midge

wonderful for you!

Rah rah rah!!! Good for you!

Leslie, Sound like Arrow is one tough nut! Sounds like the mediction is kicking in. Hopefully Arrow will be around for awhile to chase some cats! My thought is she will be a tough egg like her Mom.

Debra, You are in good hands here, stay strong and fight the fight.

Hang in there, lots of hope and treatments out there for your Dad. Stay close to this site, it will be a blessing for you.

I think that is nice to have an opinion on something..thats what put a spin on things...it seems sort of silly to get so angry that you want to leave a site that is helpful to you...can't we all just get along? (No wonder there is so much strife in the world)

WONDERFUL NEWS FOR YOU!!!!!

Hang in there with your Mom, I agree with everybody elses replys, forget the statistics..help her with her treatment and move forward!

I am just a new kid on this site but I wish the very best for you and your family. It is a tough road for sure.

Yep, yep, I read the messages and agree with em all..as we all know, life is short... However it pays the bills so grin and bare it or look for a new job..I have had my share of shi##y bosses and it seems as though they run in packs.. Sometimes the best thing to do is laugh yourself silly and get on with it!

LuLu, You have a tough job ahead of you and it will not be easy. My advise to you is to go with your Mom to her appointments so you both can understand what treatment is ahead of her. Keep her psychiatrist informed as well so he can keep a good eye on her. Sloan-Ketteering is top knotch, so you are in good hands. There are no easy fixes to this disease, but it is a tolerable thing and life can still be lived well. The "new stage" is the worst part, lots of waiting, hoping and praying. Read the posts on this website and direct your Mom to them when you feel as though it would be appropriate. Answers are abundant to your questions so ask away. Wishing you all the best.

I quit smoking ten years before diagnosis because I wanted to try and prevent lung cancer from occurring in me....so much for that mode of thinking. It bothers me tremendously when people say "geez, did you smoke"? I see lots of people with unhealthy lifestyles who chose not to change what their doing and then boo hoo when something traumatic happens to them. At least I tried to head of this monster for a number of years before it got to me....now hopefully I can stay healthy enough to fight it off.

Hang in there Kid, we have all been in your shoes (doesn't come easy to anyone of us). Most everyone I know has waited up to a month for exact mode of treatment. I did. You have come to a wonderful place where all of us can give you a helping hand. You will survive, just remember that!

I just started watching Boston Legal this season and I am hooked..what a great, well written show..my question is why does Denny Crane say "Denny Crane" all the time? Does he just like the sound of his name or what?

Holly, I was on the regimen your Mom will be on and did very well. Had zero side effects until the end of the fourth round. Had what is called "radiation recall", which is where the lung that was radiated gets very inflamed (Gemzar causes it) and you get a "pneumonitis". My blood work took a dive and I was in the hospital five days, transfused, ran a 105 temp.. was on steroids a month...felt crappy..but it worked very well and did what it was suppose to (shrunk the tumor down).I would really not have any reservations about it...my onc said "if you can pull through the pneumonitis it actually burns the tumor up good". Anything that works is just fine with me!

Welcome Betty, I am new to this board too and already feel like these are my friends! Midge

Stable is excellent and I always try real hard to remember that!

Although I am not new to my cancer diagnosis, I am new to your board...I must say you have a lot of info here and it is nice to see. I post on the SLCA board a lot and someone there was talking about this website. I am 50 years old, married, two grown kids and two grandkids. Quit smoking over ten years ago. I was diagnosed in December 2004 with 3A NSCLC right lung after many failed attempts of diagnosing everything but cancer..you name it, they thought I had it. Did radiation, chemo, attempted right pneumonectomy (no clean borders) lung stays in and I do more chemo...total of seven months treatment. I feel wonderful now. I had a bout of pneumonitis after completing last chemo, was hospitalized for five days, but other than that, I can not complain too much. I have residual pain from the thoracotomy, but I believe this to be a minor problem in the grand scheme of things. I work full time as an R.N. in a county jail... I believe attitude is a lot of what this disease course is about and I try to stay focused on living and overcoming this beast... Nice to be on a website where I see lots of positive things going on. Glad someone mentioned this place and that I found it. Midge My favorite quote is by Woody Allen "I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to be there when it happens".

I feel wonderful after the doc tells me I don't have to come back for three months..then about a month later I start thinking about "what if this crap is growing somewhere"..I almost (and I say almost very lightly) feel more secure when I am getting chemo..does anyone else feel this way?

I think the minute you decide to take the reins and fight the disease you are a survivor. When I was laying on a table getting radiated after my chemo session I knew right then and there I was going to survive the nightmare...and so far, so good, I have.