Remembering Dave
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Yeah, I'd say even with all the mix-ups, sounds like all's well that end's well (hopefully, for sure) and that's the important thing.
Karen
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Dave just started topotecan, I think this week was his second treatment. He had some nausea yesterday but nothing terrible. His first treatment, he also had zometa, an IV drug for bone growth, and he had awful bone pain for a week after that, and that was a side effect of the zometa we found out. he hasn't had that this time, but he's also taking oxycontin this time.
Dave's first chemo was carboplatin and VP-16 and that seemed to work well, he was in remission for just about a year, although it did come back . . . have you tried that?
have you had a PET scan or a bone scan?
Blessings,
Karen
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I agree with Don. Don, the voice of reason (along with Fay A.). However, why not just go to the doc and ask for a chest xray, when you find out you're cancer free then you can really put these feelings to rest?
Karen
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Bill - good plan, good improvement.
Can't say more, I'm swamped at work, but wanted to chime in with my support. Just glad to hear she's progressing in the right direction.
Karen
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Man, this sodium thing was the ticket for Dave. He's been feeling so much better, has some energy and stuff, he had chemo today and I got home from work and he was even doing laundry! I KNEW this was a big problem, darn onco doc's nurses wouldn't listen to me, kept telling me it wasn't so bad. I know this, but again have learned, you have to listen to your own body and follow your own instincts and do your own research. you probably know more about what's going on than most of the medical folk.
Karen
p.s. they've got him taking 1 mg sodium chloride tablets, six a day - pure compressed salt - and that's alot of salt! really wild!
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what kind of person, even a kid, would egg a cancer patient's house? I just can't believe it. yes, a letter to the editor, maybe if the twerps saw that they damaged the house of a cancer patient they might actually have some guilty feelings and not do it to anyone else.
Karen
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HAPPY DAY! so nice to log in and see such happy good news, and so glad everything worked out, including her husband staying around!
yipee!
Karen
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well, darn it all, although you have the right attitude, but if SCLC had grown at all it's scary, I guess NSCLC is slower and easier to just watch, so my first reaction is a SCLC reaction, but after thinking about it, it's not so bad. I'd think about getting that percardial effusion drained, you know, Dave had that, and had the window done - and a thoracic surgeon did his, not a cardiologist (although I can't see what difference it would make) but it's not a bad procedure at all and Dave felt so much better after it was done, he didn't realize how bad he felt.
I like Ry's idea of switching to the Tarceva.
Hang in there, sounds like you are!
God Bless,
Karen
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Dean
You rock!
You are a hero.
You are an inspiration.
Karen
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this stinks. but my thought is, if the patient wants to continue the fight, there's always SOMETHING you can do. And Fay knew about the chemo regimen for this.
Hang in there kiddo. You're not a whiner. You're a fighter and a strong woman.
and keep us posted. you and your dad need to talk about what to do next.
God Bless,
Karen
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Hey, I posted in General that Dave is out of the hospital, they got his sodium level regulated which has almost gotten rid of the cramping, which is a big cause of his pain, and he's taking oxycontin still because his head still hurts from the radiation damage/tumor/or whatever it is (we will find out more on that next Monday).
And you know, he doesn't seem to be slipping away any more. That is much better. I think so much of that was the extreme discomfort, and the oxycontin couldn't really take care of the cramping.
The house was sold before we could put a contract on it but another one will come along, and hopefully just when we get a good offer on our house.
God Bless!
Karen
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My 72 year old mom had RFA to zap her original liver tumor. they have to go in with a laproscopic procedure to do it, but much better than opening you up.
Prayers and blessings going to everyone at Last Resort including Jonn's Mom!
God Bless,
Karen
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Dave's home, they cut him loose this morning. Dr. Positive's plan got his sodium up to 127 by this morning so he's going home with salt tablets. his folks took him home and I unfortunately had to attend my parents' neighbor/friend funeral who died of colon cancer, hard to watch your mom's good friend die of the same ailment your mom has, you know? Anyway, back to Dave, he is feeling so so much better, I feel so confident now that he'll get some good rest and get stronger and be ready to really fight now! Go Dave go!
Take care!
Karen
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she IS adorable - almost as cute as Faith (sorry, couldn't help that) and she is clearly a very happy little girl, thanks to the wonderful start given to her by her mother, and the pure love she gets from her awesome daddy!
Karen
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crap.
that's all I have to say.
Dave's really been craving sugar lately. and look at his cancer. his body's been craving it for the cancer I bet.
crap.
Also, if you're on steroids, the nurse practitioner told us you're in a higher danger of developing diabetes, so that right there is another good reason to lay off the sugar.
Karen
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Beth, youi are a lot stronger and prettier than you think. Hang in there, you will be fine. Hopefully the Docs will get us both sleeping all night long. I sure Curt is jelous that I am sooo romantic. I took my wife out for dinner and then out to an unforgettable evening at the ER. Seriously Beth, hang in there, you can beat this!! Keep a positive attitude.
David C
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I'm so surprised, Beth, that you had such a bad night, because you looked fantastic last night! OK, I will admit I can see some steroid induced weight gain there, but I still think you look fantastic! and you seemed to have energy . . . so am so surprised to see how crummy you are doing in the middle of the night. I'm so sorry,. wish I'd know, I would have called you from the ER, we had a phone in our little ER room, and we could have talked!
hope you are better today, when we talked this morning you didn't mention it but then I didn't give you the chance.
I'll try to call you.
God bless you, my friend,
Karen
p.s. take comfort in knowing that you have a husband that adores you, no matter what. I can see it in his eyes. You are everything to him. You are one lucky woman!
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Hi, this is Karen. we have dave's laptop hooked to the phone line in his room. yes, at first we had an ER doc, a young lady who was very nice but I don't think she was all that, er, bright - then they brought in this young doc, he said he is a generalist in the hospital - he works for the hospital and acts as a patient's primary care doctor if their own doc doesn't admit them, something like that. I thought the nurse said he was the on call onco doc and he sure talked like one - he really knew his stuff, especially about the behavior of SCLC, but then he explained his role. then he gave us a rousing pep talk about the importance of just KNOWING you will be that one person in a million (or whatever) who is going to survive and that he was impressed that DAve did have that attitude, then he gave us a very passionate talk about the importance of Dave making sure that Faith and I would be well cared for, in good financial shape, emotional shape, etc., in the event he did have to leave us. this was at 2 am. I was a bit fuzzy headed and eager to get home so dave's dad could go to his "home" and go to sleep, he was babysitting faith in our house, but I'm glad I didn't leave before we talked to Dr Positive. wow. he was GOOD. and Dave' oncologist came to see him this morning before I got here and told him we would keep trying, never give up, on getting him well. we are so lucky with these wonderful docs!
lots of visitors today, including Faith, who immediately makes herself right at home in a hospital room. even knows that there's free juice to be had in the little kitchen down the hall. she likes to walk down the hall and smile and wave at patients in their rooms. little angel, this kid.
OK, I ramble, can you tell I had three hours sleep last night? went to sleep at 3:30 am, was awakened at 6:45 by a little face right in my face, looking for her beloved winnie the pooh doll.
Blessings from Room 2211,
Karen
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Beth, Thanks for letting everybody know. Hey folks, SIADH, that wonderful side effect that makes your sodium level drop has struck again. This is what caused my whole body to go start cramping (also the same way I was diagnosed back in 2003 ). The cramps had been getting worse and worse over the past few weeks. We went out to dinner Beth and her husband and had a good time but I was so tired when I left I told Karen to drive by the ER to see how busy they were. They did not look to busy I decided that we had to nip this thing in bud so we went in. I must admit that I played the cancer cards quite heavily while checking. They finally got me back in the ER Room in about an hour or one and 1/2 hour. My sodium level had dropped to 118. They admitted me and got me into my room around 4:30 in the morning. They are restricting my fluid and got me on several differet medications in a hope to get the sodium level back up quickly. I am still having cramps but they are getting better. I don't expect that I will be released tomorrow although my ONC. said there was a possibility. Basically they are experimenting with different medication combos to see what will bring my sodium back. Well, thats about all I caan type at this time. I am sure Karen will give more details.
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OK, Andrea, Uncle.
except . . . can't you convince the ins. co. that the visits are medically necessary even if the drug isn't? I actually think I convinced them that both were . . .
but, we're hijacking the thread. so, another time for that discussion!
Becky - how are you getting a three day weekend? I want one!
Karen
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Andrea - clomid isn't that expensive! wait until you buy the injectible drugs!
ha.
me:
1. Dave didn't need oxycontin today
2. It's Friday
3. Faith's class (the Moms) are sending dinner home with us tonight
4. I didn't cry any today (OK, not much)
5. A pretty little chinese girl rode in the back seat of my car this morning and smiled alot
(sorry, this was lame)
Karen
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FALSE ALARM, SORT OF - THE HOUSE WAS SOLD YESTERDAY.
They had three offers on it - two days after listing.
oh well, that's OK, we still need to sell our house, maybe the D.C. person will buy it, and another house good for us will come on the market at just the right time I am sure!
Karen
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We still don't have our house sold. But with Dave's sudden turn for the worse, or should I say the sudden onset of mets, I feel that we need to get it sold and move into town very much sooner than later. The area we want to move into is pretty popular right now and decent houses sell fast, within days. I've been keeping my eye on the MLS online and found a good house for sale that would suit us very well at a very affordable price - good neighborhood, quiet dead end street/culdesac, easy to take care of. So I met the real estate agent there yesterday and I decided I want to put a contract on it. Dave was too sick to come. He told me on the cell phone while I was there and again last night to go for it, he trusted my judgment, and he'd try to look at it today or tomorrow or soon. The agent and I decided to drop the price on our house and do a big push to get it sold soon. We may have over priced it to begin with. and he's got someone from D.C. coming to look at it this coming week - and D.C. folks are used to high prices!
anyway, I'm half way excited about a new start in a nice fairly new house, and half sad that I'm making decisions like this on my own. I told my "cool" boss this morning that I sort of missed the experience of standing in the front yard of the house having a spirited "discussion" with Dave about the pros and cons of buying the house as we would have done normally.
Again I'm venting here, sorta. But wish us luck in getting our house sold and buying this new one. it really is ideal for us at this time in our lives. I drove by it this morning with Faith and asked her if she'd like to live in it, and she said "Me go here? Mommy go? Daddy go? Puppy go? Maddy go? (the old dog)" me sleep up there? (pointing to the upstairs). I said, yes, and she said OK! Way too cute!
Karen
My dad has SCLC...
in SCLC GROUP
Posted
Personally, I think the onco doc should sit down with you, your mom and dad, and explain everything to your dad. It may or may not discourage him from fighting, but his attitude now isn't very productive, either.
Karen