Don Wood

Well, I have been deemed "Trouble" by the onc nurse because I'm so pushy, but she respects me and I can tell that. We have a good laugh, too. I really don't care what reputation I have as long as it works in Lucie's favor. I have come to feel it an honor to do this for her, so she doesn't have to deal with it as well as fight the disease. Don

My prayers are with you both, Tess.

We don't leave to chance what doctors may or may not communicate to each other. I have both Lucie's and my medical information on the computer, including medical history, medications, allergies, etc. and whenever we go to a doctor, we bring an updated printout. We found it to be very helpful to us and to them, and we have been complimented by some for it. It leaves nothing to chance. Don

Minnie, so sorry about your mom's mets. There is a theory about cancer that the cells that survive treatment are the stronger, more virilent ones, and so the cancer grows faster when it returns. These mets can be treated so don't give up hope. Don

Thanks for the update, TeeTaa. My prayers are with y'all. Don

Kate, sounds like you are a good caregiver. Caregiver to a significant other is one of the hardest jobs in the world. It requires a three-ring circus --- (1) you take care of him, (2) you take care of the things you normally have done, and (3) you take care of the things he used to do but cannot now do. My wife and daughter did not think I could handle the job and they had lots of evidence to back them up! But, with God's grace and love, and a lot of support from many friends and family, including those here on the board, I was able to rise to the occasion. You can do this too. It is a rough road, but there is hope. You can draw a lot of info and personal support here, so take advantage. Don

Dianne, I like your disclaimer! Here! Here!

Hi, Amy, and welcome. Sorry about your dad. You don't have to have black lung or have smoked to get lung cancer. My wife is a non-smoker. But I imagine your dad's history can complicate the situation. Mky wife's lung cancer had moved from the left lung out to the bones before it was discovered so I can't answer your specific questions about the lung. Is your dad living alone? You sort of inferred that in your note. He really needs someone to be with him and take him through this, a family member or a friend. He will need a lot of support and some other eyes and ears. After diagnosis, some plan will be outlined on how to treat the cancer. If the cancer is contained in the lung, surgery is usually recommended. If it is outside the lung (e.g., lymph nodes, bones) chemotherapy and perhaps radiation would be recommended. Treatment of lung cancer is a hard road, with many ups and downs. You can see that by reading the posts here. But there is always hope. Let us know how we can support you in this and keep us posted on yourself and your dad. Don

Free will is not evil -- it is the choices we sometime make that are evil.

Welcome, Kate. Glad you posted. Let us know how we may support you. Don

Welcome bac, Rosanne! What a wonderful trip! Don

Like the car, David. I had a '66 Mustang once and loved it. My prayers are with you. Don

Dianne, yours is a familiar story. First off, we, too, spend about 2 hours when we see the onc. However, when he is with us, it is as if there are no other patients and we get to have his presence as long as we have questions or concerns. So, we have decided that he is "available" to each of the patients that way, and it is okay if we don't get in right away. I have already shared in another place about our last experience with the chemo, but it bears repeating under this topic. We do report to the onc anything such as delay, drip rate, whatever was not normal during the visit. He has thanked us for this, and even told us this last time that they thought they had fixed the time delay bit but it obviously needed more work. First, Lucie was supposed to get both Navelbine (her chemo) and Aredia (her monthly IV for bone mets) last Thursday. I asked the attendant which they would be giving her first and got the reply, "Oh, she's just getting Aredia today". I said, "Uh uh, she gets Navelbine, too." Well, that was a delay until they got that sorted out. She got the nausea drip, the Navelbine, and then the Aredia was started. I looked up and saw a very fast drip going, and I knew the last two time, it had taken 3 1/2 hours to administer. I called the nurse and she lowered the rate immediately. By then, Lucie was already nauseous. The IV took less than 2 hours, so you can see it was the wrong rate. We reported that to the onc and he said he would ensure they got it right next time. It all pointed out to me that the patient needs someone to be with them, to be an extra pair of eyes and ears, and to be an advocate. I will not let Lucie go alone. If I am not available, we arrange for a family member or a friend to go with her. Unfortunate, but that is the way it is. Hope you have better times in the future with this. Forewarned IS forearmed. Don

Kel, thanks for sharing your journey -- what a beautiful story. Keep us posted. Best to you and your family. Don

Karen, you needed to vent and it is good you felt free to do that here. Glad it made you feel better. Lucie doesn't shout -- she cries. Now that she is back on chemo, she is doing it more frequently. But I've been there and I handle it better now. My son told us when we reported the recurrence that we had learned a lot with the first bout and would be better equipped for the second. This is true -- doesn't make it any less frustrating, but it does help to have knowledge and move on it. I try to avoid people like the one you mention, especially when I am in such a situation as cancer. I want positive people around, not sadsacks. I do believe some people think their mission in life is to play "ain't it awful" and they always feel their situation is just as dire or worse than anyone else's. I recommend you avoid her, or at least don't have any conversations over "Hi" and "I'm fine". It isn't worth it. Don

Ring-a-ding-dong!

I believe that God doesn't make mistakes, even though I wonder sometimes if free will was a good idea. But He loves us that much to give us free will. I believe it is the free will that lets evil in, not the original creation. In Genesis, it states that everything God creates in good, and I believe that. We just have to own up to the fact that we don't do a very good job of earning His trust. Luckily, we don't have to earn it -- he just gives it to us over and over. Don

Enjoy!

Thanks, Rick. Great set. I enjoyed looking at them. Just sorry we could not make it up there. Looking forward to Tex meeting. Don

Dan, my prayers are with you. Don

Bruce, glad to hear the surgery went well for you and that you are home. Don

Happy birthday, Curtis!

From the beginning --- Genesis1:1-2 "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was otihout form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

Mky love and prayers are with TBone and family. Don

Dianne, welcome to the forum! Glad you are here. You have a great attitude and that will get you far. When you start radiation, be aware that having chemo and radiation together will tire you and also tend to dehydrate you. So plenty of liquids are in order, and you might ask the onc about getting a saline IV once a week during double treatment. My wife, Lucie, got dehydrated a few times because it was hard to get down enough liquids when you are double treated. Yep, we agree. The onc is the engineer, the technical person. Lucie goes to her GP for personal TLC and comfort. The onc is very supportive, but doesn't have the touch that the GP does. And the GP told her she could come in anytime she needed. Best to you. Keep us posted. Don