Judy-OK

Yum Yum Gwen glad you made dad so happy!!! Could I have mine warmed with some vanilla bean ice cream please????

Hi Jille and welcome aboard the greatest board on the net. Do for your mom what she wants or asks you to do but PLEASE let her do for herself what she can. I was able to stay by myself in my house in the country and tend to my horses, dogs and my cat throughout the entire process. Well ... almost I missed a few days when they managed to collapse my lungs. I learned to alot more time to accomplish what needed to be done to rest and nap in order to have the strength I needed. I truly believe that being able to take care of myself and get myself to and from treatments helped me through the process. Judy P.S. I did have someone take me to chemo because if I went alone they would not have included Ativan in my chemo coctail.

So sorry for your loss. Prayers for all of you.

When I was in active treatment it seemd that every movie I watched and every book I read had someone battling some form of cancer. Maybe it was always there and I just never realized it until I was personally involved. Last night I flipped to a local news channel to catch the weather and there was the anchorwoman talking about lung cancer. It was a double edged sword because she was pointing out the fact that more people die of lung cancer than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined. This is information that folks need to know BUT in the next breath she stated that six out of ten lung cancer patients do not survive for one year. I could have gone forever and not heard that come out of here mouth. It did make me remember why I only watch the weather and try to avoid the news cast. I can say one thing the waiting and watching is far harder on me than the active treatment seemd to be.

Hi sorry about your mom. As far as appetite goes the first thing my oncologist told me was to eat anything and everything I could. I started out at 101 pounds and topped out around 118 at the end of my treatment sessions. I ate a lot of small meals. I did use the Ensure and Boost but could not stand them just by themselves. So here is what I did. I would use a half a can of Ensure, a couple of scoops or vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla flavoring, malt powder and chocolate syrup. Whip it all up in a blender and viola' a chocolate malt. I would do this a couple of times a day in addition to anything I could force myself to consume. Things did tend to have a kind of metallic taste but keeping up her strength and keep hydrated is of utmost importance. Hope this helps. Judy

Welcome Liz. You have a positive attitude and that seems to be half the battle. My cancer was also deemed inoperable. Had all the radiation I could and seven weeks of carbo/taxol chemo. The folks on this board are wonderful, understanding, caring, helpful individuals. Lets us know how things are going. Judy

Lori .... I am so sorry for your loss. Judy

I used ensure and made it more enjoyable by making a malt out of it. I would put a few scoops of ice cream, half a bottle of ensure, some vanilla flavoring and a few tablespoons of malt powder in the blender and I could actually get it to go down. I was able to gain about 12 pounds during my treatment program. I also live alone and am not real accessible to my family or friends on a very frequent basis. The one thing that kept me sane and on track and even gave me a reason to get out of a bed a few mornings when I would have preferred not to was my new puppy. He is and was the light of many of my days. Does you mom have an animal .... maybe just a cat or something to keep her company???? Just a thought it helped get me through some very tough times. I talked to my dog and cat and even cried with them on occassion. Yep I feel they knew my moods.

Hi. What I finally learned to do was for every pain pill I consumed I took 2 Wal-Mart brand stool softeners. I would contact her doc and get her current problem relieved ASAP and then find something that will work comfortably for her.

Alrighty then after all the fret, sweat and lack of sleep over the weekend I finally met with my medical oncologist today and after telling her about the anxiety I was feeling she said ..... "Well don't feel anxious about anything I will say because everything looks great." Then I finally took a breathe. So my PET scan last Thursday led to what I considered to be an NED with another scan in 3 months. Have an appointment with the radiation oncologist in about two weeks. Thanks for listening. Judy

Hi Jil. I underwent radiation 5 days a week for 7 weeks and had chemo every Friday during that time span. I live in the country so had to drive to town for the treatments but managed to do so on my own at least for the radiation. Due to the Ativan that they included in my chemo cocktail they suggested I have someone drive me home so in order not to mess up the balance which was working well for me I did as they asked. As far as the pain I was experiencing before radiation started I can honestly say that within two weeks of starting the treatments the pain was lessening ... not sure how to described it now because it feels more like a skin thickening than an actual pain like I was having before treatment. I go in for my PET scan next Thrusday so we shall see what they find out. My best to your mom. Judy

My radiation team provided me with some kind of a gel patch that could be place in the refrigerator and then applied to the burn area. It provided great relief. So sorry you are going through this because it was the worst part of my first round of treatment. The itch can also be caused by the very edges starting to try to heal up. Best wishes. Judy

Hi ... I had 35 radiations treatments and they did take an x-ray each week for my radiation oncologist to view. This would tell them if the positioning of the radiation was still on track or if a minor adjustment needed to be made due to shrinkage of the tumor. JUDY

(((Melinda))) more hugs than cyberspace can hold for you, your mom and your family. Prayers and thoughts abound for all of you. Judy

Karen: My son and DIL do not live that far from me and probably do not visit as often as most relatives of a person with cancer. There is NO normal when it comes to this disease. I realize both of them hold down two jobs and have 4 kids .... 3 of them still at home and one under the age of 2. As much as I love to see the grandkids it does tend to absolutely wear me out physically and mentally. I live alone with my German Shepherd (not the same as a stepmother but maybe somewhat close LOL)and we do, in fact, have a schedule and routine that we basically use to survive. The least little thing can throw me off kilter for the rest of the day. I have asked my son to at least give me a phone call every once in awhile and if I need them for something I can call and I know they will come. Ask your dad if it is okay if you call him every evening or something like that ... he is the one that everyone needs to consider and listen to because he is the one with the illness. I pray that you find peace with this situation. Judy

Hi Lilly I am just a couple of weeks ahead of you and was on the same treatment plan. It took two to three weeks for my taste to start to come back to somewhat normal. As for pain ... before treatment the pain went from under my arm to my sternum and also about midway across my back. I still have some discomfort but not the same pain I was having before. This feel more like the skin has thickened or is kind of tingly and asleep. Thinking this could be cause by the radiation as I understand it continues to work for some time after treatment is complete. It seems I take more anxiety meds now than pain pills. Good luck and let us know what you find out. Judy

(((Lori))) know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of many very caring people.

Hi Mary and welcome. Treatment or no treatment is totally your decision. My cancer was also discovered during the emphysema diagnosis and after several tests was deemed inoperable. I did however pursue the radiation and 6 round of chemo and now am waiting to have a PET scan done on 9/28/06. Do you have family around you for additional help and support?

Jen, know that the prayers of many are directed at you and your family. Cherish the minutes.

Welcome Laura there are a lot of very caring very informative folks on here.

It seems like for every question I ask any of my doctors part of their response every single time is: "Drink, drink, drink and rest all you can". Keeping oneself hydrated seems to be of utmost importance. Never having been a big water drinkers makes it tough. Does anyone know if drinking juices is the next best thing. I do try to keep water by me at all times I just do not consume as much as I am sure they would like. Prayers are being said for your mom and each and every single person that is involved with fighting this beast.

Please consider the "prayer posse" as activated!!!

Hi Lilly ... on my first chemo they had one heck of a time hitting vein. They wanted to save the ones on the inside of the elbow for any future use and it took three attempts to with warm towels etc. to get one on top of my arm. Next thing I knew I had a call from my Oncologists office saying they understood I wanted a port. I told them I though it was more for the safety of the nurse that was hooking me up to chemo. (LOL I really would not have hit her, honest). Anyway, I went ahead and lo and behold when they put the port in my lungs were in such bad shape that they collapsed what I thought was my good lung and I spent a 5 days in the hospsital. It is in there now and when I last talked to the folks they say most doctors like to leave them in for a year or so with regualr washing out so that in case they are needed again they are readily available. I will say it is less painful and take a lot less time for chemo now but I say the final decision is yours to make. Keep smiling. Judy

Welcome and stay close to the site. I do not post often but tend to check in and read updates daily. These folks are a true inspiration. I am a person that has always been slow to ask for help but have learned to swallow my pride and admit I can do it all. Come back often to post updates or just vent. It truly does help. Judy

Today will be my 35th and final radiation treatment along with 6 chemos of taxol and carbo. All of a sudden I am more tired and more frustrated than I have been throughout this whole ordeal. I actually had to have someone feed my horses for me yesterday and in turn that depressed me. I am unable to take naps due to the steroids they pump in with chemo so I guess in response to your question I will will give a great big YES ... it does tire you out!!!! I am sure everything will get better if I just have patience and say my prayers. Hang in there and no that even though it is wearing you out it is what is going to make you better.