Don Wood

Debi, congratulations on your 5 months milestone! Celebrate! Don

My wife had bone mets. At first, there was no pain, but because one was on her spine she began to lose function in her left hand. Then the arm began to hurt. By the time she was diagnosed, she was in a lot of pain in her spine -- constant and intense. She had to go on morphine. Some of the mets have never hurt and others have hurt a lot. Right now, she is almost off the morphine, so things are better with pain. Don

My wife, Lucie, (see bio below) is a 14 month survivor and doing well at this point. Don

Lucie and I attend a weekly cancer support group (we don't go every week) and we both have found tremendous support there. I hope your dad will reconsider. I also hope he will come here and see. Don

Lucie will have a PET scan Tuesday morning. Prayers requested. Thanks. Don

Great picture! Praying for improvement for your dad. Don

I agree with others here -- your mom needs an onc that will be aggressive and not have the "oh, well" attitude. You best gift to her is to help her find such a doc. I wish all of you well. Don

Great picture of you two! Thanks.

There are so many stories on here now, that I encourage those of you who are posting regularly who have not done so to put a permanent bio of the patient at the end of your message. That way, when you post some news or question, we don't have to try and remember the details of everyone (which is impossible for me). We can then respond more appropriately. Thank you. Don

Anne, I am saddened by the passing of your mom. My prayers are with you and your family. Don

Beautiful, Laurie! Thanks. May your Christmas be a happy one, too. Since we spent last Christmas in ICU with Lucie, this one will be happier, and we have much to be thankful for, focusing on the Savior's birth. Blessings to all. Don

Each person reacts differently to chemo. Normally, the side effects get worse with each application. Don

Faylene, thanks so much for a beautiful sharing. I believe everyone on here can relate to the wishes. The good things are so much clearer and brighter than they once were, including love. Blessings. Don

Carolyn, what a great Christmas present. Congrats to you and your husband for a year of survival, and a wish and prayer for many more. My wife was given 9 months and she is 14 months out from diagnosis, so we are also celebrating Christmas with a flourish. Don

Hope, what a great name! Glad to hear your mom is doing well. We need to hear good news when it happens. Have a great holiday! Don

Andrea, I am so sorry your mom is not doing well. But I worry that you are not taking care of yourself. As a caregiver, you must take care of yourself first, so you have the energy and clearness of thought to help your mom where you can. This includes carving out a part of your life that is "cancer firee" and doesn't have to do with your mom's state. Do something you enjoy and don't feel guilty about it. You also need to talk with someone on a regular basis that you trust so you can unburden yourself. And, by all means, vent here -- that is one of the reasons this board is here. This is an especially rough time with the holidays approaching. Hang in there, and God's blessings and guildance. Don

Nicky, welcome! It is great that your dad is almost 14 months since diagnosis, same as my wife. Sounds like things are going well, and I hope also that your dad is around for Christmas 2004. But enjoy Christmas 2003 first! We definitely are celebrating that my wife is still here. Best to you. Don

Except for the angel and the tree, the scenario sounded pretty much like a typical day in my life! Ha!

That is super news! Celebrate and enjoy the holidays. Don

The main thing as mentioned is having them together will make one more tired. Another caution is that it tends to dehydrate you, so you need to drink a lot of liquids to keep up. You might even ask the onc if you might have an IV during that time to keep the liquid up. Don

You are very blessed to have such a friend. God works that way. Don

Ann, it is very understandable that you are having a hard time right now, with Dennis' death anniversary just a few days away. And before the holidays. I wish for you peace and new life. Don

Tracy, my wife was diagnosed with NSCLC with five bone mets in Oct. 2002. At Christmas, she was in the ICU unit of our local hospital with systemic staph infection. After she got over the infection, she began chemo and radiation, which were interrupted by the hospitalizing. She finished treatment last May. In August, she had bilateral pneumonia and was in the hopsital almost a month. Today she is doing well. Last Christmas she believed she would not be around for this Christmas, and she is so excited about this one coming up. She's still here! So, tell your dad nothing is certain. He could well be here next Christmas and we hope that for him. Cellebrate the holidays. Don

I had a good laugh. I am not a native but I lived in Detroit for 4 years in the early '60's while going to graduate school at Wayne. And I do know how to pronounce "Mackinac" -- love the island and the fudge. Don

Mamey, my wife is Stage IV NSCLC, with bone mets. After chemo and radiation, she is doing fine, 14 months after diagnosis. She has a port for the chemo because of her small veins. The thing to be aware of is the port can get infected -- be sure that it is always flushed with saline and heparin after every use. The nurses do this but it doesn't hurt to check them. My wife got a staph infection from its use while in the hospital! Best wishes. Don