Don Wood

thanks, Kel. We needed that. Don

That is great news, Sharlene! Lucie got a staph infection two months arfter diagnosis, and just as she was starting chemo and radiation.. It went systemic and her bp dropped dangerously low. She had every kind of specialist looking at her, and, as you, we picked up an infectious disease doctor. Glad you got through all of that. Don

Hang in there, David. I'm praying that everything goes well for you. Don

Thanks for a beautiful testimony, Joni. My regards to your hubby. Don

Gail, glad to hear you are taking good care of yourself. Massage is great -- Lucie and I both get massages twice a month, except when the chemo puts her down too much, which is not the case lately. Massage not only relaxes and eases muscle ache but it improves blood circulation and lymphatic movement (better immune system). It is a gift we give ourselves. Sorry with the other problems. Hope things get better. Don

Welcome back, TAnn! Glad you had such a wonderful vacation in the Virgin Islands -- quite beautiful there. Don

Hi, Ray! Sorry about the pesky adrenal. Hoping the plans will work for you. Don

Welcome back, Rich. Glad the surgery is over and you are mending. Don

Glad to hear the great news. Happy anniversary! Celebrate!

Love it! Love it! (Foot stomp)

Joni, I think you expressed yourself just fine. The hurt never disappears but it does lessen as you move on with Alex and others. I wish you peace. Don

It is hard to lose a pet. My sympathies.

Don, your mother was right -- funerals ARE for the living. For many, it is a necessary part of the grief process. I agree with MaryAnn That a small memorial service at an appropriate place would suffice. If you don't have something, the people still living are denied the chance to celebrate and remember your mom and comfort each other. There was a woman at church who did not have a service for her husband. Everyone else felt awful. So, the pastor suggested a small memroial service for everyone else and that's what the friends did. So, in that case, I think everyone got their needs met. As for her ashes, if she did not specify what she wanted done with them, then it is up to you as next of kin to make those decisions. Hang in there. Don

My prayers are with you both. Don

Vent all you want, Charolette. My heart goes out to you. God grant you strength and love. You have a family here on the board to be with you on this journey. Don

Prayers for Tom and Cindy.

Enjoy your break. See you when you get back.

Lucie's name is "Lucie", not "Lucille". It is the French version, although she is not French herself. She was named for a great aunt. Thanks for all the support, friends. Don

Prayers for you, David.

Glad you and Alex took a break. Welcome back. Don

Was she blonde?

I vote for the Smoothies. Whenever I couldn't get other things down Lucie, she would respond to Smoothies. Because of radiation to her upper spine, she did have a burning in her throat, plus the mouth sores from the Taxotere. My daughter dubbed me the "Food Nazi" because I was always trying to get her to consume something. Also helps the nausea if the stomach has something in it every two hours or so. Don

Bill, I did not see your earlier post. Lucie was given Taxotere/Carboplatin at the same time she was having radiation on her upper spine, followed by radiation on her hip and leg. It does tend to put one down, with dehydration a real problem when taking both together. In her case, the bone mets were threatening the integrity of the bone areas and it could not wait until the chemo was finished. I would agree to pin down the onc on why he won't do both together, and if you don't like the answers you get, get another opinion. Radiation does relieve the bone pain. Your onc may be reluctant to do radiation until he sees what the chemo does. Once an area is radiated, they cannot radiate it again, so he may be trying to save his options for later. Best to you. Don

I agree wholeheartedly with the others -- get a second opinon, fast. There are milder chemos than Taxotere/Carboplatin, such as Navelbine and Gemzar. Go for it! Don

I would not lie to your mother, but I wouldn't volunteer any of the bad stuff. Let her know things on a need-to-know basis. She has enough battles to fight right now without worrying about yours, too. How good are you at hiding your feelings? If you are not good at that, you may have to confess more than you want to because probably her suspecting something would be worse than her knowing (imagination thing). You are right to be concerned about this. I hope you have others you can unburden yourself to without mom, like us folks here. Good luck. Don