Fay

Kathy, I'm saddened to hear the news. Re-doing the family waiting room is a wonderful idea. As a memorium to my Mom, we installed ceiling fans in our little country church, this Sunday they turned them on, and the breeze I felt from them made me feel my Mom was near. Tim will never be more than a thought away. May your memories sustain you. Faylene

Cheryl, My youngest daughter has a two and a half year old paint (Diablo). What wonderful animals. Today, Diablo spooked while Jess was riding him and she got thrown off. She wasn't badly hurt, just a few scrapes and a broken nail. Now though she is not feeling well, I'm hoping it is not related to her fall, as there are a lot of flu bugs going around, and hoping that is all it is. I will be watching her carefully over the next 24 hours though. I'll be praying for a recovery for your horse. Faylene

I too am saddened to hear the news. I will keep her family in my prayers. Faylene

When my Mom passed away, my Dad, older brother and myself made the arrangements. I'm not sure if my Mom had expressed much to my Dad in the way of plans, other than they both had wishes to be cremated (sp?), already had niches and urns. Since my parents and I attended the same church, I knew where she would want a service, what songs and readings would be appropriate. I wrote her obituary, consulting with my Dad and brother. I made a lot of the phone calls to their friends to notify them of her death. For me, it helped me to be able to contribute. I don't know where I got the strength, I guess it was from the same place that enabled me to get thru the cancer journey with them from beggining to end. My Dad has been thinking along the same lines as Dave and has decided that he willl go to the funeral home in a few months and pre-arrange, so that my brother and I will not have to do anything. Hugs to all, faylene

Cathy, My heartfelt sympathies go out to you and your Mom. Cherish the memories. Faylene

Hi Connie, Prayers from Canada coming your way!!! Best wishes for a speedy recovery. You continue to inspire. Faylene

I'm praying as hard as I can. Faylene

For my Mom's memorial service, I took a snapshot to Walmart and used their picture magic machine to crop everyone else but Mom out. Then I enlarged it to 8X10. My Dad and brother shopped for a lovely wood frame. We had it on the table at the front of the church surrounded by a floral arrangement. My Dad now keeps the photo in the livingroom. Perhaps something as simple as one photo might work for your Dad. At any rate, it might be too soon for him to think of funerals, it makes the end seem too real at this moment. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Faylene

Connie, You are in my thoughts and prayers. faylene

Rayroy, My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you jouney through your sorrow. Faylene

Hi All, my daughters and I are all Irish Dancers with a dance group called McConnell Irish Dancers. My Mom was one of the first McConnell dancers, so my girls are third generation dancers. For this next week, Winnipeg has a festival called Folklorama. It is a multi-ethnic festival, where the different groups have a pavillion, where they showcase their music, dance and food. Ours is called Isle of the Shamrock. Last night one of our shows was dedicated to my Mom and another of the dancers/teachers that passed away from cancer in May. What a proud moment. Just thought I'd share. Faylene

Carolyn, Hi, just another view point. I experienced the retching (gagging, dry heaves) as a caregiver. It started not too long after I had had a flu bug, but thinking back, my Mom was really starting to go downhill at this point, and I think alot of my problem was induced by stress. My physician told me to try zantac in the am and pm, incase it was caused by acid reflux, but there was no improvement. It stopped shortly after my Mom's funeral, which leads me to believe stress was the cause. My Dad and I were my Mom's caregivers, and as a medical person, I was counted on for a lot. (IE. telling my mom all the scan results, malignancy, why they weren't doing certain treatments at certains times, qualifying all the waits etc,) I guess I was just worn out. (I also ended up losing 10 lbs during this). All though I thought I was handeling everything okay, I guess it was affecting me. Hopefully the lorazapam will contiue to work, Faylene

Hi Becky, My Mom ended up with radiation pneumonis. The oxygen helped somewhat, but the sterioids (decadron), also helped. We also tried her on an inhaler (puffer) twice a day called combivent, this really helped. Perhaps you can get your doc to try you on it. Good luck, Faylene

Shannon, I hope you have a wonderful time. It is good to keep busy, active and to LIVE!! This morning I drove my Dad to the airport to go visit my brother and his family. He is going to spend a week there and work on their basement for them. I feel for you as I witness what my Dad is going thru. Losing the love of your life is difficult, but you can go on, and you are proving that. That is what they would of wanted. Live and take care, Faylene

Candy, How about a call to your family physician. I often found when our onc wouldn't react to something, our familly doc would. I think sometimes the onc's can't think outside their specialties where as the family docs are kind of specialists in everything! Good luck, hope things improve. Faylene

Rana, My deepest sympathies to you. My dear mom passsed away only 8 weeks ago yesterday. It is hard, but you will go on, and it will get easier. Take all the time you need to grieve. Reach 0ut to us when needed. Take care, faylene

Hey Dave, You are doing the rest of us Canadians real proud. Keep up the great work! faylene

Hi Rana, My Mom's onc wasn't too keen on celebrex either. (Didn't think there was enough evidence with lung cancer yet). My mom's family doc was more open to new things though, and gave us a prescription after I showed her info from the web. If anything, it would help with her arthritis. She was on 400 mg twice a day. Hope that helps, faylene

I found this to be quite an informative article. Perhaps it will help someone. http://www.cancernetwork.com/handbook/F ... tm#Ascites Have a great day, Faylene

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I can't believe it has been a week already, since my Mom passed. It is still very hard, but I have been busy seeing that my Dad is okay. I will continue to pray for you all. Faylene

Hi, just noticed this new topic. I posted an update on the general forum. Prayers are needed for my mom. We almost lost her yesterday, and I'm not sure what the next few days will bring. I could use a few prayers for strength too. Thanks, Faylene

Keep up the good work Sam! I'm hoping my Mom will be up to your speed in the future! The tanks are kinda a pain. We are looking into getting the portable liquid O2 for Mom. It is a little less cumbersome and last longer, so we don't have to worry about running out or changing tanks at appointments. (Mom is still on 4L so it goes quickly). As for names how about "Eddie O2" or Ella-tank-a-rella. I'm sure someone will have better ideas!! Take care, prayers for continued success. PS we are tappering Mom's Dex by one dose tonight. Hopefully, it'll work! Faylene

Hi Don, I'd like to add my appreciation to the group's. You always seem to know just what to say, in the most realistic, yet positive way possible. Lucky Lucie! Faylene

Hi Donna, Welcome, glad you're here! Faylene

Sam, That's great news! You give me hope that shortly my mom will have better days as well. Here's to easy breathing! Faylene