Don Wood

Shelly, great news! Celebration time! Don

Super, Marlon! Don

David, I am soooooooo proud of you! Awesome! Hey, folks, we have our own "Lance" here on the boards! Go, David, Go! Don

Bess, my prayers are with you for the patience to wait, and for the time to heal completely. Don

Andrea, there is much in your post to be happy about and celebrate. But as humans, sometimes we still carry some residual emotions with us for a while from the struggling times. Give it time. Blessings. Don

Carleen, so sorry that you are suffering so much. It is very hard on the caregiver. About radiation and chemo together, it is a double whammy! Watch for dehydration (it is hard to keep up the proper liquid intake). I would even ask if Keith could have an IV once a week. The other danger is infection, because the immune system is being taxed by two things. Take his temperature routinely, and watch for any symptoms that might indicate infection. As others have said here, you need not to be brave to everyone. Lucie is the only person in this world that I try to be "up" for all the time. Anybody else gets just what I feel at the moment. It really bugs me when people ask how we are doing and expect me to say, "Great!" I don't oblige them, unless I really feel that way. And, yes, you need someone to care for you on a routine basis. I feel that is essential for all caregivers. I meet with a friend once a week, and boy, do I unload. He listens very well, and is not condescending. I am blessed with him. We are not Superman and Wonder Woman. We need love, caring and support, too, so we can take very good care of our loves ones. It's really okay and normal not to feel "Great" all the time -- it is very freeing. Blessings to you both. Don

Laurie, take it from me -- your dad, as the prime caregiver, is worn out. he really does need to talk with someone who can help him through all this. I am very fortunate to have a friend who meets with me once a week, and lets me unload. I agree with you -- they should be able to enjoy the remission phase -- but there seems to be some residual emotion from all the struggle. It may just have to run its course. Blessings. Don

Hi, Rana. Hope your mom is much better in the days to come. Don

Yes, Lucie lost her eyebrows and every hair on her body. Don

Way to go, Anne's Mom! Anne, I know you are ecstatic, too. Celebrate! Don

Becky, the pic is a gem, as has been said. Have you considered a port, since you are suffering from the invasive injections? I'm praying for clear scan, too. Don

Thanks, guys and gals! Just knowing you are there with thoughts, prayers and support makes it easlier. Today things look a little brighter, not because we know anything new, but because it is another day. Don

I agree --no questions are dumb except the ones that go unasked. I think remission in cancer terms means no evidence of disease after there was evidence of disease. It is a term oncs like to use instead of "cured" because it reminds us the dang thing could come back. Don

Jennifer, beware of dehydration. Dizziness can be a symptom of not enough liquids. Otherwise, sounds good. Don

Welcome to the board, Cheryl. Lots of info and support here. Don

My prayers are with you, Cathy. Don

I think it rather ironic but purposeful that at a low moment in my life, I am called upon to defend God! My belief is that God loves us so much, He created us with free will, not to be puppets that are mindless and just obey. He could have created us that way, but He wants us to choose to love Him, not to be made to love Him. I think it is all about love and serving, and boy do we get the opportunity to do that! Anyway, because we have free will, we have free will to muck it up, and that is what humans have done through the centuries. Yet He still sticks by us and loves us. It is very easy, because we are sinful, to point at things in our lives that are bad and thus we deserve what we get. If we really deserved what we got, things could be a lot worse. So, He does not save us from everything, even when we deserve it, and wants us to know He loves us and is with us anyway, through all the pain and frustration. I see little ways in my daily life that tells me this is true. And I honestly talk with Him and tell him, "This is not fair. I need a rest." We can only know He is with us if we choose to look for Him. He knocks at the door, but we have to open it. Well, enough of the sermon. I hope and pray, Janet, that things will get better for you and for all of us. Don

Marcia, praying for successful surgery today for you. Don

Welcome home, Debi! There and here. Here's for a speedy recovery. Don

Colleen, welcome to the boards. There is much support and caring here. your father is a 2-year survivior and that is a milestone for a lung cancer patient. My prayers are with you and your family. Don

In the Old Testament, people thought that troubles and sickness were God's way of showing His displeasure, and I am sure that this is sometimes true. However, in the New Testament we are told that it will "rain on the just as well as the unjust", meaning that troubles and illness will visit everyone and it is not necessarily God's displeasure. I believe that message. I know it is very easy to think, "What did I do to deserve this?" That is human. But sometimes we don't deserve it and life gives it to us anyway. In my believe, God cries with us and is with us even in the troubles. Hang in there. Don

Hi, Sandy! Good to hear from you. Actually, Lance Armstrong had metastatic testicular cancer, but he is a cancer survivor nevertheless. Don

Well, we are in a funk here. Lucie has had a severe pain in her upper left thigh, near where the old tumor was. So we are going tomorrow for an MRI of the area, and naturally we think the worst. Also, when she was at the pulmonologist, he ordered a chest x-ray, and informed her yesterday there is a shadow at the top of her left lung (old news) and a spot on the right (new news). We see him Friday, and will let the onc know about this because he should take a look as well. More uncertain news. Then about six weeks ago, I had an artificial sphincter implanted to help my incontinence. I started passing blood clots three weeks after the surgery, which lasted just over a day, and finally cleared up. This delayed the activation of the sphincter until today. I just got back from the urologist, who tried to activate several times and because of inflamed tissue around the device, he couldn't get it to start. A BIG disappointment to me because I had high hopes this would take a strain off me. Anyway, I am now on antibiotics and go back to see him next Wednesday. We are very disappointed in this whole scenario and feel like this bad news is never going to end. It will just keep happening. Our minds know this isn't true, but our emotions are just raw right now. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to see some light at the end of this very dark tunnel. Thanks. friends. Don

Marlon, I'm glad you unloaded here because you have a lot of hurt and pain. You do need cousel, whether it is a pastor, a friend or professional help, because the person drowning in the pool can't see the big picture, and needs someone objective to help him look at the big picture. My prayers are with you, that you find what you need in all this, and be able help your sister and mom in the way you can. Blessings. Don

Tim & Kathy, although it was not news you wanted, it sounds like it can be handled and that you have a plan of attack. Sounds good to me. Blessings. Don