Don Wood

Christy, keep the faith. My wife was diagnosed in October of last year, and she prognosis was 9 months. She is Stage IV NSCLC, with 5 bone mets throughout her body. Well, it is 9 months and she is still going strong. She is finished chemo and radiation and is now on a maintenance program to keep the cancer at bay. Blessings. Don

Oh, I like this one!

Dave, I think I will have a glass of wine tonight and toast your success. I agree that activity is important. I take Lucie out to lunch or dinner frequently now just to get her out of the house. I think it has helped her gain emotional stability and strength, and now she is doing more things. Keep in touch. Don

Debi, don't worry about being weepy. This is a dreadful disease to battle. On the pain med, that is probably something the onc can prescribe for you -- another reason to see one soon. Don

Hi, Betty, and welcome to the board. Sorry about your boyfriend. Yes, we are all tied together here by lung cancer, either as the survivor or as family and/or caregiver. Much info and support here. Stay in touch and let us know how your boyfriend and yourself are doing. Blessings. Don

I think we get so focused on the cancer that we forget the usual normal things that happen, like allergy, cold, arthritis, etc. Those things still come our way even when we have cancer. As caregivers, we really need to watch how we hover, and not smoother the carereceiver. I have to contstantly remind myself of that. I don't jump up in the middle of the night anymore when lucie coughs -- of course,if she goes on a coughing jag, I jump up! Blessings. Don

I also did a Google search for NSCLC and found this location. I found another that was not near as satisfactory as this one. I don't go there anymore. Don

Christina, how about getting a professional planner to take the major load off you? Also, it is impossible to make it convenient for everybody. I would plan ahead, and those that can come will come, and those that can't will miss out. Good luck. Don

I think you ARE excited, Dave, and I am excited for you, too. Celebrate. Don

With chemo, the bad feelings usually kick in in three or four days after the treatment, so be prepared. It vaires with the person. Also, radiation usually takes about a week before the tiredness manifests. Since your dad is taking both together, be sure he is getting enough liquids to prevent dehydration, and even ask the onc if a weekly IV might be useful. Blessings. Don

Two things strike me from your post. First, kill the pain. My wife's onc said when we first visited him that taking care of the pain is the primary goal. So find a med that works. Second, get the name of a local onc right away and go see him or her. You need the best treatment you can get at hand. Good luck. Don

Sorry about the bad news. I'm for doing some kind of treatment to kill that sucker. Don

Hi, Amy! Welcome aboard. The fact your mom has survived 4 years is much in her favor in continuing to fight the lung cancer. And, as time goes by, techniques get better. This is a good place for info and support, so hang out with us! Don

Hi, Julie! Welcome aboard. Not only are statistics averages, but they are "old". There are new discoveries every day. So the longer your mom lives, the better chance she has of living even longer. To keep your sanity as a caregiver, you need to have some normalcy away from cancer in your life and you need a support system, where you can share what you need to share. This is a good place for that, but you also need one there with you. Much info and support here. Keep us posted. Don

Welcome to the board, Sandra. Much info and support here. Don

Dave, so glad you are finsihed with 4 out of 6. Lucie had a drop in blood pressure in one of her earlier treatments, and they had to stop and put a slower drip in. It never happened again. I hope the next two are uneventful. Good about the coverage. The squeaky wheel does get the oil. Blessings. Don

Minnie, yes, follow your heart. It has served you well thus far in taking care of your mom. I have said many times that the patient needs an advocate, and I still stand by that. Your scenario supports that. It is super that you are willing to do that for your mom. The patient is often too weak and too drugged to fight the system, so they need someone to represent them, ask the right questions, push on the system for what he or she needs. Also, your mom is of the generation, I'm guessing, who never question the doctor or the medical profession and just go along with what is given. So much the more, they need an advocate. I hope things continue to turn around for your mom and for you. Blessings. Don

Ray, you're weird! But a good weird! Hope the good news keeps rolling. Don

Don't be too hard on friends that don't like to or can't visit hospitals. Sometimes it is deep rooted. My mother died in a hospital when I was 24 and after that I felt panic every time I had to go visit someone in the hospital. I did not begin to get over it until I was in my 50's and not really comfortable Unitl I had heart surgery six years ago. It is good that your friend can respond positively to you in other ways. Don

My wife is Stage IV NSCLC 9 months from diagnosis, and going strong. There are many survivors here. Don

Kelly, my wife's chemo was every three weeks for 5-6 rounds. We chose that over every week, hoping to have one week each round where she felt okay. That worked except for the last two times which didn't give her any okay time. Be very careful of fever because it could be an infection, and his resistance is low due to the chemo. My wife still is on morphine, 45mg twice a day, and I would like to lower it, but so far, I have not been able to without her being in too much pain. I'm hoping with time that we can lower it. Best to you. Don

My wife had radiation treatments on 4 different bone mets. It was every day, five days a week, for 10-14 sessions. The sessions themselves were brief. The radiation can be tiring and it can bring on throat hoarseness or difficulty swallowing, depdning on the angle of the radiation. This was temporary with my wife. Good luck. Don

I think it's "curtains" for that joke! Ha! Ha! Don

Shannon, it seems like 28 days. Don

Do you have a trusted friend who could go through the things for you and throw out such stuff before you see it? Or, you could hire someone to do it. Don