EastCoastLadi

Randy, Please know we are here for you. You are the "man" of knowledge and please take comfort in knowing that all you know the advice and information you have given to wether it be one or all of us, is so, so, very important. I know it hurts so much, I hate to see people in such pain. Please know we are here for you. Take care... Grace

Lori, Write, vent all you want, you've just had the world knocked out of you. This isn't what her or you or anyone in your family needed to hear. Please remember that your mom has a great attitude and that is going to help you and her. Believe me, I do understand about what you are going thru, I remember when my dads' drs. told us, it was time for hospice, comfort and care/ pallative - God! I still hate those words!!!! I know it sucks big time, please you've been here for so many people, let us be here for you!!!!! I pray that your mom is comfortable and has no pain... Grace

Please keep strong, I know that it can be difficult in moments like this. Praying that your dad finds comfort and no pain. Grace

Cindy, It is so very difficult, I truly understand my dads' 1 yr is coming up next month and I am still in shock and sadness. Please take comfort in knowing that your dad will always be with you, I know mine is even though he isn't in the same "place" as I am, he really hasn't left me. It's ok to be sad, just take good care of yourself today. Grace

Jennifer, I know it just isn't fair. I hope at least she is comfortable. That is the most important thing right now for her. I can understand completely how something like cancer can take so much from a person so quickly. My dad died almost a year ago from bladder cancer, much too quick, around memorial day and within 3 mos. and he was gone, I look at pictures of him at my godsons' 1st birthday in feb 05 and he looked so healthy. It is such a heartbreaking thing to go through. I'm praying for your sister to be comfortable and pain free. Please don't hesitate to come here, or pm me. Grace

I'm with the others for a Brain CT Scan, it's not invasive and if he's already being moved I don't see the logic of it all. I can tell you that pain medication management can be very tricky, sometimes unfortunately it takes trial and error. I remember when my dad was in terrible pain the first night he was in the hospital. He called saying he couldn't take it and wanted me to bring him home. I told him he had to trust the drs. and they would work it out, and they did. But also towards the end of my dads' life he was out of it, it wasn't just the drugs it was that he was at the end of his life. I hope your FIL isn't in any pain, I pray that something gets resolved for his comfort and peace of mind. Grace

See Chris how out of it I am!!! lol....I got cobwebs in my brain... you know I finally figured out how to get a pic after all this time. I have "Photoimpression 4 "..or if you have something on your comp. that can resize your pictures. thats what I did with my. I think the pixel size is 150 - height by 225 width for posting pics here. then i saved it, in a folder and when I when to my profile on lcsc I browsed and found and clicked on my pic. so I am not computer literate, but it did work so I think the key is to resize your photo to fit and then you can add on profile.. I hope you can understand that ..... Grace

hi all Shirley, I'm glad to see your dad is finally getting into treatment. It sounds like the onc. at Common. is doing a very good job. I know exactly what it is like for a root canal, not exactly my favorite thing to do, but the crown part is the easiest! Chris, I hope everything is going well for you, you said your BF was down from Canada? Is he still visiting? .... well i am going to go on a mini vay-kay w/ the fam next week, heading up to lake champlain, never been there should be nice and relaxing... So everyone keep cool and happy! Grace ps.....thats our male cat Mickey or as we call him "Trouble"

DebbieLuc I am glad you came back to update us. It has got to be such an emotional battle for you. Please know we are here for you. It is good that you are finally going to get to see about Medicaid, also you definitely should be talking to the cancer centers social worker to help you out, he or she should be able to help you get on the right road financially. All the best to you... Grace

Andrea, no need to be apologetic at all! hey your are going thru alot and don't even think about you being a bother!!!! I think you've just hit one of those bumps in the road, but I have a feeling that you're going to come of it just fine! You've got lots of support this way, I'm wishing you all the best!!! Grace

Jenn, I can't imagine what you and your sister and family are going through. She is so young, so she is not having any thing done at this point? Do you know why she is not a candidate for whole brain radiation? If it helped a little before, why can't they, if it would help just a bit? Also have you asked the drs. about any possible clinical trials? I am so very sorry, I just can't believe that this is it for your sister based on what you told us. I hope that at least she is comfortable, please know I am praying for her and your family. ...don't hesitate to come here, please! Grace

Debbie, I'm so glad that you are feeling better. I think it's great that you are doing positive things..you have to, you may feel like time has stood still, but you and your husband can enjoy and have fun...!!!! please stay in touch. Grace

Siobhan, You and Guy are in my prayers today. I am so very sorry. Grace

Peggy, I think it is a wonderful idea, and it looks wonderful!!! You definitely should be proud of yourself! Grace

Jamie, That is fantastic news!!!!!! Keep it up girl Grace

..I truly understand how you feel...please take care Grace

Karen, I say Good for You! I know this is not an easy thing, but you need to see your dad. I think your stepmother isn't being very compassionate at this difficult time, but I know your dad wants you to be there with him. All the best Grace

Debbie, My husband had some hearing problems with cisplastin when he was taking anti-depressants, so he stopped the ad's...but the onc. said cis. was the culprit. Has he tried carboplastin? He has tinitius ( sorry about the spelling ), you may want to check with an ears, nose and throat specialist to see if he can get some help. Is you husband taking any supplements?, my husband takes magnesium and b-6 along with his multivitamin. It can help with some of the effects of chemo. You have definitely found the right place to look for advice and support. As you can see my husband has the same dx as yours, it's a very difficult cancer to deal with, but your husband is very young and hopefully he can tolerate his treatment. Please don't hesitate to ask any ?'s I will look further into the hearing problems. Grace

Sending good thoughts and prayers for Alan and Debbie today... Grace

Rod, I am glad that you have gotten the info. on your dad. I know it also is a big help to have a friend who is a dr. ( i know my bro. is a dr. and sometimes his knowledge has helped us out). I don't know about those chemo. drugs your dad is going to take. Just to let you know everyone is different in how they react to chemo. and radiation. Expect your dad will be very tired because of all of this. If there is one thing that I can tell you that my husband has and is going thru has to do w/ the diabetes. My husband was borderline and now is considered diabetic, this was due to the steroids that are given to him at chemo., they will raise your dads' blood sugar. So it is important that he monitors it frequently, does he has a glucose meter? because that will help. His onc. may want his primary care dr. to oversee that. I know that with my husbands' case, his dr. upped his medication, he doesn't take insulin shots, but may have to in the future. So I think that it is very important for your dad to have a plan set in place for his diabetes. Also supplements such as Ensure are very good. I know there are many people here who have given some very good advice for nutrition, please search this site. Once again, please keep us up to date and I wish the best for your dad. Grace

Thank you for the update Frannie. I'm glad that your sis. is going tomorrow to the dr. I'm hoping the best for her. Grace

It isn't fair! I know how that is like, a month to the day after my dad died of bladder cancer my husband finds out he has a tumor in his lung, which turned out to be lung cancer. It is times like these where you ask the whys?, and unfortunately I don't have any answers, but to say I know how you feel. Keep in there. Grace

Cindy, I think that poem is very appropriate. But also from the other perspective, I sometimes don't know what to say to someone who has experienced such losses. I remember when my husbands' mother died, we were seeing each other for a couple of months. What I basically told him was I'm here, in the background, if you need me. Thats' all I could say. Because I know that after the "initial" shock/grief of the death of someone you love, alot of people step back, whether or not because they feel uncomfortable of what. Unfortunately some do it indefinitely. Did anyone happen to catch CNN last nite, about the flight that crashed in 96' on route to Paris, with the group of school kids? I saw what the parents went through and it broke my heart, not only to lose a child, but how they were isolated by the community afterwards. I guess it is easier for some people to walk away, then to stay. Just my opinion. Grace

Have you tried Sloan Kettering? for your FIL, I know Buffalo isn't near NYC, but perhaps he needs more experienced oncs. I think one of the main issues here seems to be the blood clot, its sounds as if ( and I really don't know ) but they want to deal w/ that because of how extensive he is w/ the cancer. I can tell you that even w/ extensive sclc it can and does quite often respond to chemo. but if they are talking about the most effective chemo, or what my husbands' onc puts it is "the gold standard" it would be cisplastin and etoposide, which definitely helped my husband. But the only thing about that chemo combo. and other chemos is that they beat the u know what out of your body. Some people literally can not take it, this may be the thinking of your FILs' drs. But they can also try other types of chemo. that perhaps while not the "gold standard", could at least help him a little bit. What you have to know, if you don't already know is that small cell vs large cell is seen as a sistemic type of cancer, liken it to a leukemia, you can treat one problem area, but it is like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. You have to see if your FIL can tolerate any agressive treatment. My husband is in relatively great shape, aside from the cancer so his onc. have thrown alot at him, and he has been able for the most part to take it. But if you want to educate yourself more about sclc, check out the Nat'l Institute for Health, of the Lung Cancer Association to begin with. Remember knowledge is power. Again, I am hoping for the best for your FIL Grace

The Mole Family -- A mama mole, a papa mole, and a baby mole all live in a little mole hole. One day the papa mole sticks his head out of the hole, sniffs the air and says,"Yum! I smell maple syrup!" The mama mole sticks her head out of the hole, sniffs the air and says "Yum! I smell honey!" The baby mole tries to stick his head out of the hole to sniff the air, but can't because the bigger moles are in the way so he says, "Geez, all I can smell is.... Are you ready for this? Are you sure you're ready? You may never forgive me for this one... MOLASSES!