Judy-OK

Hi glad you came to this board because you will get all kinds of advice and recommendations. From my first pain until my first treatment was about 6 or 7 months. Not the fault of the medical profession. Not knowing what kind of insurance you have I am not one that is going to tell you to go to a comprehensive cancer center or some other place that might not be covered by your plan. However, I will say if you are not comfortable with any doctor that is participating in your game plan then see if the insurance will allow you to go to a different specialist. Let us know how things go for you. You have found a group of folks that truly care.

Welcome Suzy ... let us know how we can help or support you and your sister in the battle of the beast. You said you do not live near your sister what states are you all in??

((Kelly)) from one Okie to another you know she will have lots and lots of fight in her. You, your mom, and your family will be at the top of my prayer list tonight. She is lucky to have you to care for her and be there to help her.

This is something you need to disuss with your oncologist. I leaned more towards anxiety than I did depression but there are many that do experience depression. I am sure they can prescribe something that will make you feel a bit better. It is my understanding that anit-depressants can take a few weeks to take full effect.

Welcome to a wonderful board with lots of information from very caring people. Please post more about what type of treatment besides the radiation they are offering your mom. If she is 65 she will go on Medicare right? Yes to apply for the social security disabaility ... I was approved on my first try but it does take a lot of paperwork and a several months to get things going.

Frank, you are my HERO!!! I always read your posts and will continute to do so for the many that you will be here to write for us. There are so many prayers coming your direction for absolutely every place ... I am sure they are inumerable. I pray to have your wisdom and fight and pray for you and your family.

I did not click on the link but do believe that the post below by the person mentioned in my subject line should most likely be deleted. You moederators do a wonderful job ..... Thank You.

The collapse of a lung can cause severe shortness of breath so I would think a partial collapse would be quite noticable. Why are they continuing with treatment without allowing the lung to reinflate?? Shortness of breath is one of my constant companions and is reduced by relaxing and doing some pursed lip breathing which means inhale to the count of two and then exhale slowly to the count of four or six through lips that are pursed like one would when whistling or blowing on a spoonful of soup. Just blow out like you want to cool the soup not blow is out of the spoon. When one gets SOB then anxiety sets in and one feeds off of the other and the condition get worse and worse. My prayers are with you and your husband.

My cancer wad determined inoperable because of the overall condition of my lungs due to other problems. I guess what I am saying is you need to find out the WHY of the diagnosis of inoperable. I did undergo radiation and chemotherapy and am currently tagged as "stable". Let us know what chemo cocktail your dad will be receiving. And come her for answers, support and folks that truly do understand what you are going through.

Vickie ... just get the CT and be done with it. I had no cough and really no sypmtom other than a pain under my right arm which eventually started to spread towards the center of my chest and the center of my back. After initial onset of pain I waited almost 5 months to bring it back up with my PCP. I was at the time undergoing treatment for a ruptured disc. When the cancer was discovered with put the disk on the back burner so to speak. Hopefully after the CT you will receive great news but it would certainly put your mind at ease.

Call it chemo brain or just forgetfulness but I missed both times by a bit or perhaps it was because I was shuffling from one doctors appointment to the next and just lost track. Sure glad you caregivers are diligent. I think a lot of services are held on Wednesday evening so that truly might be a great time.

Bill not to belittle your mind but to make it simple the translation is 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. California time.

Due to the seriousness of my Oncologist and her insistence that I gain weight I managed to put on 20 pounds that I had needed to gain for years. Wish it had not all gone right to my belly. Oh well, the doctor is happy with me and my puppy dog does not mind. LOL

Nick ... I guess I am somewhat like your mom. I do know my is NSCLC but I never did ask what stage and to be honest with you I still do not want to know. It was inoperable and I received the chemo and radiation. I feel awkward when people ask what stage my cancer is/was and I tell them I do not know. I figured it did not really matter the fight was going to be there anyway.

Bill you are correct in that I am not alone. My birthday was last Saturday and I got more phone calls and well wishes from friends and neighbors than I have ever received. But lo and behold my son once again forgot. When I was first diagnosed my daughter in law would cook and bring me some meals and then would come out and help me with the harder chores of house work. I did manage to keep my horses and my land up pretty much on my own. I did get rid of my horses before winter set in for fear that I would not be able to keep everything up and going. I only have the one son around and up until a few weeks ago he was trying to work 2 full time jobs to keep his family afloat. Like I said not sure if with the first "stable" scan they decided I was again a strong independent person or if since the 2 families combined have lost several (4) folks in the last couple of years that they just do not want the closeness that results in the pain of loss. I can't MAKE them want to call or come see me and I also will not force myself on them so for now I count on my friends and this site to keep my sanity in place. I keep a positive attitude about my condition, I have a great (but somewhat warpped) sense of humor, and I keep on keeping on.

Oh Bill you are so right about the "results" end of this disease. I do fairly good up and until I go in for my PET scan .... from that day until I go back to my oncologist for the results are the closest thing to unbearable that I can imagine. I do not normally need Ativan for anxiety but I make sure I have it on hand to get me through those few days. I do believe my family has either gone in to total denial or a pulling away from me in fear. I have tried to second guess and figure out what is going on but have finally resigned myselft to the fact that .. it is what it is .. and they will come around or they won't. Either way I have to face the disease and whatever lies ahead.

Welcome and best wishes to you and your mom.

I am sure it is because of insurance companies but I did ask my Onc about a brain MRI and she indicated if there was a single solitary sympton then she would try to get one approved for me. This is surely not something I want to fake to fool the insurance company for fear it would then come to haunt me. If I were rich I would just pay to have one done for peace of mind but until I win the lottery I have to depend on my insurance company. I wonder if Medicare is any easier to deal with??

I completed my radiation and chemo treatments the first part of August 2006. I was scheduled for a PET scan at the end of September. Had another PET in December and believe they will schedule me for another in March. I think they do a PET every 3 months until a year and if no change then they either lessen the frequency or change to a CT.

Like John mentioned the seat belt when I drive was the biggest problem ... so the kind folks at my chemo place gave me a little device with padding and velcro to slide over the seat belt and viola no more problem. One of my lungs collapsed during the procedure so I have chosen to keep my port in for a few years just in case I need it again. Would rather have the periodic flushing than to have to have the port reinserted. Even with the problems I encountered I would say get the port so the do not destroy your veins.

Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. My mom was in a coma like state for quite awhile before she passed. She did not have cancer but was removed from machines much like your mom. Someone was up there near her for hours and hours and hours on end BUT when the time came she slipped away while no one was looking. I truly think she wanted it to happen that way.

Good morning Mary. Is he running a fever? I am wondering why the nurse let him out of the office if she was concerned about his wellness. The SOB could be caused by an infection or radiation pneumonia. Of course it could be just about anything with all the stuff they put our bodies through. I would make certain he drinks plenty of water so he does not become dehydrated and I would call the onc just to let him/her know what is going on.

Wondermom .... I had taxol/carbo chemo along with my radiation. The first few chemos went smooth then I started noticing that my face would get very flushed (kind of rashy) and my eyes would burn starting the day after my chemo treatment. I talked to the onc and she said I could start taking benadryl the night before my chemo and continue to take it during the day of and the day following. I did this plus got some eye drops for my eyes. I still had the problem but not as bad and it did not stick around as long. I was also getting decadron (steroid) with my chemo cocktail. Like they say everyone responds differently hope your mom finds relief.

TBones that is great that you are tolerating treatments well. I was never a person that could take a nap during the day because I always woke up with a headache. Well guess what .... somewhere during those 35 radiation treatments I certainly learned how to take one and not even feel bad about it. Our bodies tend to do a lot of healing and repair when we sleep. Not sure what chemo cocktail they have you on but be sure you drink lots and lots of water and get any rest your body wants because it truly knows what it needs to feel better.

I must say that the radiation was tougher on me than the chemo and really wore me out. It does continue to work for quite sometime ... once I got the burns on the outside to begin to heal everything seemed to get a little easier. I was sleeping alot during the day while doing radiation treatments. You would want to check with his doctor on the blood issue is it bright red (fresh) or a darker brownish black color?? When I did cough up a bit was after my lung collapsed during the installation of my port and it was dark in color and they told me it was nothing to be concerned about.