I am so sorry that your mom has this awful disease that I hate so much and that you have to endure the worry and anxiety that comes with. Do try to be positive. It does help. I will add you and your mother to my prayers.
Is it not just amazing that megabucks are spent on a study like that when they can just ask those of us who have 'been there-done that'. Then we could take those mega bucks and put them to work to help find a cure.
I remember when my hair came out by the handfuls it was just unreal to me. I really did not think it was going to come out at all because I had 6 weeks of weekly chemo (carboplatinum&taxol) concurrent with daily radiation before my surgery. My hair never came out. After my surgery I had just two sessions of adjuvant chemo. The same chemo drug but in a larger dose. I think the hair just jumped off my head and ran away. I became completely bald. After I cried about about losing my hair. I decided to look at it as a positive thing-that the chemo was killing any cancer cells that might be in my body. I visualized that. By the Grace of God I am now 15 months cancer free. Bu the way, my hair grew back and it is nicer and thicker than it was before and the amazing thing is I hardly have any gray!
Your sister has the right attitude. You have to claim victory in this fight in the very beginning. Go with it. Please know that you both have my prayers and positive support.
Just want you both to know that I had two lymph nodes to light up in my chest and had a 2.7 cm tumor in my right lung. I had 6 weeks of daily radiation concurrent with weekly chem (carboplatinum+taxol). I had surgery and my surgeon removed 20 lymph nodes from my chest and mediastinum. He also removed one of my rib bones to access the lymph nodes. Long story short none of the nodes nor the rib bone contained cancer. I had an upper right lobectomy. That was 15 months ago. I work every day. I do not have shortness of breath. I feel fine. It took a while to get over the soreness, but I am good and I thank God! My scans have all been clean. This is so scary for you I know. Talk to your doctors. Be proactive and positive.
Be careful of what you eat before going to bed. Some foods will get to get your heart going as if you had been drinking coffee. Sodas and diet sodas will get your heart to pumpin' fast.