daggiesmom

Hi Melissa I just read your post about your dad. I had sclc - limited diagnosed in April 2002 after months of pneumonia?, asthma? anemia? bronchitis? many different guessings by many doctors - finally they did a meidastenoscopy(spelling, sorry) and found the cancer that way. I think that is the true test. as a background, I am 50 years old, went thru four rounds of chemo three weeks apart and about 30 radiation treatments ending in June of 2002. to date, no sign of cancer (whew!) and i feel good and am back to work and "normal" life . This board is VERY GOOD for info and support in our situation. I suggest you log into the SCLC site and read past posts from these members to get an insight as to what can be done for your Dad. Keep your chin up, read up and make sure you find a good oncologist for Dad. I will keep you in my prayers. Joanie

Dear Shordy, Please don't give up hope for your dad. maybe that RFA that everyone is mentioning might be a good option for him - also, give the pills some time to work, also the clinical trials can be very helpful. please, give all these your consideration. I rootin' for you.

Hi Sam, i'm sorry to hear the results you got, but you're gonna beat this thing - i have no doubt. i do remember reading recently that they use different drugs for chemo the second time around, that seemed to be the thinking. also, you're saying you had the tumor for quite some time and it was still staged as limited seems to point to the fact that you're physically strong. perhaps a second opinion would be good. You have done so much for our spirit here. Please know my prayers are with you. Joanie

Dear Veronica, I just read about your horrible experience with this doctor and i thoroughly agree with our board buddies that he isn't worth the paper his diploma is printed on. I sincerely hope you do your best to forget everything that idiot said to you, forge ahead with getting a good doctor who cares about you physically as well as mentally. Us lc patients need doctors who are medical experts as well as compassionate human beings. My best wishes go to you in your fight - you WILL MAKE IT

dear lainy, god rest your dad. and god bless you forever. xo joanie

Donna, I love hearing that kind of report Celebrate! Joan

Dear Sam, Isn't it great to be back in the working world It's great that you can go the full day. maybe in time you'll need the oxygen less, you never know. As for the bump, we'll pray it away. Joan C.

Hi Fresca, When i was on my last round of chemo, i had to have a transfusion as well; i was feeling very weak; after the transfusion felt better immediately. also, i had weekly procrit shots for my hemoglobin which was around the 6 level and eventually got to be around 13 or so(i think 11 to 15 is normal). I think the chemo kills the red blood cells just as it kills the cancer cells, it doesn't discriminate. tell your mom the transfusion will help her feel better. also, if she can tolerate it, to eat alot of red meat, spinach, even some red wine to build up her blood. (if it doesn't conflict with meds she might be on.) God bless. Joan C.

David, Great to hear this news! keep on keeepin' on. Rest up and you'll feel better soon

BUFU (Guest User), I'd rather be in my shoes than yours anyday. it must be terrible to be you. Joan

welcome. you are in a good place here. anything you want to ask - go right ahead. i have the same diagnosis as you sclc - limited. i too went through 4 rounds of three days each chemo and 16 twice a day radiation. that was in april-june of last year. i'm still here and doing fine. i feel fine physically. you're younger than me (i'm 50) but that is definitely on your side. your WILL MAKE IT. everyone here is cool and will support you 100%. earlier today i was very down. sometimes we get that way, ya know, but i'm better now and so, now, i'm here for you when you feel down -

Reading about the lack of backing for lung cancer has me very upset. That people who had lost loved ones to this won't help is totally beyond me. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL. on one site (i forget which one) there were celebrity spokespeople (Christie Turlington - father died of lc, S. Epatha Merkeson from Law and order, was another) but really very few and far between support us. I do remember the tv commercial that Yul Brenner made, pleading with people not to smoke, that he was dying from it - and he did! also i read on a web site an interview with a top cancer doctor and they asked him how many cigarettes do you have to smoke before you're at risk for lung cancer - the answer - ONE. Only ONE.well, over my short lifetime (turned 50 last sunday) i have smoked thousands and have dug my own grave. if the words of that dr. could be put on tv, and in every magazine that advertises cigarettes, and on every rock and roll CD produced, maybe another 15 year old wouldn't try a cigarette like i did. maybe if movie stars that boast about having rooms in their mansions redesigned to be humadors for their $200 cigars, then smoking wouldn't be glamorous (Mr. Schwarzenegger, Mr. Stalone, Mr. Willis, you listening?) Smoking one cigar is the equivalent of smoking 4 cigarettes. Mr. Perelman, did he even answer the letters sent to him? In an earlier posting, i gave my opinion about why tobacco products are still sold to the public. I still stand by that opinion; they deliberately hooked me. they doomed me right from the start. what is the purpose of stopping? someone tell me. i'm gonna die anyway

Hi Kelley, I went through 4 rounds of chemo 3 days each between April and June of last year. I had many symptoms (fatigue, weakness, no appetite, some nausea, ) but i don't recall having headaches. I had difficulty sleeping at night (probably due in part to the fact i slept alot during the day and was depressed). Possibly the headaches could be related to the tremendous stress he's feeling. i found taking tylenol pm at night helped with the wakefulness i had. the anti-nausea drug Zofran is great for controlling that. your dad's doctor may prescribe that for dad. please keep us posted and keep your chin up

Dear Kelley, I went thru a period when i was first diagnosed with the worse possible cough! then, when i started chemo, had coughing fits as well, coughed up some pretty nasty stuff, which the dr. seemed to indicate was normal. body getting rid of bad stuff. I took Hycodin syrup with codine and that really controls the coughing. Tell dad we're rootin' for him

Dear Sam, I'm happy to see you've passed the one year mark. Mine happened on April 4th. I have the same situation as you ls-sclc. In reading your message i was a bit taken back. I didn't know 1 year was just the median mark and that most recurrences happen in the second year. has me a bit upset but then again my dr. did say that i'm not in the clear for 2-3 years. maybe in my head i choose to forget this whole thing sometimes. Many days i do feel good, almost normal. i find it hard to believe that i have (had?) this horrible problem. anyway, God bless you, keep up the fight

Dear Karma & Karma's Dad: So glad to hear you're not giving up! This makes my Mother's Day weekend even better Joanie C

Boy, you must be so happy This is terrific news! I hope you continue feeling better and better every day. Now go celebrate

Hi Karma's dad - Everyone here is wishing you the best today. maybe when you see the doctor they will come up with a gameplan that will work well for you. i remember feeling very tired during chemo, too. Possibly a different drug will be better for your. My thoughts and prayers go with you today

Dear bartziggy, Wishing you the cleanest scans in the world today! As for twice daily radiation, i had that for three weeks straight. the effects were cumulative- towards the end swallowing hurt, anything with acid in it was out of the question (tomatoes of anytype, oj,) they gave me drops which i could put on my tongue before eating that, i guess, coated the esophagus and allowed me to eat a bit. I found eating watermelon, and ice pops to be soothing. keep up the good work!

Dear Hopful, Very glad to hear you're DONE WITH THE TREATMENTS. Bet it feels great to have that behind you Now you're next job is to rest and recuperate.Lay back and think positive and peaceful thoughts Joanie C

Love to hear you're feelin' better. One step at a time. Thinking and hoping for good days ahead for you both. Joanie C

Dear Bob, Reading your post made me so happy I hope your celebrate long and hard because you deserve it. God bless you. Joanie C

Dear Beth, Welcome. Nutrition is so important during this ordeal. As background, i was sick from July 01 till March of 02 (when i was finally diagnosed) and during that time lost appox. 40 lbs. Then from March to July when i underwent chemo and radiation i lost another 20. Food was very tough for me, however, Ensure Plus kept me alive. I would become very weak and unable to stand (my knees would give out) if i didn't eat. Ensure helped with that considerably. You need to have the FOOD POLICE at your house (in my case my husband) to make sure you eat everyday. Right after chemo, I would be on Ensure until after about 3 or 4 days and then he would make me try solid food until i would agree to eat at least half of what he made me(on the positive side, he became a great cook). Ice cream, and tons of it. All things fattening are good - and that's a direct quote from my dr. Also, try to put on as much weight as you can before you start the chemo - it will make you that much stronger. Remember, we are all here for you.

Be assured you'll get wonderful support here. We're all rootin' for you Joanie C

Sam, I'm so happy to hear such a good report from you You are an inspiration for me. Now i gotta start exercising Little by little your health is returning. Hooray and keep up the good work