-Cheryl-
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Posts posted by -Cheryl-
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Bess,
I agree with you, you should look for a new Onc. Perhaps one with a personality would be nice. Attitude------ "belief in the cure and curer" has everything to do healing and recovery. I took this South American culture class in college years ago that emphasized non-traditional medicines and cures. In otherwards, witchdoctors, Shamenism, and voodoo spells ect.. Ha! The point is, 75% or more of the cure exists in our mind. If you have no faith in this guy, then he won't be able to help you regardless his advanced degrees and high standing.- Beside I would want a doctor that atleast was thinking about the next move instead of "we wait and see!!!" I am with you, wait for what.... the cancer to return! Now, it is true that that you want to give your body a rest cause treatment kills the good along with the bad cells. My doctor said 'we don;t want to kill anymore of the good cells than we have too." PLus you give the body a chance to regain strenght, but didn't you say your body was strong with no counter-effects from the chemo?
keep us posted and good luck!.
Cheryl
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THanks for thinking about me, You all or in my prayers and thoughts daily.
ADA! I have been so worried about you! I read Shelly's post about your recovery, and am so gald to hear from you. How are you feeling these days? Tell us more about the trial that you are waiting for!
Cheryl
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Ada is back!! All of those prayers MUST be working... Great to have you back online!
Jack-n-Cheryl †
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Hey Guys,
Sorry, I have been off the board for a while. I have had a hard time shaking the chemo/ Rad funk! Going to treatments has been about all I can muster the energy to do these past couple of weeks. Jack had been concerned about my sleeping so much, even coming into the room to turn me and take my temperature every few hours. Poor guy, he worries too much. I am lucky to be blessed with him! I have not napped in two days! Staying awake and doing more around the house. My sisters came to visit me today and had me laughing hysterically! I actually hurt from laughing so hard.
Anyway, I have a question of medical sorts....If the cancer tumors have shrunk considerably enough should surgery still be a consideration for stage 3A? I mean to really be reassured the cancer will be irradicated or not return?
Take care all!
Cheryl
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ChristyMike,
We have only been a been members for 2 months but I can assure you that you have come to the right place. Like yourself, our family has been stricken with this disease and I can only say that there are survivors here of all stages. Know that there are caring understanding and loving folks who are here at your disposal for just about anything concerning lung cancer... from Drs. to Plumbers, from all walks of life. Sorry you have to be here but we are here when you need us.
Only God decides!
Jack and Cheryl
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Kudos to you David... Determination has a lot to do with recovery and I think you are definately on the the right track. Glad to see the counts go up and hope they stay that way. We'll be thinking of you on the 28th!
Does anyone know of any tricks to making one get up and going? Cheryl just finished round one (8 days) of Chemo and is on her 8th day of 25 radiation treatments. She will do the last round of Cisplatin-V-16 in three weeks. The last few days she has been very lethargic... sleeps most of the time. I try to get her to feed the horses or go for walks... she just doesn't have the energy. What made you get out more Dave?
-Jack-
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Dave, I guess those drugs can really fluctuate your BP... Now I know why they check it constantly. Great to hear you sounding so confident... I guess a little back pay don't hurt none either! Hang in there!
-Jack-
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More prayers coming your way from Texas... Thinking of you both.
Jack -n- Cheryl
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Ada was one of the first ones to reach out to Cheryl. Prayers being sent her way. †
Jack -n- Cheryl
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Way to go Earl!! You and Ginny enjoy yourselves... you guys deserve it!
-Jack-
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Joanie, I couldn't have said it better myself... Isn't it a shame!
Remember, for every letter of complaint a politician gets from the consumer, they figure 60 more people feel the same way. If everyone from the board wrote in and kept writing in, the numbers would be impressive.
-Jack-
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The geust who posted the last response has a good idea. Here's President Bush's E- Mail address:
-Jack-
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Don,
God is GREAT! So gald for your lovely Lucy- and yourself. You two are such special people. I am happy for the good news. God Bless!
Cheyl and Jack
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I agree with Norme 100%
I take my wife to get her treatments. When she recovers, I certainly won't be going around saying that I saved her life.
-Jack-
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Carleen,
Most have been involved w/ this disease much longer than Cheryl and I have... I too, thought that I had to be the "pillar of strength" and to be able to stay positive no matter what comes our way. What I have learned over the past 2 months is that there is no way one can stay positive with all of the bumps in the road. I realize now that it's OK to show that you are scared to your loved one. Heck, I think, if nothing else, it shows your loved one that you are human and that you are going to have those feelings just like he or she does. I am Cheryls greatest advocate, but I am not invincible. We cry together and it seems to give a certain sense of ease that we are both sharing the same fears openly. Don't be afraid or ashamed that you have fears of losing Keith... it is more unnatural and harder on yourself to try to act as if the possibility is not there. Keith needs you by his side to more or less "manage" his recovery, that is what he is counting on and not how well of a job you are doing in keeping him "positive." The ones that have this disease know the seriousness of it and appreciate the caregivers efforts to keep them positive, but I think they are more greatful that they have a loved one who is watching their backs, asking the tough questions to the Doc, scheduling and preparing, and being mentally sound to catch their slack when they are 'worn down." I hope I am not sounding too insensitive, but I do think the caregiver is harder on him/her self than they really should be. My advice is to relate to Keith your fears... he has the same fears as well and certainly won't get upset for you having those thoughts. People with this disease could only hope for a caregiver as devoted as you are. My approach is a little different, and may only work for me, but I have to be realistic to keep my sanity. Only God decides!
Jack
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Bess B.
I am praying for you hard! I am glad that you are feeling energy. May God heal you and put you into remmission.
Cheryl
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Dave,
So glad for you and the great news! "in remission!" What wonderful words those are. I bet your family is thrilled, as we all are here at the lc board.
I just recently got a pom puppy. She looks like a little fruit bat. She chews on my toes and hands till I get up out of bed in the mornning, then barks at me when I am in the kitchen till I fix her breakfast. She is bartely eight weeks and goes in and out the dog door to potty! We have 4 dogs and 2 horses now, and they make me stay active to care for them. But the joy and unconditional love I receive from them is well worth the effort!
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Len,
So glad you had a good weekend. You have the most precious boys! You are right.....you seem to have "the greatest family!" Those boys are going to need you in their lives as they grow. Your wife will need you as well! I believe the "cancer demon" had no idea what it was up against when it met the likes of you! You are a force to reckon with!! Stay strong!!!
Chery and Jack
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Dear Linda,
I can empathize with you about waiting for treatment and fear of the cancer spreading. I am praying for your Dad right this moment! You do have a "Special Dad", he is quite the surviver! It is that strength within him that will pull himself through this too!
Cheryl
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Jay,
I know you "hate this" and "I hate it for you.!" You are not as nauseated and physically stronger. That is progress!. Feeling better physically will help your mental outlook.
I want you to do something for yourself! Each day I want you to plan an activity to get you up and moving (Within reason of course, I realize you have a broken leg, had lung surgery, and are on chemo!) As soon as you are able, you need to get out of the house and hangout with friends. Set small daily goals, make plans for what you will do that day.
You need to laugh and to cry. Sometimes, I will rent a video or listen to music to help me get in touch with those feelings. (Just know that we can maintain our own depression by isolating ourselves and playing nothing but sad songs.) Keep a journal of you thoughts, which will help you to identify emotions and triggers to those emotions.
Put together a scrap book of your mother to help you memoralize her. When we lose someone in an accident so sudden, we are in such shock. Give youself the opportunity to sort through your feelngs and allow yourself time to grieve.
I know that your mom was your biggest support! Especially during such a scarey time for yourself. Did you say you have a sister? I truely wish that I could come through cyberspace to comfort you and give you a hug. This is probably the toughest hurt anyone could ever go through! Most people your age do not experience the kind of loss you have encountered. Jay, not only hve you lost your Mom, but the life you knew before cancer. It may not be revealed to you just yet, but God has a purpose for you Jay. You will live on to fulfill that purpose and your mother will guide your every step. I am here if you need to chat.
Cheryl
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Thanks for the advice Ginny, Joanie,Jenny, Don, Terrie, Cathy. and Nancy. Jack told me that he had visited that web site, but that it seemd the "insured" had few rights. I appreciate the direction and will check it out further though.
Jack is self-employed and currently has no insurance, which really worries me!
Cathy you asked about the surgery? I went in to have a mediastinoscopy and a possible lobectomy if my mid chest lymph nodes were not cancerous. A PET scan prior to surgery showed glucose uptake in the mid chest, but the nodes didn't seem very swollen. The doctor thought maybe they were just inflamed. When the surgeon actually got inside my mediastinal area the nodes were larger than visable on previous tests. A biopsy showed cancer in both nodes that were biopsied and spread to some surroundig tissue. So he closed me up. ost doctors don't seem to think the surgery will improve survival rate, but this guy does!. He had to convice the chemo onc and rad onc that surgery could down stage me and possible give me a "5% more chance of survival beyond 5 years." I will take any extra percent I can get! But now I have got to shrink all the nodes, and do it within a couple of months. Otherwise, the surgeon has refused to do the surgery. I have been quite anxious about it, even before all of this insurance business. I do thank you for your prayers when I know that you all already have so much to worry about yourselves.
Cheryl
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Hello everyone,
Happy Fourth of July to you all!
So sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been reading your posts to keep up with everyone. I tried to work as much as possible this week to extend my FMLA time. The agency I work at will merge with another mental health organization serving 9 counties on the date my FMLA time expires in Sept., which means I will lose my insurance. The HR Director told me that since our current insurance will go away when we merge, so will the chance to get Cobra. Plus, since I have a pre-existing condition they probably won't pick me up on the new insurance. Is this legal? He did say something about the possibility of qualifying for something called the "Texas Risk Management Pool" maybe? My insurance is due to run out when I need it most, which is for surgery!
I also finally start treatment on Mon. after two months of waiting! I will do 8 chemos in a row of cisplatin and VP16, along with 25 rounds of rad. Then my surgeon will attempt surgery again. Chemo nurse said the first and last chemo will be the longest. Anyone know how long this may last? I may also end up doing more chemo toward the end too. I just don't know much because the chemo onc went out of town and was supposed to get back with me. His nurse left the info on my answering machine. The excuse given for delay was... need for a "mutual decision and agreement on course of treatment by all 3 doctors and coordination of appts. Meanwhile....the lymph nodes in my mediastinal area just ache constantly. Every doctor I have talked to says "your lymph nodes shouldn't hurt there." The tumor in my R. middle lobe is only about 1 inch big! Anybody with stage 3A exerience this kind of pain? And finally, what is this PCI treatment that I have read about on the board. Sorry for all the questions. Enjoy the Holiday!
Cheryl
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Shelly,
It sounds as though yo have a lot of insight into what is depressing you....and that is half the battle. You were also right about how this disease "takes away one's control." I myself am a "control freak," and struggle with the very same issue. common sense tells us that we cannot control other people, only the way we chose to react to them. That doesn't mean that we can't influence other people's choices though! Ask your mom what she would expect of you if the situation were reversed? Help her to find the desire and will to live. Chemo is tough, but she is tougher! Look at the survival instincts it has taken for her to raise her children and make it this far! Also, Don Wood mentiones in a post that his wife, Lucy, became very sick from chemo and had to take a couple of months off from it. Would that be an option for you?
Cheyrl
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Shannon,
I have followed your postings and share with you in the agony of your grief. Know that you do not carry this burrden alone. Take comfort in knowing that you did everything possible to fight this disease with Mike, and it was because this was what he wanted. You helped him to achieve 18 months, despite his dagnosis. We hope that you stay with the board for continued support. I also believe that your experience Shannon will help others through this journey in a way that nobody else could. May God's Angels spread their wings around you to comfort and protect you.
Cheryl and Jack
Blessed
in NSCLC GROUP
Posted
Becky,
I am praying hard for you and your future! You have worked so very hard to be where you are and have what you have, including your family! Cancer cannot claim that from you!!! You won't let it!!! Keep your Faith!
Cheryl