Remembering Dave
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Posts posted by Remembering Dave
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I agree, Fay, about the detail thing. I've always been that way - very open about things - for the same reason - maybe something from your detailed experience can help another person. plus I'm just an open person.
OK, the rash I can understand, but please get that tumor thing checked out, I don't like the sounds of that thing.
please keep us posted.
We love you,
Karen
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Fay, thank you for your kind words and passing this long for Bill.
I will stop and say a special prayer for them. I know Bill loves his wife very much. This has got to be horrific for him. Sounds like she's in good hands though.
Hang in there, Bill and God Bless you,
Karen
speaking for Dave as well
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MAKE SURE AS SOON AS THAT BABY COMES YOU GET WORD TO US - DO YOU HEAR ME?
I'm so excited about it, I don't know why - more hope and good news in new life maybe?
maybe one of the delivery room nurses can get on the internet from her desk and let us know!
Karen
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Jim - do you know HOW BADLY I NEEDED TO READ SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS POST TODAY?
SIX chemo regiments? wow.
I have a call in to our minister. I want him to come out and talk to Dave. I am down in the dumps and think he can help us some in the God category and that the topotecan works for Dave!
Praise God, and thank you Jim!
Karen
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protein is good for healing the damage done by radiation. Dave ate lots of cottage cheese, he likes it mixed with canned fruit. he also ate alot of tuna salad, and those ensure milkshakes that Ginny mentioned. his mom also makes protein smoothie shakes.
it's probably best to avoid refined sugars but Dave's doctors always told him to eat whatever he wanted to eat or felt like eating.
Karen
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I don't know a thing about Taxol for SCLC, but I want to know about the vaccine trial she's in! Please give me the skinny on that, PM me if you prefer!
But I know what you mean about six weeks of doing nothing to keep the cancer at bay. I don't know what to say about that. but just have faith these docs pretty much know what they're doing.
thanks,
Karen
and best of luck to your mom!
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I miss Connie very very much, too. I was just thinking this week that I needed some virtual hugs from Connie right now - really bad!
Connie is the best.
Karen
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yep, clear margins is a very magical phrase. clear lymph nodes, too!
I hope she heals quickly, she's a young thing (year younger than me!) so she should bounce back quickly!
Karen
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Again, thanks everyone. HUGS back! Don, thanks for saying it gets better as they adjust to it. I get so scared when Dave isn't "there" you know?
In fact, he just called me, and he sounded very lucid. that was comforting.
Karen
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Addie - I wrote down all the supplements and took the list to the nurse practitioner on Tuesday - yesterday - we went over everything and she approved them all. by the way, he went in for chemo yesterday and couldn't get it b/c his platelett count was 90,000 and it had to be 100,000. that was disappointing. I put the little notebook in the drawer right with his drugs, laid it on top of them in fact, and this morning he did write down what he took, before I left for work. If I feel this isn't working I will give the drugs to his parents and ask them to dole them out to him and record them. They just got here on Monday and aren't quite up to speed on the situaton I don't think - quite a shocking thing - and I'm not sure they completely understand but I wrote them a nice detailed email with instructions about his drugs, eating, checking on him often, etc. so we'll see how it goes. they brought their gigantic fifth wheel trailer to live in and they tend to stay out there doing their thing and leave Dave be in the house doing his thing, which was fine last go around but this time I think he needs more watching.
I just don't like not being there to make sure everything is taken care of, myself. I trust that things will fall into place soon. If we could get our house sold soon and move into a small house close to the city with a cheap mortgage payment I could take more time with him, heck, I could probably run home on my lunch hour to check on him.
Karen
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Well, one of the docs put Dave on oxycontin for the pain - 20 mg twice a day I think it is. It is totally doing a number on him. Just totally out of it. Like someone really really drunk. Can't remember what meds he's taken, if he fed the dogs (within the last hour), etc. So I made up a little notebook to keep with his prescription meds so every time he takes one he, or me, or one of his parents, can write down the time. I think he may have taken more than he was supposed to yesterday so hopefully the chart will stop that. I put all the supplements I've got him on now in those Monday-Sunday pill boxes so he won't forget to take those throughout each day. I've asked his Dad to walk the dogs every few hours in case Dave forgets to and they end up in the house all day long.
I just WISH I could be at home with him more, but I can't. I have to work.
I hate that the's on the oxycontin, it makes it feel like he is slipping away, and he's just slipping away mentally. but nothing else has helped his pain it seems.
I am really just venting, but what is others' experience with how their loved ones did on these strong painkillers?
thanks,
Karen
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Peggy, prayers for your hu\bbie, but I feel that all will be fine.
Love, Karen
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Carrie, no experience with this either (yet) but just wanted to wish you well and say I know you will do just fine.
I'd get some ativan if you could. what the heck. anyone would be anxious about having a procedure like that done.
I look forward to hearing your post about how it went! Is someone going with you, going to be there with you?
Best of Luck and Love,
Karen
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Ok, I'm a little late - no, ALOT late on this, but I was a little preoccupied last week with Dave's stuff. Just wanted to say I'm glad John is feeling a little better and I hope like heck it was "just sinuses." Do you have a humidifer in your bedroom? I have chronic sinus problems and a humidifier really works. a heated mist, not cool mist one is what you need - we found out the hard way that cool mist is a bad idea (mold grows in the tank and filter way too easy).
Keeping you and your whole family in my prayers,
Karen
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Crap, Beth, take it and run with it! You were due a break!
OR, maybe, just maybe, all those nodes aren't cancer at all but the fungal thing?
OR, maybe you are the walking miracle I am praying for!
Karen
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Hi, just wanted to say I've barely had time to watch the news lately and did see something about your little town on the news the other day, what a coincidence.
I hope you are doing OK.
God Bless,
Karen
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well, crap. and welcome to the husband/mother cancer club. a club I wish I to belong to alone, this is not good. I will say at least my mom and dad live in town and my mom's got my dad. this long distance help is going to be pretty darn hard.
I don't know what to say, Ry and John, except hang tough. I know your family will pull together and work out a plan. I'm just really really sorry. I hope they caught it at an early stage.
God Bless,
Karen
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Kel, I'm so sorry things look so bad for your Mom and there is so much sadness. I think thirty is way too young to lose your mother. I'm 46 and I think I'm way too young to lose mine, which is something I also face along with my husband's cancer.
I don't know what else to say, except to take good care of that dear mom of yours and enjoy the days. you never know what the future holds, including a miracle or a cure.
God Bless,
Karen
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Betty, I've been wondering about you.
The cisplatin was pretty rough on Dave, too, but he didn't lose weight. just kept eating to ward off the nausea.
Maybe if your doctor considers switcing your chemo he can try the Topotecan? That's what Dave is taking now for his returned SCLC and so is Addie. The first treatment made Dave really sick, but everyone seems to think it was the zometa he got (to build up bone, not a chemo) that made him sick more than the topotecan.
We will be praying for you to feel better and to have success.
Hang in there and God Bless,
Karen
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Lori,
You can get some help for yourself to help you deal with this. When we learned of my husband's sudden multiple metastasis a week or so ago I FREAKED OUT. I couldn't stop crying, I felt panicky, I could not be alone in a room, not even with just my three year old, without my heart racing and getting an anxiety attack. One of Dave's docs prescribed me a low dose of xanax but I was afraid to take it because I didn't want to be a zombie and have to take care of the two of them. but my therpaist talked me into it and it worked beautifully! she also called my family doc who called me and talked me through it, what dose to take, how often, etc. and it has completely calmed me down and erased the panicky feelings without making me a zombie.
Try to get to see a doctor, your family doc if you're at home, I have the feeling you're out of town caring for your dad? maybe one of his doctors will see you and prescribe some xanax for you. I'm taking .5 mg which is low dose, .5 twice a day. it will also help you to think more clearly with these scary situations.
Another thing, no matter what, I believe it is very important to keep your father's pain level to a minimum. pain drains the energy from a person. pain does alot of bad things besides just hurting . . . so no matter what, try to find the right drug and the right dosage to manage his pain for him. it's important.
take care and God Bless,
Karen
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Doing OK, and I think Dave is feeling better, but that could be due to his new best friend, Hillbilly Heroin (oxycontin). But the awful pain is gone, yesterday he said it felt just really sore, like healing from the pain, so I guess that is good.
Yesterday my mom and I took Faith to the Pooh movie. Today Dave' Northern Va. sister came down with her family, we had lunch, then everyone but Dave went to the Children's museum for a birthday party Faith was invited to. I had never been to one and it was quite neat, Faith and her cousins loved it.
Becky was with us until Friay evening and it really helped get us through last week Their parents will be here tomorrow and so I'll feel alot better about leaving Dave and going to work each day.
KAREN
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Fay, I wish I had some ideas.
Maybe we can one day have this site fundraising enough money to have a fund for people in need like that.
Dave is working on an idea to make some money for the site, I hope it works
Bless your heart,
Karen
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Cindi, good move. the ER docs where I take Dave says to never hesitate to bring him in when we're not sure about something, a cancer patient should never mess around. so I'm glad you went.
God Bless,
Karen
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Baby?
in GENERAL
Posted
BABY BABY BABY BABY
NEW LIFE NEW HOPE YESIREE!!
Karen