Don Wood

Welcome, Jennie. Sounds good that your husband has responded favorably. My wife has also responded favorably to each treatment, and staved off the beast many times. She is 2 1/2 years from diagnosis. Keep us posted. Don

Welcome, Donna. You might want to look under "My Story" category for specific stories on LC. then maybe you will have specific questions as you go along. Also, it would help for you to put a bio on your brother at the end of your postings, so we know what basis to answer questions from. Best to you and brother. Don

Prayers comin'.

Showers of blessings be upon thee, Rich. Sounds great! Glad to see you posting under "Good News". Don

Hugs back!

Prayers for you and family.

Thanks for posting. Tell Kim and Mike about this site. Also tell them about the number of survivors on this site, including my wife, Lucie, who is also Stage IV NSCLC, and was given 9 months. She is now 2 years and 7 months from that diagnosis, still fighting. Don

Lucie's hair came back straighter, whiter and thinner. As said, everyone is different.

Hi, Margaret. I take Plavix daily. I had quadruple bypass heart surgery 7 1/2 years ago, but was not put on Plavix until recent years. I began having easy bleeding from scratches and cuts, like you would expect with a blood thinner. The cardio took me off the Plavix and put me on baby aspirin. Well, two things happened to change that. First, I began having urinary bleeding, which was attributed to prostate radiation (I had it twice for cancer). Aspirin aggrevated the healing, so I had to go off the aspirin. Then, I had a stent put in the first of April, and was put back on Plavix. I have not had any problem with it this time. Go figure. Good luck. Don

Jen, glad you posted. Very sorry you are going through so much. Have you tried Merlot and popsicles? Hang in there. Lucie is now 2 years and 7 months from diagnosis and still fighting. Bless her, and bless you. Don

Welcome! My wife, Lucie, is Stage IV NSCLC, and is 2 1/2 years out and going. So take heart and keep us posted. Don

Hi, Pam's friend, and welcome. Thanks for sharing her story. Tell Pam that my wife, Lucie, is Stage IV NSCLC, and is 2 1/2 years out and counting. Keep us posted on Pam. Don

Welcome, Leslie, and thanks for sharing your story with us. I'm glad to hear Iressa did so well for you. Wish you all good things as you battle this disease. My wife, Lucie, is Stage IV, NSCLC (non-smoker) and has lasted 2 1/2 years so far. Hang in there with us. Don

Great picture! Thanks for the update. Don

Good to see your post, Lily. You are doing some great work there. Lucie and I are doing okay right now. Blessings. Don

Good news on your mom, Heidi. Our rule is NOT to get scans just before a trip, so that it might influence whether we go or not. We do the scans right after we return. Works for us. Don

David and Karen, sorry about the brain mets. You both continue in my prayers. Don

Peggy, you and your husband continue to be good examples for us. I am sorry about the bad news, and my prayers are with you both. Don

Bet, I am so sorry that you lost your mom. My heartfelt sympathies to you and your family. Your mom will live on through you. The article was excellent. Don

Hi, Jana. Hang in there. My wife, Lucie, had five bone mets originally on her skull, upper spine, hip, rib and fibula. The rib and skull mets were deemed small enough that they were not radiated, but the chemo she was also undergoing took care of them. The upper spine met was radiated first because it was threatening to damage the spine further. Before she was finished with that, she got treatment on her leg. This was then followed by hip met radiation. We believe her main side effect to the radiation was fatigue. Some people get skin rash or burn, but she did not. She has had radiation several times since on various bone mets. Prayers your way. Don

Go, Kasey! Proud of you!

Jan, glad to see you posting with good news. Hope your vocal cords improve with time. Don

Not strange at all. It IS good news. Don

Your hubby is one special dude.

Lucie has one. They can be put on either side below the collar bone. They are under the skin, at least Lucie's is, so I imagine you can go swimming. Lucie doesn't even realize most of the time that it is there. One big con is that they can get infected. Lucie's first one became infected, had to be removed, and then one was put on the other side. It has lasted two years plus so far. To avoid infection, we were told not to let it be used for anything but chemo, which we have honored. The other thing is it can become plugged. So before and after each use, it must be flushed with saline and heparin. This is usually routine, but you need to watch the nurses on that and be sure it is done. Lucie swears by hers. Don