Remembering Dave

Ray, it's 9:41 am, and I just know you are going to do well. This will be one more step towards beating the beast. God Bless and prayers, Karen C.

Angie, Dave's parents were with us last year for six months during his first bout with LC. Faith has yet to recover from that solid six months of spoiling! Now we're ready for Round 2, ha! No, it's great, because Dave's mom has a reading teacher (I think I got that right) and she's great with helping Faith with her speech and reading to her, etc., and, of course, giving her all the attention that Faith thinks she requires! Karen

Faith is three years old today! BeckyCW got here in good shape yesterday evening and surprised her parents on their 50th wedding anniversary! I didn't even get to see Faith this morning, left for work before she was awake. She gets to spend the day with her MomMom (what's she's now calling Grandmas) and her Aunt Becky. And it's a beautiful, humidity free (relatively), sunny day here in central Virginia. Meanwhile, I monitor the hurricane in Florida and worry about our friends down there. God Bless us all, Karen C.

That's really bad luck for her. Sounds like you guys did your best, poor thing. The thumb wrestling thing is really funny! Brings back memories! I used to thumb wrestle my brothers all the time when we were kids! Hang in there and take good care of your mom God Bless, Karen c.

Hang in there Nancy. You will do fine. My prayers are for clean, clean, clean scans. David C

Betty, prayers for you. My first thought is what Fay said. How are you doing, don't you live in Florida? Keep us posted on all accounts and I pray that you stay safe and dry. I worry about you single folks battling this disease. God Bless, Karen C.

Donna took the words right out of my mouth and that's a great website, too. Yes, slightly older dogs will often be already house trained so that issue will be OK. also, they may want to find a breed that doesn't shed so much like a schnauzer, if your dad is anal about the house. I know what you mean, my dad is the same way about their house. we could never have a dog and when I got a cat as a kid he said "not in the house" so I would open my bedroom window (first floor) and let my cat in at night to sleep with me! I can't imagine them EVER getting a pet, even with cancer! good luck! Karen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!! AND MANY MORE!!! Today is Dave's parents' 50th wedding anniversary! Tomorrow is Faith's 3rd Birthday! Oh happy week! EXCEPT FOR THE DARN HURRICANE AND ALL THE FLOODED OUT STREETS AND DESTRUCTION IN RICHMOND! Karen

Cat, best of luck with your trip, I am worried about you making this trip alone when I know you are so sick. And I think it totally sucks that shelters won't take people with the family dog, especially if the dog is a little tiny one like yours. that is insane. but you're better off doing what you're doing than going to a shelter if you ask me. I hope you can get to a computer - maybe at a public library or a Kinkos? and let us know how you are doing. when did you schedule a return? make sure you give the hurricane plenty of time to go through. Best of luck to you. and you other FL folks please keep us posted as well. God Bless to you all, Karen C.

hey guys. I have no idea why we're not discussing the second mortgage/equity line thing. Dave is a mortgage underwriter! we need to talk more about it. Becky, geez, you sure are making this hard, yep, living for today could be a negative, like I'm afraid there's no tomorrow. that's a good one. but fortunately that's really not what I think. If I thought Dave didn't have a chance to live much longer I wouldn't buy something I wouldn't use without him. This is something I think we could use forever together. And Becky, quit making that fine print, it's killing my eyes! No, the point is, THIS is our dream trailer! The one we've been looking for! If we could design it ourselves this might be it! The one we have now is the one we bought because it was a good deal and easy to afford at the time. Sorry, if I could satisfy this longing with a substitute I wouldn't be so deeply in angst right now. and I must say I feel silly for posting this question at all when we all have so many bigger things in our lives. but I was on a travel trailer forum and this guy was agonizing, going on and on, just about whether he should pay extra for gold paint trim on the exterior of his trailer! I so much wanted to post with a "aren't you glad you don't have bigger things in life to worry about" but you never know, he might, and this is his outlet, so I bit my figurative tongue. Thanks for the input, Karen

Alright, Elaine, VOICE OF REASON. that is what I'm worried about. taking retirement money to live for today. and yes, I always list my stressors. I think I'll stop - you guys know all about that by now! thanks!

Becky. I SAW THE FINE PRINT! Yes, we have some practical uses for it. We're getting alot more overnight visits especially from Dave's sister and we don't live anywhere near a motel either. so that would be nice. AND, you can use the interest payments as a tax deduction as a second home, did you know that? Yes, if we were like you and never traveled except for an annual vacation it would be frivolous, but we love hitting the open road, even for weekends. Keep the opinions coming folks! Karen Betty - GOOD FOR YOU, live for the future - start a business!! Go for it, girl!

I think it's a great topic and sorta in line with my "should we buy a new travel trailer" post. I walk a fine line with Dave. Sometimes I know I ask too much but feel a little desperate, sometimes I hover and try to get him to sit down and I can fix him that big glass of ice water - and sometimes I wish he'd come down off the lawn mower out of the heat. I just try to feel my way through every situation. Love to hear what others have to say. Karen

one more thing . . . I've been cheating on this board and visiting another board - the Trailer Life travel trailer forum! On it I found a lung cancer survivor who bought a TT as soon as he recovered from surgery! I asked him to come here and visit and post his story because I thought it would be inspirational and he did. Check him out - HickoryC under the My Story forum. Best, Karen

Curtis not much more than that I think (scary). thanks for your input! Also, guess part of my desire to buy a brand new travel trailer is that I'm making a statement to myself and the whole world that LIFE WILL BE NORMAL AGAIN. Waiting until Dave feels better means I'm waiting to see IF he feels better. Buying it NOW means I KNOW he'll feel better. Make sense? Karen

Hey, gang - we've gotten lots of cards from LCHelp folks and I want to thank each of you personally but I don't have time really for a while. Just seeing them come in the mail gives us both a big lift! I'll confess, too that I haven't even seen all the cards myself - I leave the house at 7 am and get home around 8 or 9 after working and seeing my mom, so I haven't read the mail in days, but every day I look at the fresh pile of mail and see cards from names I recognize! hopefully in the next few days I'll sit down and read them all, and I think Dave has been dong that daily. He just feels REALLY bad right now, the chemo and radiation is kicking his Bu__T, the fatigue and nausea is pretty bad. I think he's on the site lurking every day but he doesn't even feel like replying to the emails I send him from work. He just says when I fret over it, that it means the chemo is working! Thanks and God Bless, Karen C.

OK, Dave and I bought a used travel trailer before we got Faith. We used to tent camp and then decided to get a TT, easier with the dogs and we figured easier with a child. so we got one used and it's in good shape but now we realize it's just not big enough for the two of us, two huge dogs and an active child. and of course we haven't used it nearly as much as we planned due to dave's illness. so I dream about a brand new travel trailer - one with slide outs and a bed big enough for dave and I sleep in together and a bed for Faith all her own without having to sleep on a pad on the floor with the dogs . . . and a clean shiny kitchen and and a real bathroom . . . and the open road ahead of us, when Dave is well and we are off on lots of fun family adventures! so every now and then I look at TT websites or drive through a dealer's lot. well, there was a show/sale here in Richmond on Sunday and we stopped by and I immediately found the perfect TT. I found Dave and took him in it and I could tell he liked it ALOT too. in fact, he kept saying on the way home how much he liked it. which made me like it all the more . . . So we've been tossing around the idea of actually buying it. Can we afford it? Will we be able to actually use it enough to justify getting it? Should we take $10,000 out of my retirement savings to put down on the loan so we can afford the monthly payments? I need objective advice! Should we get this darn thing and live for today, or should we be prudent, wait until spring and see how dave is doing and then make the plunge? I'd love to take a few weekend fall trips but not sure if he's up to it, the chemo is really kicking his butt right now. Another thing, we use our TT as a guest cottage, Dave's sister and her husband and kids really like staying out there, but it would be a whole lot nicer if they had the nicer TT, which really is more like a cottage when you open up the slides (plus it's got more of a real bathroom in it!). OK, input my friends! Thanks, Karen

Ann, when I said drive northwest, I meant completely out of the state of Florida - like to Arkansas or something! I know that's pretty unreasonable, that long a road trip for someone suffering from cancer. just a thought. maybe find a road trip buddy. I really am worried about you Florida folks. It seems that the tropical storm/hurricane season has been partcularly bad this year and the last couple of years. please keep us posted. Karen

OK, this is sort of lame advice, but instead of driving up the coast, due north, can you somehow drive northwest, away from the coast? sorry, can't think of anything else. I'd invite you to come to our house but you never know. Tropical Storm Gaston made a direct hit on Richmond yesterday and we got 12 inches of rain in one day. part of the city is literally condemned. I was in the hospital all day with my mom's surgery, stuck in the basement where the surgical area is so I missed all the excitment until I had to drive home. that was fun, navitating through broken traffic lights and flooded roads. but I got there . . . Take care, Cat. Good luck. Karen

I did PCI, I never once doubted that I would get it if it was offered to me and am convinced that my recent reoccurance would have been in my bain instead of in my skull bone if I had not have had the PCI. As far as the side effects, I did have a poblem with severe fatigue, more so than with chemo and radiation at the same time. The fist day I had a pretty bad headache which was caused by a slight swelling of the brain. I got on steroids and immediately stopped having the headaches. I was keeping my head shaved so did not notice any additional hair loss but I understand that happens. As far as the short term memeory loss goes I don't think I had much of a problem with that. I seem to have shot term memory loss a lot if you talk to my wife but seriously I did not notice much more loss than I normaly had. To me, any chance of living one moe day with my wife and daughter is woth any temporary side effects which may happena and chances are I will not get any of the permanent side effects. David C

Jen, sorry so late seeing your post. Everything you said sounds oh so familiar. I had my last day of my 2nd round of chemo yesterday and then started radiation to my tumor sight on my skull. Chemoscuzzies are here. Glad to hear you ae doing well and that the adiation is almost over, I remember I was so happy on my last day. Sounds as if the treatments are doing the job. I am so happy for you. Keep your chin up, it will be over soon and you will be Cancer Free!!!!!!!!!!!!! David C

Ray, you know your own body much much better than this nurse. I think you're OK. Keep us posted, but I think she's going by the book without reading all the history, and she's not a doctor either. Dave's oncologist's nurse looked at the written report on his brain MRI and declaed him with two brain tumors, which caused a flurry of unnecessary excitement for the better part of a week and also put him on decadron unnecessarily. she ain't a doc and she didn't read it write. keep us posted because I want to hear that you are right. and yep, what a pain. God Bless, Karen

Hi, as many of you know, my mom is battling colon cancer. she had part of her colon with a nasty tumor removed two months ago and today she had another surgery to remove tumo on her liver. the surgeon had said he couldn't do it with laproscopy, he had to open he up, but he changed his mind, especially after talking to mom's super duper colon surgeon and our wonderful "family" oncologist, and he did it laproscopy! It still took three hours, but my mom, who doesn't do narcotcs very well, now has a quick recovery time, little pain, etc. TAlk about God answering some prayers! anyway, THAT, along wih the arrival of dave's parents, is making my life so much better, I feel like i can breathe now! Karen

Melinda, I have a suggestion, can you type out the story of the whole accident for us, including the Seinfeld worthy ride to the hospital? will kill some time and entertain us, too. that being said, I'm really sorry you were in an accident and I really do hope you're OK. and if you're in pain I sure hope you've got some good pain meds, if not, tell you doc to prescibe them. Book, movies, get Geoff to bring you these things, then you'll have something to do and he will have helped you. Poor thing, I know you are miserable and worried about everyone else. But take care of yourself, don't fret, and you'll be 100% sooner than you think. Keep us posted, God Bless, Karen C.

Denise, we are so sorry you lost your Mom. You are a great daughter and did your best for her. God Bless, Karen, Dave and Faith