meredith

Oh Don, I am so sorry, you two were/are both inspirational. I am glad for you both that she died peacefully. Hope you are doing OK, or as well as can be expected. Please accept my sympathies.

I am so sorry for your loss. What a wonderful mother she was/is. And you are a dear daughter. I know you must miss her terribly...and you are in my prayers.

Hi there, and sorry your mother is experiencing all of these problems. Your mom's symptoms could be caused by several things, I think. It could be related to her disc problem or, or it could be perhaps cancer related. It is also possible that chemo has caused some nerve damage (some chemotherapies can cause this. I still have leg pain myself, although no bladder symptoms). Whatever the cause, I hope they find reasons soon. Best of wishes to you and your mom!

I am so sorry you feel bad. Cancer sucks. I had a ton of Cisplatin, and the nausea would be terrible at times. I just tried to take anti-nausea meds constantly (Zofran, compazine and ativan). Somtimes, especially nearing the end of treatment, I couldn't keep down the pills and used suppositories for nausea. Other than that, it helped me to lie still, be in a cool room, and eat popsicles, ice chips and some Boost. When I felt up to it, I would eat "bland" foods like rice, bananas, crackers, etc. in small amounts. Eating is important to keep your strength--and having something lite on your stomach often helps nausea--but don't feel the need to force yourself to eat. I think that just puts added stress on your mind and body (not to mention the digestive system!). Eat what you can for now. When your appetite returns, as it surely will, then eat like crazy and everything you want I know that cisplatin is tough. best wishes--I hope you feel better soon.

Today I've had a bad day emotionally, really just out of the blue. Most days I manage just fine and I rarely cry, but today all of these emotions just hit me and I started to get sad, angry and anxious. I guess it's a "Why me?" day. I spent the day with my 6 year old niece whom I love dearly. She's a wonderful child, and every time I looked at her today I was reminded of something I can't ever have: a child of my own. Looking at her, I also realized that I might not see her grow up. Feelings of death overwhelmed me today. I'm tired of being scared of the cancer coming back and scared of dying. I try to be proactive by doing research on my condition, but the statistics are frightening and depressing. Words like "rapidly fatal" and "very poor prognosis" wear a person down. But if I want to continue researching, I have to read the bad too. Can I ever leave the cancer behind? I'm 10 months out of treatment, but I still have daily reminders of it--neuropathy for example. I'm often scared to plan anything long term because I'm afraid the cancer will return, I'll have to endure more treatment and be disappointed that I can't carry out the plans I made. I still make plans, but there is always that cloud over me. Don't get me wrong--I am grateful for NED. I am/was stage 3B, and I feel I've come a long way. But it's sometimes still so hard. Anyway, this post is just rambling. I'm putting it in this section because I am grieving for myself (or perhaps feeling sorry for myself). I don't know what I need. Maybe help just trying to stay brave, strong and sane. What do you all do to get through rough days? Thanks guys.

It's annoying. I had the same symptoms. A lot of mine was related to premature menopause caused by the chemo (and radiation), but after chemo I would get really flushed (very red face) and would sweat night and day! Hope your mom can find some relief and feels better soon!

Sorry Gail for your loss.

Hi Carleen, You are often in my thoughts. He was a gem of a man--young, handsome, funny, loving--and it must hurt terribly to be without him.I know you wish for him to be in the physical world, but you know he is always in your heart and mind. I pray for your healing.

I had cisplatin and VP-16 and a whole LOT of it. I asked my doctor the same question, and his opinion was the cisplatin was more aggressive (though more harsh), but I've read some research that the carboplatin/VP-16 is just as effective. So I don't really know. Maybe there's not enough research comparing the two? Cisplatin is difficult to tolerate, and I think has more serious and long term side effects. However, perhaps your friend should take the cisplatin as the doctor recommends and if the side effects are severe or causing too many problems, then switch to the carbo. best of luck to her. Keep us updated if you can!

Sorry your mother is dealing with this depression. I experienced it myself for a few months. I think what helped get me out of it was getting my symptoms (from treatment)under control or stopped. It is so very difficult to feel upbeat when you feel terrible and depression is not uncommon in cancer patients, but it is treatable. Is your mom in any severe/chronic pain? I was having bad pain from the radiation. I was hurting, depressed, would stare out into space for a long time. I couldn't concentrate and wanted nothing to do with family or friends or going out. At first I didn't ask for pain meds because I thought the pain would pass quickly and I didn't want to seem like I was "complaining." But after I started taking the pain meds regularly I felt so much better! And I wanted to start doing things again. I now know how important it is to keep the pain away as best you can. Although I never talked with a therapist, I know many cancer patients who have and it helped them. Talking to survivors might also lift her spirits and the depression--hope could be what is needed. Anti-depressants are also able to help. Clinical depression (which sounds like what your mom has) is fairly common in cancer patients, but it's still not considered "normal." Help is needed. The fog of depression can be lifted. Best of wishes to you both.

I'm gaining weight like crazy myself, being 20-30 pounds heavier now than I was before all the cancer mess. And I feel better than I have in more than a year!! I think your fat cow theory makes a lot of sense.

I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine the difficulties you're going through. It's plain to see how much you love your mother...and vice versa. Best wishes to both of you. Cherish every moment.

When I was diagnosed, I was 4 classes away from a bachelors in Political Science, minor in Law and Justice. Now, I only need 3 classes, which I plan to finish in the Fall. SO, I guess my main "occupation" is "Student!" While going to school, I also worked as a waitress.. I liked doing both...

I actually have this book!! When I got to this particular chapter, I felt relief. I got tired of being told to "stay positive" by people who had never had to deal with cancer and its treatment. Even though I know people mean well, that kind of attitude does place a tremedous burden on the patient who is already dealing with so much. I was told in one day that I had an aggressive cancer, would have aggressive treament, and never be able to have children of my own (and I had just gotten engaged 3 months prior!), and people were saying "OH, you gotta be positive!" Well, excuse me for feeling low, anxious and overwhelmed! My mom, bless her heart, was actually the worst culprit, but she also did some reading and now tells me I can feel like crap whenever I feel like it Anyway, like I said, I have this book and am done reading it. If anyone would like it, I would happily send it to them.

You poor thing, you have a lot going on. It's good and healthy to vent your concerns and fears, and this is the place to do it! Try not to worry (although I know that's easier said than done).

I had a lot of cisplatin, and I think I am having some hearing loss because I often have to ask people to repeat themselves. Mostly I still have very strange sounds in my ears, which first began with lots of ringing and now is a constant "whooshing" type noise. I've never had it checked out, only because it isn't too severe. Unfortunately, I don't think much can be done about reversing or stopping the hearing loss, save stopping the chemo--and it doesn't sound like that's what you or your husband want to do. Of course that is reasonable, as life comes first. But as others have mentioned, hearing aids would definitely be an option. I'm sure they would take some getting used to though. I'm sorry this is happening to you both. It seems to be a very distressing side effect of chemo. hang in there!

Hi, I responded to this on another thread, but I'll do so again in case you didn't see it. Let me just say welcome. First, he needs the pain nder control. Be aggressive if you have to achieve this. It can be done, and he might be more willing to give chemo a try if the pain is controlled. It's hard to predict how your FIL might respond to chemo. He may tolerate it well or fairly well, and it may shrink his tumors, thus reducing his pain. Or he may not tolerate it well at all, and be very sick until the end. The only real way to know is to try chemo and ultimately that decision is up to him. Also, he should know that he can stop chemotherapy anytime he wants to. He is the patient, and it is his life, his treatment and his well-being, so if he can't tolerate the side effects, it can be stopped. It may not hurt to try--and chemo could very well shrink his tumors, reduce his pain and prolong his life. Even with mets, sclc patients sometimes respond completely to treatment and have no evidence of disease. It is also possible for your FIL to have lower doses of chemo than what is "standard." Best of wishes to you all.

Hi there. Sorry to hear about your sister's diagnosis, but glad to hear she's doing well on treatment. A question: Your sister has just finished her 3rd round, so will she be having scans soon to check on her progress? I really hope those nasty tumors are shrinking! I had cisplatin and etoposide for small cell cancer of the cervix. I went through 6 rounds, and the tumor shrank a lot, but they found "residual" tumor on my small intestine. I was then treated with CPT-11 and more cisplatin (plus pelvic radiation), and since January I have had no evidence of disease (NED). If your sister does not respond completely to the carbo/etoposide combo, they might very well recommend the CPT-11 (also called irinotecan)/cisplatin or carboplatin protocol. That's the combo that seemed to get the last of my cancer. Best wishes to you, your sister and family.

I think it sounds really promising! Early detection is key, I think, to improving survival rates with lung cancer.

I am sorry to hear this. First I would suggest that those doctors get his pain under control! Be very aggressive if you have to, don't let them "write off" your FIL. If current drugs aren't working, have them try new ones or maybe even visit pain management specialists. I think control of pain makes patients more willing to fight. AT the very least, they can give him comfort and peace of mind. Second, I stress that I do not have small cell lung cancer, but have small cell cancer of the cervix that is treated with the same chemotherapies as sclc. I had a very large 9 cm tumor extending into my pelvis and I was in a lot of pain--mostly severe back pain. I was treated with cisplatin and etoposide (considered first line treatment for those with sclc), and after the first round my tumor shrank dramatically and the pain was greatly reduced. Small cell cancers tend to respond very well to chemotherapy. Having said that, the cisplatin/etoposide can be difficult to tolerate. However, I've heard that carboplatin and etoposide can be just as effective, but with fewer serious side effects. I think it's also possible to have only etoposide, even the pill version, to help shrink the tumors. Chemo, although unpleasant, is often used to alleviate pain caused from tumors. I guess it couldn't hurt to ask the doctors about these options. Good luck. I'm hoping for the best for you all.

Glad you're feeling better! I had pretty bad anemia when I was going through treatments, and as a result I would experience shortness of breath and extreme exhaustion just walking to the bathroom (and I don't even have any lung or heart issues). My doctor said it was a combination of the treatment and the subsequent anemia--just can't get enough needed oxygen to the muscles, lungs, heart, etc. Even with the Aranesp, my red blood counts just couldn't rise that high because they were hitting me with chemo and radiation at once. I wonder if doctors should aggressively treat anemia while a patient is going through treatments? My opinion is that it would make patients feel better, and give them more energy to fight.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13864721/ WASHINGTON - A blood test that looks for the body's own immune response to tumors may provide an easy way to find lung cancer in patients long before an X-ray or CT scan could, U.S. researchers reported on Friday. The test correctly predicted non-small-cell lung cancer in blood samples taken from patients years before they were actually diagnosed with lung cancer, the researchers reported. If the test's reliability can be confirmed, it might become the first new blood screen for any cancer since the prostate specific antigen or PSA test. The test is licensed to privately held Rockville, Maryland-based 20/20 GeneSystems Inc. "These data suggest antibody profiling could be a powerful tool for early detection when incorporated into a comprehensive screening strategy," the researchers wrote in their report, published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Non-small-cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer, and has an average five-year survival rate of only 40 percent. Lung cancer is by far the biggest cancer killer globally. Each year 10 million people are diagnosed with it, according to the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, and half of all patients die within a year of diagnosis. It kills more than 160,000 people annually in the United States alone. Special X-rays known as computed tomography or CT scans can find lung cancer tumors, but they have a high rate of false positives — meaning many people have to undergo a painful biopsy to get a piece of a suspicious lump out of the lung, only to find out it was not cancerous after all. Li Zhong and colleagues at the University of Kentucky developed a test that looks for certain proteins the body makes in response to very early lung tumors. When they tested it in people who were being treated for lung cancer, it correctly identified 90 percent of cases, and with very few false positives in samples taken from people who did not have lung cancer. They went back and tested blood samples taken from some of the lung cancer patients years before they were diagnosed. The test found cancer in four out of seven samples taken a year before diagnoses, and in all 18 samples taken two, three and four years earlier. "Based on doubling times, a lung cancer can be present three to five years before reaching the conventional size limits of radiographic detection," Zhong's team wrote.

What wonderful news! I know you two must be over the moon with happiness! I am for sure

Sorry to hear about this Darrel. Despite the set back, it seems you're still upbeat as usual! Good luck.

That's quite beautiful, Carleen.