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antoinettev3

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Posts posted by antoinettev3

    PET/CT Results

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Well it's not the news I was hoping for but it sure could be worse. The new spot that we found back in January has grown a bit but not much. The areas that were treated with radiaiton last summer are also showing more activity but we expected that. Blessedly there is no metastisis and I still remain Stage 1.

    Oncologist is not pushing chemo yet but is suggesting I research Tarceva for myself. He thinks trying that first might be a good way to go instead of doing nothing. I'll be searching the boards for all Tarceva posts as I know there are several people out there on it.

    Thank you again for all the prayers.

    God Bless.

    Antoinette

    Know More About Your LCSC Friends

    in JUST FOR FUN

    Posted

    The object of this is to change MY answers and put your own in

    Subject: All About me

    1. What time did you get up this morning?

    8:00 (2 hours later then usual)

    2. Diamonds or pearls?

    Diamonds

    3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

    Crash (on DVD I don’t go to the movies any more)

    4. What are your favorite TV shows?

    Gilmore Girls, E-Ring, My Name Is Earl

    5. What did you have for breakfast?

    Coffee

    6. What is your middle name?

    Anais

    7. What is your favorite cuisine?

    Persian

    8. What foods do you dislike?

    Most organ meat

    9. Your favorite Potato chip?

    Taro Chips

    10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?

    Joss Stone : Mind Body & Soul

    11. Favorite sandwich?

    Corned Beef & Pastrami on Rye

    12. What characteristics do you despise?

    Hypocrisy

    13. Favorite item of clothing?

    Fleece zip-up jacket

    14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you

    go?

    Botswana

    15. Favorite brand of clothing?

    That I can afford: Old Navy

    That I can’t afford: Escada

    16. Where would you want to retire?

    Even though I’m not retired I’m already living where I would: Palm Desert

    17. Favorite time of day?

    Mornings before the phone starts ringing

    18. Where were you born?

    Tehran, Iran but moved to NY when I was 2 ½ years old.

    19. Favorite sport to watch?

    Figure skating

    20. What laundry detergent do you use?

    Country Save

    21. Coke or Pepsi?

    Coke

    22. Are you a morning person or night owl?

    Morning person

    23. What size shoe do you wear?

    7

    24. Do you have pets?

    One Cat

    25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone?

    Husband & I are embarking on completely redoing our church’s web site and then starting our own company to create web sites for other churches.

    26. What did you want to be when you were little?

    Marine Biologist

    27. Favorite Candy Bar?

    Nestlé’s Crunch Bar

    28. What is your best childhood memory?

    Going to the carnival and playing games with my Dad while my Mom sat and just smiled and smiled watching us.

    29. What are the different jobs you have had in your life?

    retail management; clerical; legal secretary, leasing agent, business owner

    30. Eye color:

    Greenish Hazel

    31. Ever been to Africa?

    No, but I sure would like to.

    32. Ever been toilet papering?

    No

    32. Love someone so much it made you cry?

    Yes..

    33. Been in a car accident?

    Yes

    34. Croutons or bacon bits?

    Croutons

    35. Favorite day of the week?

    Friday

    36.Favorite restaurant?

    LG’s (a steak house here in the desert)

    37. Favorite flower?

    Freesias

    38. Favorite ice cream?

    Chocolate Gelato

    39. Disney or Warner Bros?

    WB

    40. Favorite fast food restaurant?

    Burger King

    41. What color is your bedroom carpet?

    No carpet all stone.

    42. How many times did you fail your driver's test?

    None

    43. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?

    Anthropologie

    54. What do you do most often when you are bored?

    Surf online

    55. What time is bedtime?

    Usually around 11:00

    56. Last person(s) you went to dinner with?

    My B-I-L and his girlfriend

    57. What are you listening to right now?

    Heart pounding in my chest waiting for my PET/CT report to be faxed.

    58. What is your favorite color?

    Green

    59. How many tattoos do you have?

    0

    60. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

    God :D

    PET/CT Time Again

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts, kind words and prayers.

    Kasey, I'll be praying that your 3 month check-up will be nothing but great news. Look forward to that drink at week's end.

    God Bless.

    Antoinette

    PET/CT Time Again

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Going in for PET/CT #5 on Monday at 8:30 AM. They just called to confirm the appt. I'm so tired of these and all the anticipatory anxiety that goes with them. Thankfully I have the follow-up with the oncologist the next day so not too much waiting.

    I told myself I wouldn't look at the CD of the scan ahead of time since I can NEVER read those things correctly.

    Not sure if I'll try to get a copy of the report before I see the oncologist. Usually I do so I won't be blind sided by anything. If things are better or no worse then I can breath a big sigh of relief. If things are worse then at least I get to fall apart at home and pull myself together by the time I see the doc so I can ask intelligent questions.

    Nothing worse then feeling like you've been kicked in the gut and not being able to articulate a thought when you should be asking a million questions.

    Ugh! My stomach is doing flip-flops already.

    Thankfully a very busy weekend ahead should keep me fairly distracted.

    Thanks for letting me vent a little here and I'd appreciate any and all prayers.

    Antoinette

    Blonde GUY joke

    in JUST FOR FUN

    Posted

    The very first ever Blonde GUY joke..... And well worth the wait.

    An Irishman, a Mexican and a Blonde Guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building. They were eating lunch and the Irishman said, "Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building."

    The Mexican opened his lunch box and exclaimed, "Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time I'm going to jump off, too."

    The blonde opened his lunch and said, " Bologna again! If I get a bologna sandwich one more time, I'm jumping too."

    The next day, the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw corned beef and cabbage, and jumped to his death. The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito, and jumped, too. The blonde guy opened his lunch, saw the bologna and jumped to his death as well.

    At the funeral, the Irishman's wife was weeping. She said, "If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage, I never would have given it to him again!"

    The Mexican's wife also wept and said, "I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much."

    Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife. (Oh this is good, ready?)

    The blonde's wife said, "Don't look at me. He makes his own lunch."

    Thank you

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Beckie,

    I had facial hair problems too while I was on Decadron. It was very subtle at first but got worse the longer I stayed on the drug. It started out with the hair looking coarser and darker and then it started to get longer. :shock: I didn't dare shave for fear it might get worse or cause problems with ingrown hairs. I used bleach specifically designed for lightening eye brows, mustaches, arm hair, etc. The most popular brand is Jolen but I prefer Surgi Invisi Bleach. It has a cream bleach instead of a powder. Mixes up very easily and I believe it comes in extra strength too for thicker, stubborn hair. I found it worked on my steroid beard just fine. Of course it didn't get rid of it but having the hair blond made it MUCH better.

    As far as a support peer. I can relate to her wanting to wait until she is feeling better. When I was going through radiation I didn't want to communicate most days. It's hard when you're feeling so bad and if she's a people pleaser, like me, she'll feel like she's letting the other person down by not being like her old self. When my friends would call I would force myself to sound better so they wouldn't feel bad. Silly, I know.

    Does she prefer to be left alone when she's ill. I'm that way whether it's a cold or cancer. I'm kind of like a wounded animal. Best to just throw me some food and my pills and leave me be. When I feel sociable I'll poke my head out.

    The steroid too can make people moody, depressed, angry, etc. I didn't realize just how depressed I was until I got off the Decadron though my husband could see it all along.

    Of course if you feel that she's slipping into a depression that's not just fatigue and treatment related it might be good to speak to her doctor about it.

    I'm a Christian too and I understand how your mom feels that her faith is being tested but why does she feel as though she has failed? Forgive me if that is too personal.

    Has she ever read Dodie Osteen's book "Healed of Cancer"? She's the mother of Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston. A very inspirational book as well as an easy read. Whenever I'm feeling like my faith isn't as strong as it should be I think back to Dodie's experience.

    I pray that you're Mom will feel better. Know too that the two of you are in my prayers.

    God Bless.

    Sincerely,

    Antoinette

    Side effects of weaning off steroids

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    I'm sorry that your husband is having a hard time with weaning off the steroids. I can commiserate. I'm still suffering the after effects and it's been 5 months since I stopped taking Decadron.

    The worst for me was joint pain in EVERY joint in my body not just the ones that were giving me trouble before I started the med. When I would try to walk I felt and looked like my 96 year old granmother. Thankfully the symptoms do ease up but it's slow and subtle.

    I'm still trying to lose the 40 pounds I gained in 6 months. So far have dropped about 1/2. Blood pressure has returned to normal and all the edema I suffered in my limbs and belly has also cleared up.

    I asked the same question too regarding long term use and learned first hand why you can't. As good as it feels and I mean I felt great when I first started on the Decadron the side effects quickly start to outweigh the benefits and the long term damage to our bodies is pretty bad.

    I pray that the test results will bring good news.

    Antoinette

    Question to menapausal women..

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    Sorry that you're suffering with the hot flashes and mood swings. They can be brutal. I never tried the over the counter pills but did get wondeful relief from bio-identical progesterone cream. I was prescibed this by a local physician and it was prepared at a compounding pharmacy. I believe it is available online but don't know about the quality or efficacy.

    If you do a search for progesterone cream you'll find several web sites that will provide you with quite a bit of info.

    Good luck and I hope you find something that will help you and won't cause any additional health risks.

    Sincerely,

    Antoinette

    English Paper, want your help and input

    in LC SURVIVORS

    Posted

    Hi Jodi,

    As a fellow meso patient it’s wonderful to hear from another who is doing so well and beating the odds. Congratulations on 6 years and may there be many, many more.

    I’ve been dealing with meso on and off for over a decade. It’s a bizarre experience and at times overwhelming but most of the time it’s a royal pain. I’m the type of person who really hates getting thrown off track by any type of illness so something as life altering as cancer is particularly infuriating.

    I have tremendous faith in God and I’m blessed with an incredible husband who also shares my faith. Without the good Lord neither one of us could have gotten through this. I have also been blessed with being spared most of the treatments that any cancer patient faces. I only received radiation for 5 wks. last summer and those were the toughest 5 wks. of my life (the combo of rad, steroids and pain killers, that didn’t agree with me, were mostly to blame). There were days I prayed for God to call me home but He obviously had other plans and I am very grateful for that.

    The radiation eventually took away all the pain in my chest and I was able to wean off the other drugs and get my life back. There were times I really questioned the decision to do radiation but in the end my doctors guided me well and I’m so thankful to have such wonderful, caring physicians in my life. Their expertise and kind assurances were also a big part of my getting through this.

    Once I got through the treatment and the radiation fatigue finally wore off, all I wanted to do was get my normal, “boring” life back. In my 20s and 30s I was restless and wanted more excitement, adventure, fun. Now I’m just so happy for the simple, little things in life. Something as easy as reading a book was impossible for me most of last year because of the narcotics making me so dizzy. It was incredibly depressing and frustrating. Now that I’m better I can’t STOP reading. :D

    While my last scan had good and bad news what keeps me going these days is my faith, my desire to be here and a “boy am I BORED with dealing with cancer” attitude. I am also thankful each and EVERY day that I feel good and am not bedridden in pain. Even if there are aches and pains it is nothing compared to what I went through last summer and I never want to get complacent about it.

    Take care. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. May you have continued good health and God Bless.

    Sincerely,

    Antoinette

    My mom DOES NOT have Mesothelioma

    in NSCLC GROUP

    Posted

    I am a mesothelioma patient and have been for over 10 years. Most of the information you'll find online about the disease is very scary and disheartening. Unfortunately most of the web sites are put out by law firms and they tend to promote fear and urgency in order to get more clients.

    While there is no standard treatment protocol there are treatments. It depends on the stage of the disease and cell type.

    I have only had radiation for pain management and that was just last year. Prior to that I had no treatment. My profile details everything.

    Please don't worry about your whole family dying from meso. It's still a very rare cancer with only 2,000-3,000 cases reported each year. There are people who worked with asbestos for decades who never develop the disease and there are some who do.

    Here's a great organization for meso info:

    http://marf.org

    Please know that you and your family will be in my prayers.

    Sincerely,

    Antoinette

    Can't redo the scan?

    in NSCLC GROUP

    Posted

    I imagine that another PET scan could be ordered but your insurance wouldn't pay for it. Depending on the facility my PET/CTs have run anywhere from $3500 - $7800 each. I have them every 4 months and I make good and sure that the insurance has preauthorized them since the first one done wasn't and it took nearly a year to straighten out the paperwork.

    I agree wtih myrnalu that you should definitely get the second opinon before proceeding with the surgery.

    Good luck to you and know that you are in my prayers.

    Antoinette

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