Remembering Dave

It has been a while since I posted an update so here goes. I am doing pretty good consideing I am technically no longer staged as Limited SCLC. I have gone through 2 of 6 rounds of chemo and 8 of 30 rounds of Radiation. I had a CT scan of the brain and chest last week and it was all NED except for the met to my sinus cavity. Thats the good news. The bad news is that the catheter from my port-a-cath had somehow migrated up into my jugular vein. This happened with my other port (see my pofile below) so I new what to expect. The Doc told me to take it easy over the weekend and then get it fixed on Tuesday sooooooo, yesterday I spent all day at the hospital getting it fixed. The actual proceedure only took about 20 minutes and it consisted of an Interventional Radiologist sticking a wire up through a vein in my groin and running it up though my heart to my jugular vein and lassoing the catheter and pulling it back down towards my heart. I was awake throughout the whole proceedure. It did not hurt much but I will say it was not pleasant. At least I knew what to expect and the Doc and nurses there were so good and kind and personable that they turned an unpleasant experience into fun............well not fun exactly but you know what I mean, I hope. I had to lay down with my leg imobile for 3 and 1/2 hours so their great positive attitude made the time fly. Karen was awesome standing by my side the entire day. After my proceedure was completed she ran out and took a present to someone currently undergoing chemo and came back to the hospital. I went to radiation after that and then home and I was in bed by 7:30. Today I saw the Onc. and he is going to up my chemo dosage since I am doing so well with my counts and all. I told him to up it as much as he could, sock it to me!!! I can take it. I will gladly take all they can give me so I can spemd moe time with my wife and child. The best news is that over the weekend we celebrated Faiths 3rd birthday AND my parents 50th wedding Anniversary. Karen called a few minutes ago and said that her Dad had taken her mom, who is fighting Colon Cancer, to the emegency room because she is having some weird neurologic things going on. She went strait to the hospital to be with them. Please keep her in your prayers. You are all in my prayers. David C

Why, oh why are people so hateful. this is an email we received from a member here at this site. Begin-- " Don't let this know it all run you off. She popped off at me the other day and I have never communicated w/ her before. " You can spare me the transparent lecture. It's people like you that turn potentially useful and informative message boards into nmt a hangout for hopeless handholders that sugarcoat everything. All useless babble for those of us serious about fighting the uphill battle against cancer. Good luck. People like you need it. End--- I have lung cancer and in the pm my wife is being accused of not being serious about about fighting cancer. My wife has been unfaltering in the support of me and others here on this site as well as in person here were we live to others we have met who are fighting differing kinds of cancer the best way they can. As far as a "transperant lecture" we have received so many positive coments supporting her statements and pesonal actions she has undertaken to help others that this accusation is just ridiculous. As far as he being a "hopeless handholders that sugarcoat everything" I think anybody can see that she does not sugar coat anything but is brutally honest about her feelings. The majority of us here are supportive of each and every member here who are fighting this disease and we are also here for all of the the care givers out there. Unfortunately some people feel it to be their job to take the bitterness of their personal situation out on others who post in need of support and then others feel the need to backstab. Please, please, please folks, if you don't have anything supportive to offer to someone in need do not post hurtful words. Folks here who are seriosly bareing their souls and fears need support and positive advice and not hurtful sarcastic replies and backstabs. And if someones attacks or says hurtful words to any member of this board then do not be suprised if someone gets upset and speaks their mind.

Donna, thanks for the heads up on the show. CONGRATS ON 36 YEARS - SO YOU WERE WHAT, 4 YEARS OLD WHEN YOU GOT MARRIED? I love the romantic gift. Remind me sometime to tell you what Dave got me for Christmas the year we were engaged. Karen C.

Gail, Definitely in the upswing I think! Well, haven't don't anything for myself yet, nothing concrete - got busy last week with my mom's surgery and Faith's birthday and Dave's parents 50th wedding anniversary. But I'm going to do a girls' night out one evening next week with my best friend, nothing wild, just dinner after work and a movie I think. Yipee! Just having Dave's folks here makes me feel so much better, I feel so indulgent - to have someone play with Faith while I make dinner or vice versa. Quite a load off my back. Just picking her up from daycare every few days makes thing so much easier for me, I've actually gone to the grocery store by myself! Karen

Bill, whoever you are, yours was not an appropiate response to JustAkid's post. This is a place to be supportive of members, ESPECIALLY the patients, not cut them down for their very normal and expected feelings. If you cannot be supportive of a patient who is going through this awful disease then keep your mouth (or your fingers shut). Go find someone else to pick on. I will also say this is the first time, in my 1.5 years being active on this Board, that I have EVER butted in and given my two cents to an inappopriate post. But you are way out of line, Mr. Again, this is a place for support not cutting down patients who are very justified in their fears. If you were a 37 year young member with a wonderful husband and two young children that needed you, you might understand. And NO ONE deserves to be cut down because they used to smoke We have NO IDEA that her smoking caused her cancer. And even if if did, it's totally irrelevant now. She has cancer and NO ONE deserves to have cancer. Period. Karen C.

Fay, we all need to run away from home when we can! Come on out to Virginia and see us if you want to. Karen

Thanks for letting us know. My sincere condolences go out to Bob and his famkily. Bob was a great guy who gave a lot of good advice and great support. He will and has been greatly missed. David C

hang in there, prayers are still coming your way. David C

Becky,, love your post about why you're moving to the country. It's why we started looking out here in the first place. Finding the riverfront property was a nice fluke. More thinking to do, but I think it's time to call our nice neighorly friendly RE broker (who is also very good at what he does) and ask him to come talk to us about what he sees as our options. Selling half might be the cure. Then we'd have less to maintain which is a big issue. thanks ya'll, Karen

Beth, for one thing, Jim is right, just look at it as one more step towards being well! Dave often would say things like this, last year, and still does. And I will be there to support you! I will at least stop by with a present for you. I wish I could stop by with a present for each of you, but I will be by to see you tomorrow! Don't worry sweetie, it's going to be tough but you can and will do it and you will be fine. God Bless, Karen

Beth, hang in there. You know we are only a phone call away. David C

Well, this whole discussion had led us back to our original "should we sell our place and move back into town" discussion. We live about 30 miles from Richmond. It's an hour commute each way (including dropping Faith off at daycare but depending on traffic that can go to 1 hour 15 minutes). We have eight acres on a small but navigatible and very beautiful river (the Mattaponi). It's alot to take care of, not to mention the commute. Just keeping up the place takes alot of time and energy and to some extent, money. We don't know if Dave will ever be 100% again and able to keep it up. We'd save lot of time and a fair amount of money if we sold it and moved closer to Richmond. The schools for Faith would be better, we'd be closer to work and doctors and hospitals and my parents and shopping and general life. But we have poured our heart and souls into the place, done a ton of decorating inside like laying ceramic tile ourselves, cherry hardwood flooring, I did tons of decorative finish painting inside. and it will only increase in value as folks from Richmond discover that we have nice waterfront property out here . . . we could move into town, get a smaller place and reduce our mortgage payments, putting more into our retirement. And we'd be able to buy that darn travel trailer. Also, we spend less time on the river out here and more time, when Dave is able, going on weekend trips in our trailer and there are other bodies of water out there to be discovered by us. in other words, our focus is shifting from the once childless Dave and I with our waterfront property to a family doing family things . . . But I just hate to do it. Then I thought, hey, maybe we could sell half the property and use that money to do some of the things we'd like to do right now, put it into the equity of our house and reduce our mortgage payments and do more things. I know I'm baring my soul here but the bottom line is that cancer has changed the direction of our family, and as Dean says we have a new normal. so how much of the new normal do we need? a year or two ago I would never have even considered selling part of our property and potentially having neighbors in sight, but now I think if we could even possibly do that it would be a wonderful compromise. Darn cancer! Karen

Great news!!!!! Congratulations. You will be a great teacher. David C

well, seeing as we are in Virginia and Dave is in the middle of treatment, we can't come! BUT, if Dave wasn't in treatment and his parents weren't HERE, we'd come down there for that, since his parents live in Paris, not that far from Dallas (WHEN they actually live at their house, most of the time they're out on the road in their fifth wheel!), anyway, we're long overdue a visit to Paris, especially for Faith to meet her great Uncle Clovis, so that would be the perfect time to come . . . . and, by the way, October 23 is Faith's Gotcha Day (anniversary of the day she was handed to us in China!). Adopted children are special, they get a birthday and a Gotcha Day! Have a great party! Karen

Out of the mouths of babes!!!!! Hello, Thanks for sharing. David C

HickoryC, Dollywood is approx. 6-8 hours away fom us. That would be doable sometime. Don't know about this year as I am going through chemo 'till the end of the year but deffinitely next year would be great. Faith would probably love Dollywood. Happy Trails. David C

Great news!!!!! Tell Ray he is in our prayers. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! David C

Cheryl, I would not focus on the mass now visible in your lung, but on the fact that the pleural effusions are gone. I hate to say this, but it seems to me that so many of the "younger" LC patients on this board that we've lost, had that problem - the tumors they could defeat o even live with, but the pleural effusions were trouble. so you got rid of those. I think that's not a small victory, but a big one! hang in there, sounds like you're getting your chin up already. God Bless, Karen

Kelly, I am so very sorry. I can't imagine what you're feeling. God Bless, Karen C. Dave and Faith

Hey, Ginny, yes, we've been in the midst of potty training for several weeks now. I think she's got it nailed . . . sometimes doesn't catch #2 in time, and still needs a diaper while asleep, but other than that she's pretty much mastered the fine art of the porclean throne. which was alot of fun on our Montana trip, diapers would have been easier then, but no, just the week before that trip she decided it was potty time, so I spent the week cleaning toilet seats all over Montana, Waterton Canada and the Minneapolis airport (hats off to the Minneapolis airport, by the way, for the numerous "companion" restrooms throughout the airport!). thanks for the good wishes, I may have to print this thread for her scrapbook (which is conceptualized but not actualized yet!). Karen

HickoryC, wow, quite a story. You may have no idea what an inspiration your story will be to others here but it is success stories like yours that people here need to to keep thier/our minds in the fighting attiude needed to beat this. As for myself I have no doubt that I am going to beat it and hearing your story only strengthens my resolve . I can understand why you may not have wanted to be reminded of this chapter in you life but thank you so much for sharing and please visit here as much as you can. It is a good bunch of folks here and we try to support each other the best we can. Karen mentioned something about corresponding with you, maybe we can hook up on the road sometime. David C

Lois, glad you're here, I am so so sorry you lost your husband, but maybe some of us can benefit from your experience. I hope you stick around. For the most part, we are nice bunch of folks! I use my husband's sign in to post, he is the patient - only 40 years old at this time, battling his second bout of SCLC. Take care and thanks for coming! Karen C.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN ADVANCE TO AMY!

You are so bad! Karen

It sounds like a wonderful day, and I wish for your many many more wonderful birthdays in your future! Karen C.