Darlene

It's great to see so many of the names I remember. It's been a while since I have actually logged on and posted, even though I have referred others to this site. Ronnie is hanging in there, he has good days and bad days. Because we live with this every day we don't notice how quickly things change until we look at pictures and medical records! It was the summer of 2005 that he was diagnosed at stage IV, each week and month that go by we are all amazed in how far we have come in this journey. Only the Lord has brought us through this far because He knows Ronnie has a horrible diet, no exercise and loads of strong medication. But His most precious treatment for this cancer has been a grandson we have been raising for almost two years now! God knew what Ronnie needed to keep him going! .

I have a question but can't find the answer in searching the internet... Prep for a PET scan includes no meds, no food, and no caffeine, how do these effect the results?

We have some very special hand written recipes we keep too. I make sure all the recipes I have written myself are duplicated for my children... * On another note I have another way for all of you to eat Val's apple pie with ice cream...I love to make my kids waffle cones. It's a great treat to put a small scoop of that ice cream in the cone, then a scoop of the apple pie then another scoop of ice cream on top with whipped cream and a cherry! Try it, you can even eat it on you way out the door to deliver a baby, or whatever you do!

I don't have any words of wisdom concerning Alitma but I really appreciate all the responces as my husband has had SOB and other concerns that I didn't realize could be from the chemo. Also CONNIE I would like more info on heart problems with chemo if you have any...

Oh Yes! his is my kind of post; BABIES!! And Calintay, I would definately stick with the name 'Darlene' Some of my favorite names are Bethany, Olivia, Esther, Brooke, Abigail, Jamila... and Beverli Nichole (my daughter's name) And for boys, Sage, Adrian, Dakota, Denim, and Benjamin (with a nickname of Jamin)

Ok it's Monday morning, I just found this post and am shocked to hear what Cindi is going through! I want to share something with everyone...With all that Cindi is going through this weekend, the anxiety, the tension...she still took the time to write me a personal note of encouragement! ~ Cindi ~ let us know what is going on as soon as you get that call from the doctor!

Good question Ann, As many of you know by now I am a licensed midwife. We deliver babies at home which means us midwives deal with EVERYTHING concerning birth. (Warning: if you don't want to hear more turn back now) A bunch of us midwives were sitting at a restaurant visiting and sharing our birth stories when a waitress come to our table and quietly asked if we could keep the discussions about placenta to a minimum as it was disturbing to the group of men in the corner. We looked over and noticed it was a group of doctors! We all laughed so hard I think someone did pee their pants. One more... Since my husband's chemo it sometimes hurts to brush his teeth. I decided to purchase new tooth brushes for the kids and a softer one for him. His was a simple soft bristled toothbrush so it would be gentle to his teeth. The four for my boys were the new electric kind to encourage good dental hygeine. While working on his radio control airplanes, I went in to talk to him after putting everything else from my grocery trip away. Much to my surprise there was one of my childen's toothbrushes with the stationary bristles cut off and a piece of sandpaper glued to the vibrating bristles being used as a mini sander! Nope! I didn't have the heart to tell him THAT WASN'T EVEN HIS TOOTHBRUSH!!

Holly, Congradulations of your first baby! I know how difficult it is when you have to mix such wonderful news with the bad. My husband was just dx with nsclc stage IV a couple months ago. He is also expecting two grandchildren. With God watching over us I plan to be delivering them both right here in our home! Don't forget to take care of yourself while you are caring for others during this time.

If I could go back I would record all those long boring stories that my grandparents would tell so I could carefully write them all down to share with my children.

Alex Anderson from Simply Quilts. I'd just love to have lunch then spend the rest of the afternoon learning how to piece together all those neat quilts like the stained glass windows, paper piecing....

I sure don't get the cause-effect in taxing ciggarett buyers then using the money for other projects. (highways, etc) As I see it the nation is in major financial trouble for Medicare issues. It seems many of the major health problems can be attributed to smoking; heart problems, high blood pressure, lung cancer, etc. I know because my husband has them all and they are all contributed to his smoking. If the taxed dollars went to pay for Medicare/Medicaid then we might come out a little in the green, but lining the pockets of our politicians is not an incinitive for them to put no smoking education programs in place. And the notion of raising the prices (taxing) to get people not to smoke is naive. I have seen many, many families put ciggaretts in their pockets before they purchase food for their children! Nicotine is addictive, very addictive, I had a doctor once say that it is THE most addictive drug and extremely hard to quit. So to all those who have been able to quit I have a deep respect for you will power! When ciggaretts were first on the market no one was told of their dangerous effects, in this day in time EVERYONE knows! When we have a rise in smoking in our youth we have a major breakdown in communication and education. Education should begin in the home, however this is not a perfect country so we then must look to this education in schools. Seeing the effects of smoking and not just being told with illustration and cartoons will make a much better, more permanent impact. I have five kids who will never smoke!

I am sorry to hear of your loss, please feel free to continue to come here for support, you will still need support even though your mother's battle with cancer is over. I'm sure she was pleased to know she instilled in you such a warm caring heart!

Well we will be evacuating sometime today. We will be setting up camp in the dorms at a children's camp where we volunteer in the summer. I will be taking all my birth and medical equipment just in case it's needed... One of my patients will be coming with us as she has two autistic pre-schoolers and a one year old. Her husband is a police officer and has to stay here.

Thanks everyone!! I needed that! You know those jokes by Jeff Foxworthy, 'You might be a Redneck?' Well us midwives have running jokes on 'You might be a midwife.' ~If you can discuss the size of a placenta over dinner, you might be a midwife. ~ If you thought KY jelly only comes in half gallon bottles, you might be a midwife. ~ If you hear the word 'Doppler' on the weather news and think of fetal heart tones, you might be a midwife. This weekend however my husband has cornered the market on 'You might be married to a midwife.' His nausea had gotten worse and he needed something to help him through it, he called the doctor and asked for medicine for his 'morning sickness.' They almost fainted! ~eppie~ I have a son with Asperger Syndrome. That conference was great! I have needed much help in dealing with the school. I also have a son with ADHD and one with dyslexia, it's real fun around here...want to visit? (you should see our Family Rule Book) I lived in Baytown for about 7 years that's where three of my boys were born.

You sound so caring and supporting, she is so lucky to have you looking out for her. Many hotels have entire floors designated as 'smoking areas' I know the many Fairfield Inns and Omni hotels have this, just call around and ask for a smoking room. Good luck, you're doing a great job.