blaze100

Here I am. Seven years and counting. Barb

I second Ned's advice above. You want to fight, it is your option to be as aggressive as you like. Either this doc gets on board, or start looking for a new one. And by the way, they try to tell people how much time they have left. If you don't want to hear, then tell him that. If he insists, just cover your ears. He'll get the message. Barb

You make me cry again. Thank you Randy. Barb

Not sure if this has already been posted. It is about a small study at Rochester NY where they gave the radiation treatments exactly when the cells were dividing and most vulnerable. Looked interesting and showed success on large tumors. http://www.webmd.com/video/lung-cancer-treatment-timing Barb

Hi Jerry, Your story is very inspiring especially for those of us with heart disease. Good Luck on the run. Barb

Prayers for Creekgirl this week. Prayers for a short stay at the hospital and a speedy recovery. Barb

Welthy, I am so sorry to hear this. My prayers are with you and your family. Barb

Ry, Prayers to you and your family. Barb

Hi Mike, Well I did have pain in my left arm...turned out to be a blocked right coronary artery. Just a thought. Barb

Thank you Randy. Surely or Shirley? she was cute. Now that squirrel I can live without. Barb

Hi Ken, Listen to Connie. Doctors don't know everything. They are only here to facilitate our recovery, but it is our bodies that repair and heal. I always thought of it as a threefold attack. We have the medicine, our body's natural ability to heal and then there's God. He has a little something to do with it too. Remember, this is the same medical community that prescribed VIOXX just a few years ago. They make mistakes too. Barb

Hi Jim, I am sorry they think the CT shows lc. I would be concerned though that it really is lc and not something else. Having thoracotomy is no picnic that's for sure....and I would want a little more evidence before submitting to surgery. Did they do a PET yet? If it is LC then it's a must do and surgery is doable alright. But are they going to work on both sides of your chest? I wonder how they will do that? Some of us have OK experience and some of us have very very very bad experience. I hope they do more tests before surgery. Barb

Ah...it sounds like someone else is a BelleRuth fan too. Listen to those imaging tapes, they were big part of my recovery. Good luck on the surgery Creekside. I will be thinking and praying for you on Tuesday. Barb

Yes, contrast is supposed to show more. I probably had 15 scans and always with the contrast, but the veins are getting harder and harder to find. Barb

Good Luck tomorrow Ken. You are probably fast asleep by now. Hopefully is not the worst and the doc just wants to tell you it was inconclusive, or recommend more tests etc. Barb

Welcome Kaja. Keep us posted on your progress. My tumor was big too and had not spread too. One doctor told me that if it was going to spread, it probably would have already. I found comfort in that... What are their plans after you finish treatment? Are they going to re-evaluate for surgery? Barb

Hi Mary Colleen, Yes it is very scary. But it looks like his scans have been OK now that the brain tumor is gone. He doesn't have any spots that you know of for sure, right? So now it is all in God's hands. We can only wait and watch and pray. I remember signing POA and various papers... was pretty scary. But after a few days I felt better turning all responsibility over to the hubby's hands - like being a kid again. Focus on how good it will feel to get good results back from those scans. prayers Barb

What a trick or treat, starting this journey on Halloween. It is spooky. I am glad you are here too Don. I've learned much from you already, and looking toward many more years of reading your posts. Prayers, Barb

Hi Welthy, I feel exactly the same way. Every time I check out at Safeway they ask if I want to donate $1 to bc or maybe prostate. I just want to scream, why do they need any money? They have 95% survival rates already. What about the rest of us? Face it. LC survivors are the be-damned. And nobody really "gets it" until they get it. Barb

Good Luck tomorrow Ken. Keep us posted. Barb

Hi Hopeful, Many of us have had "spots" pop up on one scan and then disappear again 6 months later. Does this mean our stage changes for awhile, then goes back when the spots disappear? Honestly, I don't even know my stage for sure anymore and that's the way I want to keep it. I think the docs use staging to guide the treatment options, that's all. We should not be thinking about our own survival in terms of staging. Only God knows how our lives will end. Everyday we are alive is a reason for hope. Barb

Hi Roger, Have you ever read those studies about how powerful placebos can be? Placebos have been studied for at least 50 years, and it has been proven w.o. a doubt that placebos work as well as traditional medicine. So if that's not proof of the power of positive thinking, then I don't know what is. You can read that CRAP Roger, but just don't believe it. Only God knows what our future will be. Barb

Hi Robin, Yes Connie is right. This could be anything. Did you have your heart checked out before starting chemo. Pain in the back left side can be sign of heart problems. Chemo can be very hard on the heart. Barb

Hi Joe and welcome to the site. It is very scary in the beginning but things will settle down now that you've started treatment. They drained lots from your lungs, did they find any cancer cells in the fluid? Barb

Good News Connie. Glad Minnesota is recognizing us....I am getting sick of so much pink too. Not that I'm jealous of those with breast cancer, but why is lc the "be-damned"? Barb