Remembering Dave

Just saw this, sorry so late. Happy belated Gotcha Day and Anniversary. David C

You definitely have my prayers for a quick turnaround. David C

Ha,Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!!!!!! Believe me I am laughing at myself NOT YOU. I asked the same questions myself when I had my clear scans. You do not quite know what to make of it. It does not seem real. I had to ask my Onc. if this meant I was in remission!!!! Remission, NED, Clear, no matter what you call it it is wonderful news!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations. I know that this is a time of confusion. Enjoy your life, live it to the fullest. Look at the chemo as a pentative for any rogue cells that still may be floating around. I know it is hard not to worry. I am sure your Doctors will do scans periodically to check and make sure it does not return. My prayers will be with you. David C

Cool Dude!!!!!! I know you will enjoy the new ride. Congrats!! David C

Ginny, I just saw this post, I had lunch with Dave and he pointed out to me that there is a new General forum and I hadn't seen it so I'm missing stuff. I am so sorry and my heart is breaking, too. I can hardly bear looking at that beautiful photo of the two of you and then read the words on The Duke and all those brain mets and liver mets. I want to come up there and give you both a big hug. Better yet, I want to bring Faith up there so she can give each of you a big wet Faith kiss right on the lips, which is her specialist. She also specializes in huges. Keep us posted, I wish I could really help you. God Bless, Karen C.

you guys are making me dizzy. haha Karen C.

Denise, I struggle every day with walking the fine line between being a total nag to Dave and looking out for his best interests. This isn't a fair comparison because it sounds like he has a somewhat stronger will, at least outwardly, than your Mom, and I really don't need to nag him. But what I have learned is that it does no good to nag to the point that you make someone made at your or they don't want you around. Back off a little on that - she may not be doing herself as much harm as you think. You're just afraid for her. Why not just tell her that you love her and that is why you are such a nag, but from now on you will try to less of a nag, but that you are always there for her? I completely understand all of your emotions, I don't know what else to say, but that I'm behind you all the way. It's really hard to stand back and let your loved one, the cancer victim, deal with the disease in their own unspoken way, but sometimes you just have to let them. Keep us posted We love you, Karen C.

Hi everyone, I haven't been on this forum much lately, things had settled down at our house but now Dave will be back in active treatment. I want to say that I was devastated beyond belief when we found out on Tuesday his cancer was back. But then this morning I was getting ready and I could almost see, visualize, the tumor tissue growing in the porous holes of his sinus bones and I thought, aww, no problem, is THAT all it is? Now I feel a little at peace and less pancky about it. It's kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel suddenly appeared - I see no more darkness, only light - not even figuratively, I mean literally. And I swear I can feel the presence of Christ standing by me coaching me on these thoughts. So I am here to help you other caregivers find strength. We can do it. Our strength is there waiting for us whenever we need it. God Bless us all, Karen

No problem with needing a fresh start, so we will miss you, but I think the political turn has turned away. Best of luck, sometimes folks need to take a deep breath and move away from certain things, which is understandble. Karen C.

Yeah, I want to know, too. That is definitely a reason to call the oncologist. don't worry about driving them crazy, they're paid big money to be driven crazy. Karen C.

Andrea and everybody. We did not even notice that there was a new General section. We have been so engrossed in our affairs that we just did not notice. Thank you so much for everybody's posts of support to Karen and I under our post an the old General board. Please know that every night you are all included in my prayers. May God bless us and forgive us all our sins. May he watch over us and give us the strength to face the road ahead. David C

Cat, I just saw your post here. I am so sorry to hear this news, There is always something that can be done, prayer does wonders and you definitely have my prayers. David C

Ginny I am so sorry to hear this news. My prayers are with you and the Duke. We are all here for you. David C

I had the same chemo drugs and was in remission for over a year. I elected to have the preventative brain radiation but from what I understand there is no more medical treatments available for SCLC. I do know that you have to have a break before you can start more chemo. Not sure how long but think it may be at least 6 months. David C

Beth, I am so sorry. I am sure he will enjoy having a Celebration in his honor. I truely believe that that is the way to say farwell to our loved ones. Please know that you are in my prayers. David C

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!! The ball is rolling right along. I go tomorrow to have lab work done for getting my port a cath re-installed which is scheduled for Monday morning. I will start my chemo regime next Friday. I don't know for sure but I am thinking I will have 2 rounds of chemo before Karen Faith and I go to Glacier National Park in Montana for a family reunion. My family lived in Missoula MT while my dad was getting his Masters Degree at U of MT and my sister, Becky CW, worked at Glacier for several years before she moved to LA. We have been planning this trip for a year and already have our tickets and reservations. You know last year prior to my initial diagnosis we had tickets to go visit my folks and Aunts and Uncles in Texas. We ended up not going and lost our money we had paid for the tickets. I think it is the D*MN plane tickets that is causing this crap. I told Karen a few months ago I AM going to Glacier Park, I didn't care if she had to push me on the plane in a wheel chair. Looks like I will be in the throes of chemo hell but go I will. And D*mn it all, I will have fun!!!!!! I can't wait for a whole week of no more Kerry/Edwards/Bush/Cheney finger pointing and just enjoying my family and the beautiful Rocky Mountains of northern Montana enjoying the childhood memories I have and sharing the experience with Karen and Faith. I am a bachelor tonight. Karen and Faith abandoned me...just kidding she and Faith went over and had dinner with her parents tonight so it is just me and the dogs. I am so glad her parents live close by and that she can visit them. I am so lucky to have a women like Karen in my life. She has been through a lot and I am more sorry that she has to go through this than I am that I do. She does not diserve this. She is so strong. Please keep her in your prayers. The dogs are whinig to go out so I better sign off here. Thanks again for all you thoughts, creative cursing and above all all of your prayers. David C

Rachel, Dave had PCI last September and he had memory problems, extreme fatigue, all kinds of stuff like you are experiencing, all the way until this Spring. If you had whole brain radiation which is alot stronger than PCI I am not surprised. His symptoms gradually got better so yours should as well. Hang in there, Karen C.

Dave is going to start on this drug next week and the oncologist just told us yesterday to expect ear ringing. as well as "expedited digestion" and a host of other side effects. Hang in there and know that it should only be temporary, or, at the very least, it's better than the alternative . . . Karen C.

Dear Robert, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ROBERT, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!! (trust me, or ask Dave, you would NOT want to hear me sing this in person, ha!) I hope you guys have a wonderful birthday get together and I wish I could be there! Love and God Bless, Karen C.

John, you're the man with info for sure! thanks for this, I'll make sure Dave seems it first thing in the am (he's asleep already) but as usual you are right on top of things. I just couldn't think straight enough to get started, now I can. Karen C.

Jane, I always followed your stories of Alan with alot of interest, and I can see in this picture how much better he looks, although he is closer to the end of his battle. I remember your talking about how he seemed to have made peace with himself, etc., and you can see it in his face, his smile, his eyes. I love it, thanks for sharing. God Bless, Karen C.

sandy, GREAT news, I have actually been wondering about you, despite everything else. I think you and Dave "started" out at about the same time so I am always keenly interested in how you are doing - and you are doing GREAT! Praise God! Karen C.

first of all, I am very cheered by all the creative cursing posted to this thread. What a bunch of creative thinkers we got here! all of your thinly veiled cursing amused me greatly which cheered me greatly, which I needed very badly after I practically had a nervous breakdown this afternoon. I think I am past it now. secondly, a big sincere thanks for all the words of support. I know Dave will beat this. I HOPE it never comes back again, but if it does he'll beat it back again. and leave it to Dave to get a mets in a most creative place. so creative it threw off just about every doctor off until the proof was in the pudding. thirdly, yes, I am very grateful to "our" oncologist. frankly I love the man. I almost can't believe how receptive everyone in that office, including and especially the doc himself, was to getting us in and a plan started all within hours. It's mind boggling as a matter of fact. When I hear about folks having to wait weeks to see their oncologist (including my mother, but I got around that by getting her in to see our dear Dr. Schwarz) I am just incredulous. How could anyone wait to start their cancer treatment? OK, 'nuff rambling AGAIN. What would I do without this website? I think I truly would have nervous breakdown #2. Thanks and God Bless to all, Karen C.

Hi, ya'll, for more background, see our post under General (it's back) but Dave's oncologist told us about great progress they're making in Japan using combo of cisplatin and CBT-11 together for SCLC. He said that combo is in clinical trials in the U.S. for first line treatment but since this is a mets for Dave he wouldn't be in a trial, but the onc. (who is really great, brilliant, caring, up to date on everything) want to use it for Dave, he seemed quite excited about it actually. He said it's been used in Japan but still in the clinical trial stage in the U.S. but I get the feeling he's seen enough evidence of how well it's working that he wants to use it with Dave. Just wondering if anyone knows much more about this. thanks, Karen C.

Hello, all. Turns out I did not have a simple case of Bonkitis on my right eyebrow like we were all hoping for. I saw my ENT Doc. who operated on my sinus and did a bone biopsy and she said that the path came back as small cell cancer met' from my SCLC. Darn it all. My Onc's office and radiologist office is just right accross the street so Karen and got copies of the Path. report and went strait over to my Onc's office and he saw me right away (well after an hour or 2 wait, but still pretty good same day!!) He was visibly upset that it had come back and we are going to start chemo as soon as possible and then I will have radiation. He is talking about putting me on Cisplatin and CPT-11 this time. I will have to have my port re-installed.......darn it all!!!!! I had it removed just a little too soon. This is just another bump and something we have to deal with. No problems, only solutions. I will beat it this time just like I did before, with many prayers and support from everyone and many listenings of Shostakovich's 5th symphony and Imagry. David C This is Karen. Darn it all is right. Dave didn't mention passing out in the ENT's office. not from the news, but she ran some instruments up his nose to remove the packing and hit some nerve (she said it happens all the time, not to worry) and he got really hot and sweaty and his eyeballs rolled back and he passed out for a second. He was OK, though. YEP, across the street to the oncologist's office we marched. well, actually, we got in the car . . . anyway, they were great there, and even pulled up my mom's info while we were waiting. My mom is supposed to see an oncologist from the same group, different office, but I didn't like him AT ALL (arrogant) AND he can't see her until August. So the gals there said they'd get her in to see Dr. Schwarz, Dave's oncologist, sooner, like in the next week or so, and frankly he is so great and so kind and as you can see, so quick to act, that made me feel alot better. So now I get to see our dear Dr. Schwarz alot, ha! This just totally sucks on Dave, what can I say, we were shocked, but the ENT doc said some things that on reflection made me realize that she KNEW when she was working on him last Thursday that it was cancer. She said the tumor was actually pushing the duct closed that drains from that sinus cavity which was causing back up of fluid which caused an infection, but that the bone in and around the sinus cavity is very porous like a sponge and she could see growths of cancer tissue in the little holes as well. She mentioned the little holes after the surgery last week. But that's not important, I respect her for waiting for the pathology before saying anything about it. I don't know what else to say, I'm really floored, and am trying to work but can't focus . . . Karen