trishnmiller

Hmmm, I used to have an Alf puppet. Where is my puppet? Now I really, really want to know what happened to it and why aren't there any re-runs?? Trish

Dear Kelly, Wow, In South Florida we've already been back in school for 2 1/2 weeks...wierd. I know what you mean about the "getting ready" stage. I prefer to dive in and get past the first few awkward weeks with the kids so we can finally get down to work. Have a great year! Trish (high school teacher)

Ice Cream !!!

Jeez Louise! you are one lucky guy to abe able to even post about that nightmare. Glad you made it through! Trish

Sneakers all the time. I teach in a TV Studio where I need to be quiet and warm so I have scads of them in a rainbow assortment. Trish

Dear Peggy, I've been waiting for your return. I didn't post a PM knowing that you would be overwhelmed. I loved the letters and could only think how truly lucky you were to have each other as your life partners. My pastor was once speaking of the death of a chlld and he reminded us that each person in our life is a special gift. There is no warranty on the amount of time we will have our special person, just the promise of a life time of cherished memories. You certainly have that. I'm glad you're staying in the house with the pups. I have three of my own and understand the comfort of their unconditional love and loyalty. Peace and prayers, Trish

My husband Jeffrey has had terrific success with Alimta after the failure of Carboplatin/Taxol and Tarceva. I know that many of our members have had side-effects but for Jeff it has been great Not only is he still able to work every day but he has had signifigant shrinkage in all tumors to the point that when they went to cyberknife his liver met it had shrunk so much that they had to re-calculate all of the original data. I guess you never know which chemo is going to be the "magic bullet" and how long the magic will last. Serenity and Prayers, Trish

You sound like a super advocate and trust me, that is what they need right now. Trish

Our oncologist changes the treatment if there is no improvement after 3 treatments. We went from Carboplatin/Taxol to Tarceva to Alimta. The Alimta is working nicely at the moment so we're staying with it but cancer seems to get resistant after awhile and then the chemo may have to be changed again. Anyway, that is our experience. Prayers, Trish

Well, yikes...must have been plenty scary! Welcome back home! Trish

Jeffrey goes every three weeks and has plenty of recovery time in between. Trish

My prayers will be with you all day! Trish

I have posted Jeffrey's story many times but in a nut shell it is this: On January 13, 2005 he was diagnosed with nsclc IV with mets to brain ( and liver and given 1-3 months to live. I was not ready for end of life issues. I refused whole brain radiation and found a doctor who would do GAmma Knife followed by chemo. It worked. He got 5 more tumors and had Gamma Knife again. It worked again. We changed chemo three times until we found one we liked (Alimta). His liver tumor has been cyberknifed successfully and they (the docs) have agreed to finally take the original lung tumor...there are alot of options out there.

*%#%#&!! Cripes, somedays you're the windshield and somedays you're the bug. Well, suit up and get ready for another round. My prayers are with you. Trish

My husband's work is how he stays connected and mentally "out" of his disease. He gets away from family and home and into another reality...it is soo good for him. I can't imagine that he would be doing as well as he is if he didn't have his job. We are truly blessed that our signifigant others can still work. Trish

How frightening for you. I pray that the radiation will bring relief. Trish

I hear you. When Jeff was diagnosed I told the oncologist that I was fully aware of the prognosis for Stage IV nsclc BUT that I still wanted to be as agressive as possible starting with using Gamma Knife for his 8 brain mets. The onc agreed with me and then ,at the first visit prescribed 3 rounds of pallative whole brain radiation. In other words..he lied and knew he was lying.I was livid as that is not what he had agreed to in the hospital. So we walked out and never went back. I searched and searched until I found someone who would do what I knew was the right thing. There are statistics and Jeffrey is right up there in the top 5%, LOL. Trish

Wow, grief really can bring out the worst in people! It seems to me that many times people react to traumatic news by looking around for someone to "blame". It is not enough for the patient to suffer the consequences of the disease but these family members must inflict their hysteria on a convenient victim. This usually is a husband, wife or life partner..not a blood relative. While death may be the ultimate release for the patient, it is often a green light for the "dysfunctionals" to begin circling, ready to pick the emotional and financial bones of the surviving partner. The sickest thing of all is that, even after several seasons have passed, these so called family members will excuse their actions as having been a reaction to some imagined "slight". Just kknow that you are not alone. There are many, many more stories out there. I have a few of my own. I think you already know that yes, you are the victim here! If I were you I would write them a letter..not nasty, just detailed from your point of view, and tell them exactly the way you see it. I can't imagine that you have anything to lose. Good luck, Trish

Dear Peggy, Today was the beautiful service. My heart was with there with you and I could see the red, white, and blue flowers. You and he were such a special couple and you, my friend have given me such comfort with your humor and compassion. Oh how I wish I could have held you hand. Peace, Trish

I usually respond by saying, "Are you asking if it's his fault?" because that's like asking an AIDS patient if they are gay. Ignorance is no excuse for insensitivity. Trish

I would really like to have one Thanks, Trish

I'm sure the news was as disheartening for everyone as it was for me.All I could think was that even with every resource in the world available to Mr. Jennings they STILL couldn't back the beast down. It's hard to fathom such a loss. Trish Let us all pray that his death will mean something for all of current and future LC sufferers. Maybe the world will finally take notice. How about a live "Lung Aid" concert.

I was so sad and unfortunately, not surprised. Ask not for whom the bell tolls... Trish

Dear Cindy, Hold your baby Roxy close and know, in your heart, that at 25 years old it is time for your daughter to go feather her own nest. You are still a miracle! Trish

Well, it took 3 days to finish because he kept falling asleep on the table but it's finally over. The doctor says he feels the cyberknife of the liver tumor was successful. Afterward, the doc took him aside and told him that he was amazing because of his refusal to ever show a hint of pessimism or negativity. His 3 major docs (it feels like there are hundreds) are finally conferring with each other over how amazing his case is considering the original prognosis (1-3 months because of extensive brain mets). They agree that it has been the combination of chemo and available high tech alternatives that have turned him around. I'm glad they finally agree considering what it took to get them (and the insurance company)to approve a patient with stage IV nsclc for anything other than pallative care. Anyway, for today everything is going great. Jeff is at work, the kids are in a play tonight and school starts on Monday...for me too. Thanks to all for your fabulous backs..I have yours, too. Trish