recce101

Debi, you've hit the nail on the head (there's most likely a better metaphor, but I can't think of one right now). Whatever anger I and many others feel about the deluge of pink this time of year is probably misdirected. We should not resent the success of breast cancer research advocates in recent years, since that work could benefit all of us, including the guys. (Did you see the report on former marines — males — who got breast cancer apparently from pollution at Camp Lejeune?) Rather, any sense of outrage is better directed at the excessive commercialization of the issue, similar to the way many view the shameless marketing of the Christmas season. Ned

This is so difficult. Though we never met, I came to know Sandra as a very special lady with a certain spark that illuminated everything she touched. My deepest condolences to her family and all who loved her. I feel compelled to do something particularly meaningful today in her honor. Ned

Wow, Barb, that's terrific! October 2 is sort of an anniversary for me, too — 52 years ago today I reported to my first duty station as a brand new Air Force brown-bar (second lieutenant). I didn't know what I was in for, either. Let's do it again a year from now, when it will be 10 and 53 years! Aloha, Ned

Going to lunch by boat — how neat! I think the only time I've done that was on the south side of Hong Kong Island, over 40 years ago. Ned

Lily, I agree with Geri and Bud, and would just elaborate on a point or two. By developing a relationship with someone else, your intent would not be to replace Johnny — that will never happen nor should it. It would be a new phase, not diminishing or interfering with any previous phase of your life. I believe it would be healthy for you to continue to display photos of Johnny and not feel constrained about talking of your times together, even in the presence of your new friend. And I'll add this with some conviction: if the new friend is someone who is going to be good for you, he will not feel jealous or threatened or slighted whenever these reminders of your past come up. In fact, if you haven't already, it might be good to "go there" just to see your new friend's reaction. I've talked this over with my wife on several occasions. At first she didn't want to pursue the idea, but now she realizes that I'm absolutely serious. She is 12 years younger and quite healthy, there's every reason to believe I'll be gone first, and her life the past 13-14 years has been greatly limited by having to care for both of her parents as well as my father in their final years. It would give me a great amount of pleasure to think she would find someone who values her as much as I do and can offer her the chance to travel and have a great life for the next 20 or so years. Aloha, Ned

Strawberry short cake. Actually, ice cream is my favorite, but I have plenty of that in the freezer, so if presented the choice as stated I'd pick the strawberry short cake (and add ice cream if I could). This is interesting. My wife says I'm high maintenance, but I think I'm a piece of cake! Ned

Hi, Meeko, welcome to the group. I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. Chemo in combination with radiation can be quite fatiguing, but if he is in relatively good general health, there's good reason to believe that he will respond to treatment and start feeling better before long. And please don't be overly concerned with percentages — any numbers you may hear or read about refer to a very large group of patients with a similar diagnosis, and there's a great amount of variation between members of any such group. These types of statistics are essentially meaningless for any one individual patient, especially before there's been time to see how someone tolerates and responds to the treatments given. If you know what specific chemo agents he's on, let us know so we can be more helpful with tips on side effects. I received my diagnosis over 3 years ago, have been under constant treatment since October 2006, and am doing pretty well. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned

Thanks, Patti, you're a jewel for doing this. Please don't stop! Aloha, Ned

Judy rocks! Ned

I have mixed feelings about Facebook myself. A couple of times I've been about ready to dump it, but then I get a friend query from someone I know one way or another, and don't feel right about rejecting the request. A good number of prominent people advertise their Facebook pages, so maybe I'll check some of them and see if they're doing anything different. As a related example, I'm subscribed to Queen Rania of Jordan's YouTube channel and find it fascinating. It doesn't hurt that she's quite a looker! Ned

Welcome to the group, Cindy. One thing you might want to do, which will save you some repetitive typing every time you post, is to put a summary in your profile/signature block. Click on Profile above, scroll down to the Signature block, enter/update your information, scroll down further, ensure Always attach my signature is marked Yes, and click Submit at the very bottom. From now on, your profile will attach to every message you send. Also, may I suggest that you visit cancergrace.org (GRACE — Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education). GRACE is led by Dr. Howard "Jack" West, a Seattle oncologist who is an internationally-recognized expert on lung cancer and who gives high priority to promptly answering questions online. A lot of us are "dual citizens" and have the same usernames there as here. Aloha, Ned

I agree, it was worth the read. Thanks so much for posting it. Ned

Richard, make sure your oncologist knows the full extent of your side effects. With many of us there's a tendency to put on our "best face" when talking to the doc, and that's not always wise. For treatments that one is finding difficult to tolerate, sometimes a small reduction in the amout of chemo administered can make a big difference. Also, you might consider laying all of this out for the docs at cancergrace.org. They can't give specific medical advice for a person who is not their patient, but they do a great job explaining general principles and options. Aloha, Ned

I can relate! Ned

Judy, one of my worst Carbo/Alimta cycles was 2 cycles ago, when I packed a lot of activity into the afternoon and full day after my infusion, when I was still on the Decadron tablets and the bunny was still in Energizer mode. When the fatigue hit on the next day, it was worse than usual and extended for most of the 3 weeks. Of course my RBC, HGB, and HCT counts were still down, so that might have been most of it. Anyway, I've resolved to not overdo it on my steroid "up" days, like today (heading down the hill for my infusion shortly) and tomorrow. My visiting daughters can have my car and do their thing. They've both lived here and visit about once a year, so they know their way around. The weather has been gorgeous recently, not still and hot humid like many Septembers. Keeping those tradewinds blowing just a little makes a huge difference. Aloha, Ned

Also, most pharmacists are more than happy to do this for you, and I think the software they have available might be more capable and up-to-date than the free sites we can access. They generally consider this service to be part of their job and don't act like they're being pulled away from more important things like some doctors do. But if you don't happen to be at the pharmacy and the question of side effects or interactions comes up, Mymedicalrecords.com or one of the other sites is a great place to start. Aloha, Ned

Yes, that's one of his main points. We need to change the incentives so that an effective health care delivery system IS a good business model. Ned

This video is not specifically on lung cancer, but it's well worth viewing: "Dr. Denis Cortese, Pres. & CEO of the Mayo Clinic, spoke at the National Press Club (NPC) and stated that lawmakers must do more to reform U.S. health care." http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/09/18/HP/R/23311/Mayo+Clinic+CEO+Says+Lawmakers+Need+To+Do+More+On+Health+Reform.aspx Ned

WAY TO GO, KASEY!! Ned

Hi, Mary, welcome to the group! You have found THE BEST PLACE on the Web for personal support. Combine this site with the amazing resource Dr. West and others have created at cancergrace.org and you'll have little need to search elsewhere. As you probably know by now, adenocarcinoma is the lung cancer cell type least associated with smoking. But as Randy said, it's also the most common type, and therefore the most studied. When you get details on your husband's "staging" (I thru IV) and what treatment options are being discussed, please give us an update. There will be members here who have had the same or very similar treatment who can give you both some real-world perspective and tips. It's been a little over 3 years since I got my adenocarcinoma IIIb diagnosis, and though that stage is considered "inoperable and incurable," I'm doing pretty well. I've been on one treatment or another for the entire time, and there's never been a day when I couldn't do something productive. My main problem at the moment is anemia — long-term chemo can damage the bone marrow, which produces red blood cells — and therefore I tire easily and get short of breath with exertion. Currently my wife is on a trip to the mainland, so I'm fending for myself and also taking care of our energetic golden retriever. I'm not up to those 3-mile power walks they both enjoy, but Rosie understands that and seems quite content with our shorter excursions. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned

Very happy for you both, Bud! Ned

Hi, welcome to the group. I fully agree with the others. Stage II is very treatable and potentially curable, especially with surgery. Even cancers which have been declared incurable and inoperable can often be managed over the long term, much like some other chronic conditions. Your mom's reluctance to accept treatment may stem from stories she's heard from others about bad chemo side effects, but if these experiences were a number of years ago, it's important to know that great advances have been made recently with newer chemo agents as well as medications to counter the worst side effects of the older agents. Whatever choice she eventually makes, it's great that she'll have your support. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned

I'm sort of "batching" it this week while Lani is on a brief trip to the mainland. We figured this would be a good time for her to get away since she no longer has to care for her mother, I'm doing okay for now, and I'm currently in the "good" (second) half of my chemo cycle. Our main concern was Rosie, who has developed a very strong bond with Lani and eagerly anticipates their brisk multi-mile walks every morning and evening. Rosie seems to understand that I'm not up to the same level of activity, and she lets me know that she's grateful for just short walks if we can supplement that with some tennis ball action in the front yard. The weather this week is gorgeous, and that helps. Ned

Good show, Dana! I've been following your posts on GRACE also, and I think you handled this stretch of relatively uncharted waters very well. Aloha, Ned

That's terrific, Nonni! Let's grab those pompoms and all join in: Gimme a C! C! Gimme a U! U! ...... Ned