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PamT

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  1. Dear Rich, Thanks for the websites. They are very helpful. Pam
  2. Richard has just had blood transfusions (2 units) for a homoglobin count of 7.8 and a hematocrit count of 22. His energy level continues to be very low 48 hours after the transfusion. We were told that his energy level should improve with the transfusions, but he has slept all day today. My questions are these. What are the inherent dangers of such low counts and what should I be looking for? Pam
  3. Daer Karen and Paddy, I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you as you go through this grief. Please remember we are all here for you. Pam
  4. Dear Nell, The pain can be terrible. Back pain is what finally caused my husband to seek help. If the oncologist has difficulty controlling pain, see a pain management specialist. Richard is on a Duragesic patch and neurontin which controls the pain well. We will pray for all of you. Pam
  5. Dear Sharon, My husband is on CPT 11 and Cisplatin. Long chemo days take 10 hours which includes the blood draw. It is not an easy protocol, but EMEND helps greatly as do the other anti-nausea drugs. There is sometimes diarrhea and sometime constipation, but just let your oncologist know what is happening, and there is help for these too. Richard sleeps and rest for most of the week after his treatment. But the good news is that it does shrink tumors. Keep your spirits up and help him to keep his spirits up as well. Attitude is everything! God bless you. Pam
  6. Dear Karen and Family, My heart goes out to all of you as do my prayers. Please let your mom and dad know we are all thinking about them and praying for your dad to go home where he will be the most comfortable. They have been an inspiration to us all. Pam
  7. Dear All, The week ended much better than it began.l Richard has had his port put in, very successfully I might add. His nausea and diarrhea are under control and he gained 2 pounds this week (I think thanks to Krispy Kream doughnuts which he has been craving!) Our oncologist has helped so much with infusions of saline (2 liters a day for three days) and new anti-nausea drugs. I think I am improving on deciding what drugs to give him to keep the stomach in line. Friday we had the 1st chemo of the 2nd round, and in two weeks we will have more scans to see how he is doing. Keep praying for him! He does feel so good now, and my heart is soaring! Pam
  8. Dear Paddy and David, My heart goes out to you. Thank God for nurses like David! Richard and I went through the emergency room experience just a few weeks ago and I do remember the nightmare. Enjoy Karen's visit and you will be in our prayers. Pam
  9. Welcome to a great place with great people! We are sorry you have to be here, but are glad you found this website! My husband was diagnosed 5 weeks ago, and the first three chemotherapy treatments were hard on him. My advice, just keep calling the doctor and telling him/her what is going on. We have finally found the right combination of anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea drugs and my husband feels great! It may take perseverance, but just keep asking and telling your oncologist what your symptoms are. Keep a diary so that you can tell when symptoms start, what they are and how often, and what does and doesn't work. Hang in there, and try not to be too frightened. We are all in this together and we will help you get through it. Pam
  10. Dear Tina, Believe me, I don't think you are whining. It is so hard to know what to do and how to feel from day to day. One day you look at your husband and see the wonderful man you married, and the next day you may see someone else whom you love as dearly, but who is so different from that energetic, fun-loving man you married. Cherish the good days and during the bad ones, be thankful that he is still with you. This is a wonderful forum to "whine" in as we all have your feelings at times. Richard and I own a bed and breakfast, and we live on property. When I am here, I must always put on a smile and pretend all is well. But the second my car leaves the property if I am alone, the tears come. Everything you are feeling is normal. I pray that today has been a good day for you both. Love to you, Pam
  11. To all who have repsonded to my question, I thank you. It has been a very difficult week as Richard worked through the reaction to his third chemotherapy with vomiting, diarrhea and another 7 pound weight loss. But through it all, we have learned. Last Tuesday he refused to return to the oncologist after I had called him to report his symptoms, and there was no way to convince him otherwise. By Thursday, he was so dehydrated that he could hardly walk, and then he agreed to go to the oncologist. Once there, they gave him 2 liters of saline IV and started him on more anti-nausea drugs and gave him the hope that they would stick with him until we had this licked. Friday, it was back for two more units of saline and more anti-nausea drugs. I am happy to reposrt that today, Saturday, he is eating and drinking again in small amounts and not having vomiting and diarrhea. But more importantly, he has learned that the oncologist and his entire staff are on his side and he needs to trust them. Richard and I have also spent many hours in long talks which have let me know how much he wants to fight this disease. When he was first diagnosed four weeks ago, the pain and the drugs made it impossible for him to understand. At that point, I was making all decisions for him. That was the scary part. Now his mind is generally quite clear and he can make his own decisions, which is what I want. I will support him in whatever his choices are! Richard's brother died at the age of 17 with osteosarcoma, and his treatment (1962) was painful; his last days were in total misery. We were teenagers then (Richard was 15 and I was 14) and we watched as cancer took his brother's leg and painfully invaded his body. Chick, Richard's brother, chose to enter many trials at the University of Pennsylvania, knowing that his suffering might help others down the road as well as the possibility it might cure him. So I am especially proud of his desire to fight this enemy. I will keep you posted as we go down our journey together. Love and prayers for all of you, Pam
  12. Does anyone have info on any one or all of these meds? I believe cisplatin may be replaced with carboplatin to alleviate liver problems from the chemo.
  13. Dear Babe's Daughter, What courage, love and kindness you are showing. It often takes more courage to follow the path less traveled than to go down the beaten path. You are making your mother's last days on this earth comfortable and happy and what more could any of us want or need. We never know when a breath will be our last, but I know that if it happens to me in a warm loving environment with my hand on my dog's head and a tummy full of carrot cake, I will meet my savior so content. Blessings on you and your mom. You will be in my prayers. Pam
  14. Dear Laura, It is so great to hear good news, it makes hope grow. Take care of yourself, too. I pary that your pain will disappear. Pam
  15. My husband, age 58, was diagnosed three weeks ago with sclc, stage IV, with met to pancreas, liver, peritoneal cavity and spine. Our oncologist says chemo is not therapeutic, only palliative. Richard has had chemo (cisplatin and irinotecan) once weekly for the past three weeks and is now on a two week off period. The oncologist has planned this protocol for the next five months. Richard is not tolorating the chemo well and is sick all of the time with diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches. He is cold and sleeps most of the time. He is sometimes confused and is no longer able to concentrate well. Although the doctors have been very honest with Richard, he has not "heard" the prognosis of no cure for him and a limited life expectancy. The oncologist tells us that chemo may add two months to his life. Hospice is already involved, and their advice is to be honest with him. When do you decide to stop the chemo which is so devastating to his body? He has lost 60 pounds since May, and eating is very difficult for him. I don't want to take away all of his hope, as I know that his attitude toward the disease is so important. I pray for a miracle and believe miracles do happen.
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