MaryTD777

Congrats on getting thru a rough stay and having a good team!! I look forward to reading many more posts about you & Rhonda living it up over the next 33 years!

Tairen, Everyone above nailed it, so I just wanna say that I will keep you & her in my thoughts & prayers. I lost my mom suddenly... tho a bit older than you at the time, I get it. Just remember you can't say "I love you" too much.

Hi Don! I was at the summit too, first time. Sorry I'm late with the Welcome to the site, I just don't get online too much. From the sounds of it you prefer to be outside than online too, so I hope to be forgiven. =D Be Well!

Jackie said: Survival has increased logarithmically and there are new treatments almost every day! WOW! Gotta love it when the GOOD news is as hard to pronounce as the bad news! LOL!! Sorry, I have no excuse, my sense of humor has ALWAYS been warped! I remember actually practicing saying mediastinoscopy on my 2nd visit to Fox Chase, just 2 days after the first visit. They warned me that each new person I met pre-op would ask me what surgery I was having. The last time I was asked was the 1st time I nailed it HAH! Judy, I hope they get all your questions answered ASAP and that it is the best possible news they can give you. hugs, Mary

Thank You SOOoooooooooo much for posting such great news!! I really needed that hugs, Mary

Hi Donna, I am so sorry your husband as having such trouble. When I started reading this thread, I was just so happy to see that you kicked butt against a pancoast tumor over 16 years ago. I have a pal coming up on 11 and I am 2 years from Dx and will be 2 years from surgery in Aug. While this isn't the happy, Hi how ya doin, I would have liked, I do want to tell you I will have some prayers for both of you. You probably know this, but just in case ~ he should be eligible for SS Disability under CAL (Compassionate Allowances) http://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/ I hope this helps if you haven't yet filed. hugs, M

Eric, I am so sorry for your loss, and the loss for the community as well. It sounds like I missed out a lot in my journey by not having known of him prior to this month. Take some solace in the thousands mourning along side you. Sincerely, Mary

I am so glad you responded so well to treatment. That in itself should tell you docs that their numbers mean nothing Wonderful that it's not gotten to your bones either. Every bit of good news is something to help you feel that you are doing better than they thought you would. As said above, many people here are proof that only your creator ~ what ever you believe ~ knows when you will return to their side. I also agree with Mike. Of course I may not be right, but I tell all my friends to find a cancer center. At the very least you are not sitting next to people with flu, rash, any sort of contagious crud and at best you find docs who know that this plus that squashes them. Wishing you continued improvement! Mary

Welcome Bob! I am also glad to meet you and sorry to see you here. I just found this site 2 months ago, so I am still wandering the halls. I think I mostly come back to see people celebrate 5,6,7,8 years of survivorship. Happy to say I see a new anniversary most every time I pop in. May I ask, what stage were you 4 years ago? If I am to nosy, just say so or ignore me. I get too chatty sometimes. Nashua sounds familiar. Has anything famous happened there recently, or did I just pass a sign for it whilst heading elsewhere in NH? Wishing you luck in finding a trial that fits you. Mary

Congrats!! 8 years sounds so amazing here! I have a pal dx at 44 and he is 54 now, so he has been my inspiration thus far. He even had the same Pancoast tumor right lung like I did, but he was IIIa with a node and I was IIB with no nodes. Eric, I will definitely remember 19 years from now on!!

Hi y'all! I know this is an older "Air" but I didn't look for a newer 1 once I saw the bird. TOO CUTE! I am a bird lover, but stick to the ones in my yard. We already have a zoo, I think I posted my pups here before. With our 3 dogs, the St. Bernard we have been fostering since late Jan. and our Bearded Dragon, a bird could be that mythical straw on the camel's back LOL I hope all went well in Boston!! Diane, Are you doing the laundry room, or having it done? I love DIY projects. Clare, adding prayers for you & your mom. Good for you remembering to recharge yourself when you get a chance! Speaking of birds, I got torn from typing here cuz of them, as pasted from my Facebook status::: I love my birds and they love me! Kait heard a bird and it made her think she should call me, so she decided to call me later. After lunch she heard another bird and remembered she should call me in a little while. A few minutes later she heard a Woodpecker and figured she better call NOW!! Over an hour and not done chatting, just had to get the phone off my ear and the butt off the chair LOL Take care and be well everybody! xoxox

YAY!! Congrats! 7 is my lucky number. Eric, I was thinking something very similar about running as I read the post LOL

Congrats!! Such wonderful news! I love the list of NEDs growing longer & longer on your signature! (And on yours too Kasey!! And your long list of Stable DianeW!!))

YAY!!! LOVE <3 Happy Good News!!

Hi Janet!! Happy Valentines day to you too!! We got a bit of snow here too, but the stuff from last week was already washed away by flooding rains we got the other day. Sorry I wasn't on for a while... not even a good excuse. Checking out some other sites (none good as this!!!) and Facebook. Hope Summit ~ I am thinking about it. Hubby would take the ride with me but do sightseeing and leave me to my own for the most part. Have you gone before? Is there much "quiet time" when I could go for walks & try some birding / photography or is it "scheduled up the wazoo"? Went to an ortho today ~ knees have made noise for a while but started getting swollen, red & warm. Effusion and some pretty significant wear & tear for someone my size & age. Took out 25 ccs of junk fluid and put in 5cc cortisone. Here are some exercise you can start in a few days. BuhBye. With all this stupid cancer caca, I can't remember a wham-bam-thank you ma'am appt with no follow appts set or anything but g'bye. So strange, but good. (insert twilight zone music LOL) I feel ya on the clothes, but I gained after being told to eat my tush off during treatment and then slowing down so much after surgeries. I am up 25lbs over my normal 125 - ALL in my belly - well 20 anyway. I look 6-8 month pg. Until neck & knees are up for some work I just refuse to buy more than the 1 khaki and 1 jeans I bought As for you, I would by ensure (? light blue bottle?) dark chocolate and stick it in the freezer 30 minutes ahead to get it SUPER cold, then take a sip and refill it with Hershey's Special Dark Syrup and shake it to death (after putting the cap back on LOL) It tasted good enough to chug in less than 10 minutes. Don;t let it get warm Hubby got me chocolate covered cherries and Godiva dark choc Truffles, a purple rose that I thought was sparkle plastic but is really a grape lollipop (did y'all know I am a purple-a-holic?) and a 8" stuffed leopard holding a heart that says True Love. He had my truck yesterday for errands (like buying the above mentioned LOL) repairs etc, so I was stranded. He wouldn't let me drive after the shots to both knees, so I get to buy him dinner out tonight for his gift,,, Uh, it's all one purse here, so we are both paying for it LOL. He is SUCH a cutie So, I have babbled enough. I hope all of y'all & your loved ones have a great day today, with a special other or a very special self. Happy VD, Happy Pre-Friday, Happy eve of the Great Backyard Bird Count weekend, Happy eve of Presidents Day weekend.... anything else? Hugs, M

CONGRATS!!!

HOORAY for $$!! That 1st check with the back pay was a pleasant surprise for me as well. The money was direct deposited into my acct the same day the note arrived explaining what was paid and what to expect. I hadn't even thought of DI until someone told me to look into it. When reading thru the info online about what illnesses are usually covered online with just Dr info and no trips to the office or anything I was both surprised and sad to see Pancoast Tumor got it's own special spot on the list. It required a 6 month wait so my timing was just right to apply. Go buy yourself a lil something special! Even if you can't go crazy with it, a small treat is always deserved after a "windfall" shows up Take care!

WoooooooooHooooooooo!! Congrats!!

Oh Diane, please feel better soon! Hi all!! I am glad to see so much activity in the past several days. When I got here it was hard for me to find active threads (I also wasn't good at looking yet ~ but I found the "New Posts" link since then LOL) I'm not happy so many are here, but happy that those who are here are posting =D This grumpy wheather tore 2 pieces of siding off the house and hubby only found one Out to dinner soon with an old pal. Only my 2nd outting without that terrible neck/torso brace. OH! I haven't been here this week. Allowed to leave the brace off ALL the time now unless I want it on! YAY ME!! Have a great day/weekend!! xoxox

I think some anger can be useful. Someone here told me that visualizing the tumor and yelling at it is a good way to cope ~ anger would help there. Please mention the depression to your doc. The doc WILL know about depression and how much is OK and when you might need help. Some help can come from talking to us, but some might need meds too. Always make sure that your doc knows everything you are taking, even vitamins, herbs and stuff. I use & used humor, but some would call me sick/warped etc, so I guess it won't work for every one I do hope we can help!! (((((HUGS)))) Mary

I will hope & pray you get some good news next week! =D

I just wanted to add my hugs & prayers. I will be watching for you to post about the results after the 20th. (((((HUGS)))))

Hiya Bud, Thanks for the welcome and CONGRATS!!! on 5+ years Pain... oh yes, there is pain. I have to thank the pain tho, it got me dx in time. The pain that pushed me to the doc had nothing to do with the ribs tho, it was mostly shoulder blade with some radiating down the back of the arm all the way down to the outer fingers. Odd as it sounds, the radiating pain was accompanied by a kinda surface numb/tingly feeling, which, along with that pain, still plagues me. During surgery the T2 nerve needed to be resected and there was damage to the sympathetic chain. That left me with Horner's Syndrome. Lucky me, doc says I got one of the most extreme cases he has seen. I do not sweat at all on the right side, my right pupil is stuck at it's smallest size and the right eyelid droops a bit. BUT, on the left I do sweat. I sweat profusely for what would appear to be no reason. Eating, showering or getting very upset seem to cause it the most. Nothin like having lunch with someone and having them say: Um, Mary... not sure what's goin on, but something is dripping off your hair! NICE, not! I am also still having lotsa pain that is prolly associated with the vertebrae that the tumor was touching which was not done properly and had to be redone this past Aug. I am STILL in a brace from that. I will see that doc on Monday. Ugh. As for rib pain... I would say discomfort. If I ever get past the meaner ones, it may get more attention. Thanks for asking!! Sorry for the 2 page reply. I tend to ramble, which is why I am not here every day... I only come when I can devote at least an hour to read and write.

Thank you all! I have always been silly and a purple lover. I also always kinda liked hats, but the collection of loud ones, big ones, bright ones and anything attention getting got a bit out of hand with treatment. What can I say other than ~ Don't wanna cry, so gotta laugh! Hehehee Katie, what's your Jacks name? Jack is our baby @ 4 years in April. We sort of adopted him from a pal who owned one of the parents. She wanted to keep him but hubby said no. Then our re-rescue, Tramp, is 6 next month. He is a Springer Spaniel lookin mutt. The first family that rescued him decided they had to return him, but no one from the shelter could go get him, so we did and kept him even tho he was a challenge. Our oldest is, Lady Godiva, named by hubs for "Lady" in Lady & the Tramp (Hence Tramp's name) and Godiva for her chocolate color. We bought her at 6 month old from a puppy store that said she was getting to old to sell and guilted us into it. She is a full bred Cocker but due to bits of white in her coat she wouldn't be a good show dog or breeder so not many wanted her. She is the Alpha puppy even as I am the Alpha B*tch. Hehehee. We also acquired a 6 year old, 140 pound St Bernard on Monday who we are fostering. His mommy has her grand baby in the house and the grand baby was bitten by her mommies dog. That dog was put down and a new puppy in the house was given away. Winston is huge, sweet and cute, but not a puppy so he was harder to find a place for, esp since his mommy wants him back. Right now the judge in family court said the lil girl could not go home if ANY dog is there. Hope is the baby and her parents will soon have a home of there own so Winston can go back home. WOW! I do babble, don't I? Eh, if you read this far, thanks. If not, oh well. LOL

It's the week before the wedding! I hope your bride is feeling much better this week and will enjoy watching her baby boy take a bride of his own. I think parents of the groom get a bit more relaxing than the bride's, but if she over does it, remind her to rest and enjoy. Be well, Mary