maral

Shingles is reactivation of the chicken pox virus that has already been in a persons body. Once you have had chickenpox you are at risk for developing shingles if your body is under stress/immune system is low. You can get chicken pox from shingles(if you have never had them) but you can't get shingles from someone with shingles as long as you are immune to chickenpox. not sure if this is really clear but bottom line is if you are exposed to chicken pox/shingles you are protected if you have had chickenpox.

Hi Tom, Yes he did have one dose of radiation to his spine. They did couple of the most painful spots. What a waiting game this is...

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm glad you are feeling well. My dad just got diagnosed with stage 4 lung ca. Hearing that you are doing well gives me hope.

Hi CindyA, My dad is not feeling well at all. His pain is still not well controlled. It's hard to say if the radiation helped at all. He is keeping a pain journal now and we are waiting for Monday when we have our initial appointment with the oncologist. This wait had been very difficult. My dad is very depressed right now and I hope that his outlook will improve once he starts treatment. Thank you for asking!

Hi Julz, i am so sorry to hear what you and your family are going through. My dad just got diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer so I know that time will come for us also! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!

I was able to get my dad an appointment to see a Radiation doctor for this afternoon. I am very thankful to the person I spoke with on the phone who was able to get him in so quickly. Fingers crossed that we can get this pain under better control!

Thank you for all of your replies and kind words. We just got a call from the oncologist office for my dads appointment and it's not until January 11. This seems like way too long to wait to see someone about starting treatment. We live in Canada and I know the healthcare system is different. I will call today to see if there's any way to get an appointment sooner. How long do you think is reasonable to wait before starting treatment? I worry since my dad has deteriorated so much in the last few weeks that if we wait another 3 weeks it would be too long. His pain is not well controlled, he is not eating he is getting weaker everyday....

Hi Eliz, I am sorry to hear about your dad. My dad was just diagnosed with lung cancer. They did CT and lung biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. His has spread to the liver so they took a biopsy from there also.

Donna G, we are currently working on the plan. We are waiting for him to start treatment this week. He is having a lot of back pain which he is on morphine for. Seems to be working as long as he takes it regularly. Otherwise it's harder to get his pain under control. Denzie, thank you for your reply. Hearing your story gives me hope! My brother was the one that went with my parents to the appointment with the oncologist so I will ask him these questions. They were told that the chemo will be targeting only the tumour cells but I am not sure on what meds he'll be on.

My dad just got diagnosed with stage 4 non small cell lung cancer. It's already spread to his liver and spine...i am absolutely devastated. My dad is only 61...we are just waiting now for him to start treatment. I know I should be taking it one day at a time but it is hard to not think about what the future holds...