Remembering Dave
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Posts posted by Remembering Dave
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Congratulations!! I love weddings, believe it or not, and the dogs sound like they were priceless.
David C
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Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. What appropriate lyrics. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
David C
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Yippee!!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Enjoy the Mouintain Beauty!!
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Well I do remember he was just delaying treatments but when you are only given 3 months, statistics or not, It seems as if delaying is almost the same as denying treatment at that point. My stance is that I have to be as aggressive as possible in my treatments and any kind of delay is not being aggressive. We have not picked up his last CD yet but will be doing so soon and am looking forward very much to hearing it. I would love to hear some of the interviews you are speaking of Ry.
David C
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Nobody seems to have agreed with you, at least not in words here. I DO AGREE--it is amazing what hope a fresh morning can bring? Hope all is well with you and your family.
David C
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Glad treatments have started. You get on those doctors, push them if they need it. Lord help my doctors if they start dragging their feet with me--my wife will lay into them in a flash if she thinks they are not moving fast enough. My thoughts and prayers are with you and you're family. Keep us updated.
David C
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Hello Hebbie, yes you are correct, he did opt. not to have any treatments. I really cannot fathom that kind of decision but as I have said before--everybody handles this differently and there is no absolute correct decisions. Karen and I saw the special on VH-1 and it seemed as if he was pretty doped up on pain pills and morphine the entire time he was being interviewed.
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Berisa, great article. And good questions you ask, I'd like to know the answers to those as well. It would be good to increase any foods that contain that enzyme.
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Just saw it on the foxnews.com website. We had a discussion on him which Gina started a few weeks ago when his documentary was on VH-1. Just thought I'd post the news.
Karen C.
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Hello Mandy, welcome aboard. Norme is corect, there is no way to truely prepare yourself for this road. Everybody reacts differently and all you can do is hold on and use your best instints and wisdom and ask a lot of questions. SCLC is very responsive to treatment so keep your Faith. The side effects from the chemo are edifferent for everybody as well. I have experienced severe fatigue and had a bloody nose and needed 1 blood transfusion because of low blood counts but just remember it is all a symptom of the cure, not the disease. I just keep telleing myself that the treatments will be over soon enough. There are a lot of people with cancer as well as a lot of caregivers such as yourself to talk with here so come on back and keep us all informed. We are all here for you even if everybody does not respond to a post all the time. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
David C
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Botely, Jenny and I have almost mirrored each other as far as dignosis dates and treatment protocal. I had my radiation and chemo treatments at the same time and believe it was a little harder as far as the fatigue and other side effects but always keep in mind that they are side effects of the cure--not the disease. You did not mention how old you mother is which may have played a part in the desicio n not to do radiation at this time. Her over all health situation may have also played a part in the decision. As for your question as to if to push for radiation, my vote would be a definite YES!!! My thinking is that anything which will help, I WANT. Preventative brain radiation (PCI) which is usualy done after all chemo and any chest radiation for people who have a good response to the treatments is a controversial treatment which many people do not opt for but in my case, again, i felt that if there was any chance of furthering my survival rate then I wanted to have it done. Everybody is different and no decision is right for everyone so you and you mother must really search you soles and do your research on the treatments and make your'e own decision as to you treatment protocal. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
David C
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Hi, this is David C's wife, Karen.
Yep, he has a couple of things he got with Marlboro miles. Wouldn't it be nice if you could earn CT scans with miles, I LOVE that idea!
The only reason I mention to folks that Dave's smoking caused his cancer is because it did. When he was in the hospital being diagnosed, the oncologist looked him straight in the eye and said "your kind of lung cancer is almost always caused by smoking and if you smoke again, no matter what we do for you, you will probably die" I assume by "your kind" he meant SCLC. I was glad he was so straightforward with Dave and he is a kind man, he did not say it as punishment, just wanted to arm Dave with every bit of information he needed to fight this thing to win.
So, I mention to people I know who are smokers that my husband has LC and his smoking caused it. I walk right up to them on the loading dock of our office bldg where they smoke and tell them. All I get are blank looks, looks that say "sorry, but it won't happen to me". I will say, however, that this past weekend I was at a family wedding out of town and was telling a cousin's 23 year old daughter this - she smokes - and she just looked at me, her jaw dropped, and said "wow". I would bet she stops. She is a budding musician and admires Dave so hopefully I got through to someone in time.
All of that being said, there are plenty of folks on this board who never smoked and got lung cancer. They don't deserve to be pre-judged by anyone because people may assume they smoked. The folks on this board who did smoke and got lung cancer certainly don't deserve to be judged, either. No one deserves to get this nasty disease, whether you were very careful with your health or not. It is probably the most awful thing that can happen to a person.
I just wanted to add my two cents worth.
Oh, by the way, I do tell some folks if they choose to continue smoking they should get their lungs checked periodically. One lady I work with tells me her husband smokes - and he is a technician who works on the radiation machinery at the big teaching hospital here in town (one of the top cancer centers in the country). He SEES people's xrays and CT scans and stuff from lung cancer - she asked him to get his lungs scanned and he said it wouldn't happen to him!
God Bless to everyone on this Board,
Karen C.
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Jenny, this is Karen, David C's wife. He started his PCI on Wednesday. By Wednesday evening he had a terrible headache - he said it felt like his eyes were popping out of his head. The next day when he went in the nurse said he was having brain swelling from the PCI (after just one treatment!) and put him on Decadron, a steriod. He still has the headache, a little bit, and last night couldn't sleep because of the steriod. Steroids also make him a little crazy, he was on prednisone last Fall for his asthma (which the lung tumors triggered, which we did not know at the time he had) and went psycho on me. Fortunately his entire family was there for Thanksgiving so I had some backup . . . !!
Anyway, the chemo and chest radiation, which he had concurrently, did not bother him all that much except for the fatigue, but this PCI seems to be making him feel worse than anything. It sounds like it's not bothering you any. Are you having any headache?
Take care,
Karen C.
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I just watched a piece on The Today Show about a camp called First Descents somewhere around Vail CO. It is a Kayaking camp for kid cancer survivors. I started crying thinking about these kids fighting this disease. I am 39 years old and consider myself very young to have to fight the fight but at least I have realized some of my dreams and done things in my life that I have always wanted to do. These kids are not even old enough to have dreams for the most part. My sister has worked for the National Childrens Cancer Foundation ( NCCF ) in LA CA as one of the head fund raisers for many years but I never realized what that organization was truely about until I saw this piece this morning on these kids. Even having cancer myself now I have not thought about these little children who have to fight cancer also. If I could do anything to save these kids I feel I would definitely do it. I feel like I am rambling but if you ever have a chance to donate to the NCCF ( or any other kid cancer support/research organization) of your money or your time I urge you to do so for these kids really deserve to live a life. If any of you have any questions about helping out with NCCF let me know and I will get you in touch with my sister.
David C
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Al, no words come to me to adequately express the courage and love you exhibited and the true beauty in the words you have shared about your'e lovely wife and your'e loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you in you're time of mourning.
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I started my PCI (preventative Brain Radiation, in laymans terms) on the 3rd of this month and my brain is swelling!!! All is under control, I hope. I told my doc and he has prescribed some steroids for this. I started getting a headache about 2 hours after my first treatment and it got pretty bad for several hours and then got better. I went in today and told them about the headache and they gave me a prescription. I don't do well on steroids, they prevent me from sleeping AND they make me a little crazy, to put it mildly, although I have never taken this particular brand so maybe these won't be so bad. My poor wife may kill me before I finish my treatments!!! These are the last treatments I have scheduled. I will be having 15 days of brain radiation. I have more scans set up next week, a CT and possibly a PET scan depending on what the CT shows, then we will determine what is going on. If the CT still shows something then we will do a PET to see if it is cancer or just scar tissue or more pneumonia. I have not been posting much lately but I read all the posts everyday. I have not had the energy to type responses, I am a 2 finger typer, although I can get some pretty good speed going when I'm on a roll. I am over a month out from my last chemo treatment and want so bad to start getting my energy back but my body will not cooperate. I have been getting out and doing stuff but my body gets so tired and worn out so easy. I have heard it takes 3 months or longer to get this chemo poison out of you system, guess I just have to keep that in my mind. My thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you. Keep the positive attitudes and keep the Faith.
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Shannon,
I really admired you, watching you go through this struggle with Mike and how strong you were and strong for him. I want to be this good for Dave. I want you to know that - there is always something good out of bad experiences, and you have been such a good example to folks like me.
I can't imagine how LONELY you are, even with all the friends and family you have to do things with, you still must be lonely. When I think of the possibility of losing Dave I think how lonely I'll be (even though I complain he never talks to me, but that's not what it's all about). So please know that in a weird, imagined way, I can see a little of how you feel, only because I fear feeling it myself.
I must tell you that I have lost three 1st cousins - all young - 38 to 48 years old - in the last three years. One cousin, Tom, was 48 and died suddenly while jogging 3 years ago labor day weekend (very healthy guy, too). He and his wife had been together since meeting in high school, had two grown daughters, and were very tight, the perfect, close couple. But a year or so ago Gail met a guy - a really decent, wonderful man, and they got married this past spring. Even though she is my cousin-in-law she is still family to us, and everyone is so happy that she found someone to hopefully spend the rest of her life with. Gail misses Tom and still loves him, but now she's not lonely and has someone to love her in that special way again.
I'm not saying I think you should starting looking for a new husband or anything, just wanted to share a similiar story - you remind me alot of Gail - she didn't re-marry because she is weak and needy, but because she is strong and sure in her everlasting love for my cousin.
Take care and God Bless, (and take comfort in knowing Mike is with Christ now)
Karen C.
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Welcome to the "so far, so good" club!
Karen C.
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Gina - you keep posting all your fun spirited messages, and one would never know you'd had this scare! How do you do that? Amazing! But glad you're "OK" - as far as I'm concerned, as long as it's not cancer, you're OK!
By the way, even though Dave is a REALLY good trumpeter, dogs howl when he plays the trumpet - NOT the piano! Our dog Miles (God bless his soul, he left us in February) was quite a character - a big handsome choc. lab - and when Dave practiced Miles would sit at his feet and howl at the tops of his lungs, I think he was singing along! I would sit in the next room and laugh until I had to run to the bathroom!
hang in there!
Karen C.
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Don, so glad your Lucie is home with you, I know you missed her!
I look at your signature and hope Dave and I make it to 44 years together!! 10 down and 34 more to go - he can and will beat his SCLC and make it there!
God Bless,
Karen C.
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I guess you have to ask yourself, do I feel lucky-----you should!!!!!! Wow, I bet that was a scare but all sounds good, well at least better than.......
Hang in there.
By the way, you do not want to hear me play the piano, dogs howl for miles around.
David C
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Heather, hang in there. Welcome aboard! I guess the Docs also told you that SCLC is highly agressive.......YET IT IS ALSO VERY RESPONSIVE TO TREATMENT!!!!! Do not look atg the statistics- they do not appy to any of us. I firmly believe that being a care giver as you are is worse than actually being the patient. I see what my wife and family are going through and see that they want to help so bad but feel they can do nothing at times. Your father has the right attitude. You have to fight, fight, fight and never give up. Do not listen to your doctors advice. They do seem to be very aggressive in thier treatment of him, getting him chemo so fast and that is good. We are all here for you. Tell your dad to fight like he has never fought before and YES, he will beat this.
David C
Questions : Additional Round of CHEMO & PCI
in GENERAL
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Rinksgal--PCI--in laymans terms-- is preventative brain radiation. It is a low dosage of radiation which is administered to patients who have had a good response to the other treatments. It was explained to me that they administer PCI due to the fact that the Chemo. drugs go everywhere in the body but it has a hard time breaking the blood brain bariers. The radiation helps prevent the cancer from returnin in the brain. Sounds like our rounds are the same as you series. Sounds like you partner is doing pretty good with good shrinkage. Keep us updated, we are here for you.
David C.
Berisa, I was also told that 6 rounds of chemo is the maximum your body can tolerate. The Brain MRI is also standard before PCI from what I understand.
DavidC