Hi--
I'm Melissa. My Dad was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer on August 12. In November it metastisized to the brain, and last month it was in the neck and the adrenal gland. He started swelling in his arms and legs 2 weeks ago, and now they believe he has SVCS. They started 'extreme radiation' on the lung tumor yesterday to take the pressure off of the vena cava, but the swelling is still really bad.
I was told by some friends that I really needed to find support from people who were in this same situation, so here I am. I'm a teacher, so I have to put on a 'happy face' every day, even if I was at my parent's house until midnight the night before helping out. It's definitely been a strain on my psyche this year.
So, that's me. I also have 2 wonderful children, and a wonderful husband who have been so instrumental in helping me through this. I've always been extremely close to my parents, and still live less than 5 minutes away. As the only sibling that's close, I'm thankful for the opportunity to help out, but those of you in this situation know, sometimes you have to take a step back as well.
Anyway--hi
