Don Wood

Sam.s explanation sounds reasonable to me. Don

Welcome, Sue. Sorry about your mom. Glad you joined us -- lots of support and info. Don

She had multiple side effects, all not occuring at the same time -- nausea, swelling, eye watering, blackening of the toe and fingernails and warping of same, fungus in the mouth, diarrhea, hair loss. Most of them can be treated with medication.

Bone mets is stage IV.

Cindy, glad to hear it! Don

Linda, I don't know about this with lung cancer, but I had brachytherapy for recurrent prostate cancer a year and a half ago and it gave excellent results. I had 55 palladium 102 seeds placed in my prostate. It has a half life of about two weeks, so completely degenerated the radioactivity in about three months. I had no real side effects. Don

Your husband is an inspiration to us all. Thanks for giving us his story. Hope to hear from you again. Don

J.C., the most frustrating parts of this cancer journey with my wife is when I am helpless to do anything for her. So I know that feeling well. My wife and I have been married 44 years, so understand that woven relationship. Thanks for posting your feelings. I wish for you the strength to get through what we must get through. Don

Carlton, my wife was on taxotere and had a litany of side effects, BUT it worked! Good luck. Don

Becky, here's hoping all things go well and end well. Don

Hi, Estelle! God to hear from you nad glad you are home. Sorry about the brain mets -- hope they are taken care of soon. Don

Debaroo, ask about Zometa, which is a monthly IV (about 20 min.) that helps strengthen bones and ward off bone mets. Also, it sounds like your dad is not getting enough pain medication. You might ask about pain control. Don

Nancy, you are an inspiration to us all, and we are so happy you are here with us. Don

Darla, love your logo sign! You are definitely computer savvy. Welcome to the boards. It is so good to have a 2-year survivor aomong us -- very inspirational. Thank you for your support, and please participate as you can. Don

I don't think you or the onc can tell if you have mets without a scan. As was said, your body may tell you something is wrong in a specific area, and prompt you to check -- like pain or weakness. Lucie's primary met was discovered because she had pain, and two others signaled pain. Can the mets grow rapidly? -- I think so -- at least, fast enough to elude one scan and show up on the next -- that is why we are all anxious about scans. Lucie developed a met on her sacrum DURING chemo treatments, that was discovered through pain first, right after the total treatment was over Don

Teresa, yes, my wife has had the leg swelling problem. It seems to come and go. She is presently on Lasix and Potassium to relieve the swelling. She may have to go to surgical stockings this time. The onc thinks some of the lymph system was damaged during radiation, and that makes it harder for the body to remove the liquid. When she has the swelling, she has to use a walker, but can go to a cane or nothing when the swelling subsides. It is also hard for her to put on her socks or stockings when the swelling is significant. I try to get her to routinely ride the stationary bike to help keep the legs flexible and toned. Don

Hi, Candee, and welcome to the board. I'm sorry about the lung cancer, but sorrier about the run-around you have gotten. I'm glad you finally found a competent and caring onc. We were fortunate. My wife went to our regular doctor because of loss of function in her left hand and arm. He sent her to a neurologist, and an MRI was done, where the first tumor showed up on her upper spine. When we first went to the onc, his first priority was to allieve the pain! It took a while to identify the bone tumors as lung cancer because she had nothing in the lungs, except a shadow on the top of the left lung. She has had chemo and radiation and is now on maintenance. Keep posting and let us know how things are going. Lots of support and info here. Don

Linda, prayers said for your dad. Don

Cheryl, I'm so saddend. Apache was a member of the family. Don

Estrea, good to see you back. Fantastic that you are at five years and that you took a cruise to celebrate. Way to go! Don

Stephanie, thanks for visiting us while you could. Come back when you can. Great that you have a job and I hope it will be one you enjoy. Don

It is going to vary from person to person. My wife's bone mets were discovered before they knew it was lung cancer for sure. One of the mets was on her upper spine and it was affecting her hand and arm coordination. That is how the cancer was discovered. Don

My prayers are with you, BB.

Ginny, sorry things look so glum. I do believe Earl has it right -- live each day to the fullest and move on. That is what Lucie and I are trying to do. Sincerely, Don

Alyse, my heart is heavy for you. So sorry at the loss of your husband, and hope you have the support you need to get through the grief process. There is plenty of support here, so keep plugged in if you want to. Don