to if I misheard. I will look into it further and let you know. I hope one and all have a great weekend and again, thanks for the insight! Wendy

I was wondering how long it has taken those of you that had their lung removed to completely heal. I am six months past the removal of my left lung and still have problems with pain and swelling at the incision site. The actual incision is located parallel with my arm and no ribs were removed or broken during the surgery. The weird thing is that wearing a bra seems to make the problem much worse. Most days I am able to wear a bra only 4-6 hours because of the pain. The paid radiates from my chest to my back. The incision it self has healed months ago. My surgeon says that only patience and time will heal me. Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated!! Wendy

What a great website this is! I have been reading posts for the last months but too chicken to join in. I guess today is the day for me to speak up..... Since receiving the BIG C diagnosis, I have had my left lung removed, completed radiation and chemo (two weeks ago). All CT scans reflect no cancer lurking so far. With the completion of treatment, I will now start the watch and wait program. Honestly this seems harder than the treatments themself because at least you feel like you are actively treating the disease. I have always heard people say that something was a "life changing event" - I never thought how much that saying would mean to me until this disease came into my life.