Donna G

Another question. Do you take meds before going to bed? Sedatives, pain meds , sleeping pills. Perhaps these are affecting your rate and depth of breathing. Donna G

If it is only at night when sleeping , I would think of Sleep Apnea . Perhaps you need a C-pap machine not oxygen. Your need for Oxygen increases with exertion and activity not with rest and sleep. I bet it is more a relaxation of your airway that a C-pap would help. Donna G

Yippee! Coming up on a 2 years celebration party. So happy for you. Donna G

Welcome Jay. Your Mom is so young. Is she generally in good health? If so, those 2 facts will help a lot in fighting this disease plus the fact now they say women are more likely to survive lung cancer. Does she have Small Cell or Non small cell? They have some diffences in the treatment. I think you are wonderful to scout out info for her. We need lots of help like that when we are going through this very stressful experience. We need someone at our appointments with us taping or taking notes also! The second opinion is a great idea. Keep us posted. Donna G

So sorry to hear about your Mom. Glad the brain scan was clean and a plan is in place. Donna G

Celebrate all of the dates! You just made me a new date to celebrate! I have celebrated years since diagnosis, years since surgery, years since finishing treatment. Now I have a reason to add the summer to my schedule of celebrations for it was a while before I thought the shoulder and chest pain was bad enough to even go to the doctor. Although celebrating a symptom seems very different but it may work. So happy for you. Donna G

Great news. Carol I count for you - 1 year , 6 months plus! Donna G

You are normal! All of us get overwelmed. I took antidepressents, saw a counselor and looked for a support group ( also prayed a lot!) It is a big stressor. Donna G

Marie----seems as if that is a very popular name. Donna G

It seems reasonable to me that they would either do a bronchoscopy or a CT guided needle biopsy . They decide the best approach by what would be easiest or possible to get a pinch of tissue. I would hope this would be done if there has been those changes you describe. I hope they do something to let her know one way or the other what it is. As Connie says , especially were she has a history of Asthma it could be a chronic type of lung infection that needs treatment but whatever it is best to know and get treatment started. Please let us know. Prayers going up that if may be something benign. Donna G

Welcome Pam. Glad you found us. Your husband is still working so he must be relatively young. Do you know if he has Small Cell lung cancer or Non small cell lung cancer? Although as it has spread outside his lung they usually never do surgery on the lung in either diagnosis. What are the names of the chemo he had? The news that the tumors in his lung are nearly gone is great news. I have friends that have had Small Cell lung cancer and have had total brain radiation to prevent it showing up there and they are 5-6 years out and doing well. Waiting to hear more. Donna G

Prayers going up. Donna G

Mark so glad you posted. I was wondering how you were doing. Wow that was a long motor home trip the whole with of the country. Don't dare ask what your gas bill was! Bet the trip was great. I have not been to San Diego for years, it was a great place to visit , the best Zoo I ever saw. Sorry to hear how short of breath you are. I bet the dog wonders why you are not out walking him. Any chance you can get a motorized chair to walk him? Please post how your tests come out and what the doctors next plans are. Donna G

Connie , as usual you have great support ideas. At first when I read this I thought " Boy, I'm alive, I don't need to complain!" If I am totally honest I have to admit I do have those thoughts pop up! I was at Curves last week and one lady was talking about loosing a relative to lung cancer. I spoke up and said I had had lung cancer. Guess what the first question was! "Do you smoke?" I was at church this weekend and I watched a women in the choir in 4 inch spike heels who is at least 10 years older than I am just stoop right down to the floor and pick up a piece of paper and rise right back up without grabing or holding onto anything. I have nerve damage particularly in my legs, neuropathy , they are weird and weak I tend to grab onto something just to stand up! I am not in pain or worry about it all the time but when I do certain things my right chest where I have been cut open for the thorocotomy still hurts! AS now where I am trying to get myself in "shape" and I get onto the floor to do some tummy exercises BOY do I have to "settle" down for a couple of minutes before I get started for my right back really does not like lying on the floor. Well those things just happened this week. On the whole though my cap given to me by Gary that says "It is another great day to be alive" still holds true. Donna G O yes, I don't like the fact if I have a piece of sand in my shoe it feels like a piece of sharp glass

Welcome Rod. Keep us posted. Donna G

Hi Kim. Those are the same chemo's I had. Hope they work as well with your Mom. the good thing about loosing your hair is you don't need to shave your legs for months! Also less time and money spent on hairdo's also! Keep us posted. Donna G

Welcome Susan. Sure hope we can be of help. This is a rough time! How well we know. Donna G

Welcome. I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. I am afraid to say that lung cancer does also strike the very young and because it has no early symptoms it can be advanced before it is diagnosed. Please read David P 's story under "My Story" . He was only 20 years old , in college, when he was diagnosed in 1977. He is a one lunger who rides in bicycle races! Please keep us posted on how she is doing. Where are you located? Have you got a large cancer center? Sure would want the most up to date doctors working on someone so young. Donna G

Yes the lung expands and it works better than one ordinary lobe perhaps it would take a while before it would compete with a normal lung. Would you believe several years ago they were doing partial lobectomies to improve lung function on people with Emphysema or COPD. It gave more space for those lungs to expand - by theory. Donna G

Congradulations! Boy did you have lots to celebrate this holiday weekend. Hope you had lots of fun. Donna G

Our city sent out a flyer about our water ( how great a job they do) but in the listing of things they test water for was Radioactive Contaminants. Most of the mid west has this in the ground and we all know to test our basements for radio active levels could be elevated. This is new info to me about danger in water! Read below. Radon is radioactive gas which is naturally occuring in some groundwater and is caused by the erosion of natural deposits. It poses a lung cancer risk when gas is released from the water into air. ( as occurs during showering, bathing, or washing dishes or clothes) and stomach cancer when ingested. Because radon in indoor air poses a much greater health risk than radon in drinking water, an Alternative Maximum Contaminant Level (AMCL) of 4000 pCi/L may apply in states that have adoped an indoor air program which compels citizens , homeowners, schools, and communities to reduce the radon threat from indoor air. For states without such a program, the MC of 300 pCi/L may apply. Minnesota plans to adopt an indoor air program once the radon rule is finalized. For more information on radon see http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/environ/radon%5Ftest.htm Donna G Radon guide to renters says: Did You Know That . . . Research shows that radon causes between 7,000 and 30,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. Over one-third of all housing units in this country are rental units. Most of these are either single family houses or apartments located below the third floor of a building. People living in rented houses and apartment buildings can find out whether there are high levels of radon gas in their homes. Building owners can fix radon problems by having repairs made to the building.

Great! Hope many show up. If I was off from work I might consider going to Iowa! Donna G

Happy News ! Have fun this Holiday . Hope your shadow is visiting. Donna G

I was told from a regular chest xray that I had lung cancer. Mine was a solid tumor larger than a golf ball. I had all the tests, Ct guided biopsy, PFT's, etc scheduled after that day to find out which type it was. I think it depends on the size, characteristics etc ( as if it looks just like a blur it may be tumor or it may be pneumonia) Whatever , best wishes. Keep us posted. Donna G

Awesome reminder of how blessed we are. Gary, who was in our local LC survivor support group, made us all a hat that had on it "It's another great day to be alive" He will always be our with us, inspiring us to appreciate every day. Donna G