espy

I'm answering for my father who had not smoked for over 30 years at the time of his diagnosis. He had a persistent dry-like cough; never coughed up any blood. Went to emergency because he had a hard time walking only a few feet due to shortness of breath and fatigue.

Wow, looks and sounds like a great trail to me. I will add it to my hiking "to do" list. Thanks!

PS: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Believe me Angie, I hear you! I went through similar situations with my father and can feel your frustration. Yes, I agree, every patient needs a strong advocate to speak up when the need arises.

Ginny, I just got back from being away and was afraid of what I might find out about Earl. His circumstances were so similar to what my father went through at the end of his illness, that I figured it would not be long before he would lose his courageous battle. I'm sorry you two had to endure such a painful experience, but am glad you were able to do it together. It was evident in your posts that you and Earl had a very special relationship. My mother is still having a hard time accepting the death of my father which took place June 17th. However, although she still has some very difficult days, she is experiencing good days more often these days. I know your pain is very great right now. I hope with time things will get easier. Please accept my sincere sympathy. My thoughts will be with you.

Cheryl & Jack, Sorry to hear about your report. I can't even imagine how scary it must be for both of you. I pray you will find the strength to continue your fight. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I'm glad Hospice is going well for you and that Earl is now comfortable in a hospital bed. As I read your post I had many flashbacks from when we were taking care of my father in his hospital bed in his living room. I too had days when anything that I said or did, or anyone else said, caused me to be teary-eyed. Although it was about the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life, I have no regrets about having carried the whole thing through to the end. Please be sure to get as much sleep as possible, eat well, and get some quiet, alone time for yourself. I am praying for you and Earl.

Paula, I can understand your mixed emotions. There is such a fine line between doing too much and not enough. I have struggled with that constantly for the past year and half since my father's diagnosis. Now he is gone and I still struggle in knowing where to draw that line in helping my mother adjust to her new life without him. At times, I think it is impossible not to show the emotions, but the more rested and healthy you keep yourself, the stronger you will be for your family. You definitely, no matter what, need to make time for yourself. It is a very difficult situation you are dealing, and it will only be more difficult for you to handle if you don't take care of yourself both physically and emotionally. My thoughts are with you.

I am so sorry about the loss of your husband. I know life will be difficult for you for a while -- I pray that time will help ease the pain. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Before I hiked the Appalachian Trail in '94, I wanted to come up w/ a trail name. Several years prior, my husband and I had attempted to ski into a backcountry cabin in the mountains of Quebec named Refuge du Lac Esperance (or something like that). Because of a huge snowstorm and several feet of unpacked snow, we never made it to that cabin, but I never forgot about that trip. I looked up "Esperance" in a French dictionary and found that in English it meant hope. I knew that in order to finish the AT, I would probably be able to use some hope. I mentioned to my twin sister and a friend that I was thinking about using the trailname Esperance; they thought it was too long, so I shortened it to Espy.

Ginny, I am saddened to hear about Earl's worsening condition. I hope that Hospice does for you and Earl what it did for us. Whenever a nurse or home health aide left after a visit w/ my father at his home, we all felt more confident w/ what we were doing. We just wanted to do whatever was best for Dad. It was good to have some guidance and be reassured that we taking good care of him. Without the physical and emotional support that Hospice provided us with, we would not have been able to keep him at home. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Earl.

Wow, Sandy, that's great news!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

Joyce, My father started experiencing headaches when he first got up in the morning a short time after starting on Iressa. They went away after he had been up for a while. He was on Celebrex for his arthritis at the time and took it in the a.m. Not sure if the Celebrex had anything to do w/ his headaches going away or not.

Connie, Thanks so much for the info on Cheryl. I'm sorry to hear about the fluid on her heart, but glad she is feeling better after it was extracted. My father had alot of fluid removed from his heart in April of 2003 via a pericardial window, and afterward felt better than he had in months. My thoughts and prayers are with Cheryl during her recovery.

I agree, the hospital bed sounds like a great idea if you can get Earl to go along with it. My father was getting to the point of not being able to get to point A to point B without tons of help and chose to stay in his recliner for a night instead of going to his bed. We got a hospital bed the next day (had it set up in my parents living room) after we discovered a large hematoma on his backside from sitting too long in one position. Seeing the sore was just devastating to me, and I know if we'd had a hospital bed sooner along with instruction on how to turn him from side to side every few hours, it would have been prevented. It was also much easier to take care of him and sit close to him with the bed. I could tell just by looking at him after we got him all settled in bed w/ clean, soft sheets, and a clean soft hospital gown that he felt much more comfortable. I'm glad things are looking up a bit for you both. My thoughts are with you.