recce101

What a creep! He's probably a very unhappy person who is trying to spread his unhappiness around, different only in degree from those who think they've had a painful life and want to inflict pain on others whenever possible. There's plenty of misinformation out there, especially about cancer, and you can get that even from well-meaning people. It's best to check these things out with a reliable source such as cancergrace.org (GRACE - Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education, headed by a highly regarded Seattle oncologist and lung cancer expert). Aloha, Ned

I have fairly strong opinions on a lot of subjects but just can't get the juices flowing on this one. It's easy for me to see both sides here — or is it 3 sides or 4? Ned

Hi, Jan, welcome to the group. People react in different ways when faced with a life-threatening disease, and it doesn't always seem logical or reasonable. I agree with what someone else said — maybe just ask him how you can help. Some men (women, too) detest being "hovered over" because it gives them the feeling of being smothered. Back in 2006 when I was recovering from my exploratory surgery and things looked a little bleak, my smart wife asked me how she could help. I said don't give me sympathy or a lot of attention, just be nice. She was and is. Aloha, Ned

Ah, the River Rats, aka the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association. And we're not talking about the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma... It's a remarkable geologic feature which I saw many times, though not from this altitude!

Hi, Pixie, sorry to hear you're under the weather after your third chemo. This afternoon is definitely nap time for me, since I had chemo 2 days ago. I took the liberty to move your post out of the "Just for Fun" forum into the "LC Survivors" forum, since I figured you didn't intentionally put it there. But if it WAS intentional (some of us have developed an unusual sense of humor as a coping technique), just let me know by PM and I'll be happy to move it back. Or one of the other moderators can do it for you if I'm still napping. Best wishes on your next scan. Yes, stable is good! Aloha, Ned

Hey, Mitch, you do look good, that's for sure! Your jaw should be fine, and I hope your ear recovers with no hearing loss. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned

But not by me! Ned

I sure hope they caught the lowlife who did this (please forgive my choice of words, deliberate as it was). Does anyone know how Mitch was doing before the attack? It's always been a treat hearing from him. Ned

You're right, Judy. Even if I were so inclined, there's no way I could feel sorry for myself after reading the stories of younger and much younger people facing this diagnosis with small children to raise, promising careers to pursue, and the wonders of the world to explore. I'm not finished with the last one, but at least we have the Internet and a few superb cable channels. Ned

Caren, try something like this: Put your hand on his and say, "Dad, is there anything you'd like to talk about right now?" That might be all it takes if he's ready. Aloha, Ned

Heading down the hill in a half hour for my Carboplatin/Alimta treatment. Can't believe it's been 3 weeks already! Ned

Thanks for the update, Corey. The port should make things easier for your mom, especially after she's been on chemo for a while. You might ask if they're planning to install a "PowerPort" — this is used not only for blood draws and chemo infusions (like the older ports) but can also handle the additional pressure of dye injections for scans. I got one of those a couple of months ago to replace my original port, which had been in since September 2006. Both of mine were installed with local anesthesia, and recovery was no problem, just a sore shoulder for a few days. Your mom will be getting the same chemo combination I started with. It was a fairly challenging treatment, but I had no nausea at any time. Eating did become a problem because of mouth and throat irritation, so I drank a lot of Ensure, Boost, their Wal-Mart clones, and the much better tasting Carnation Instant Breakfast mixes dissolved in milk (dairy or soy). It's also necessary to stay a step ahead of the constipation. Let us know whenever the various side effects start to appear, and we can give you lots of tips. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned

Caren, I'm very sorry to hear this news, and that the Tarceva wasn't helpful. I believe it was appropriate for you to ask now. I think what most of us discourage is asking about prognosis as soon as the diagnosis is made, before anyone (including the oncologist) has any idea how well a particular patient will respond to the various treatments available. My Aloha, Ned

Los Angeles

Sounds plenty good to me!!! Ned

Hi, welcome to the group. You might be interested in following a couple of discussions that are currently underway at 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: http://cancergrace.org/forums/index.php ... 97#msg8797 http://cancergrace.org/forums/index.php ... 37#msg8837 My Aloha, Ned

Tommy, have you been reading any of these responses? We're ready and willing and able to help — just let us know what kind of help you need. Aloha, Ned

It's terrific to hear this news, Shelley. Your mom is quite remarkable — but you knew that already! Aloha, Ned

Ouch, Judy, I hope you're feeling better by now! In case you haven't visited cancergrace.org recently, you might be interested in some of the posts by Dr. Stephanie Harman, who is Medical Director of the Palliative Care Program at Stanford University Medical Center. She was discussing constipation with another member, and I jumped in with some specific questions on chemo constipation which she answered within a few hours: http://cancergrace.org/forums/index.php ... 19#msg8819 I had asked her about the label statement on Senokot and its clones to "use no longer than 7 days unless directed otherwise by a doctor," and her reply included "...it can be used safely beyond just 1 week and many patients can take senna regularly and indefinitely. I like it as a laxative because it is gentle (slow onset of action over hours)." My bottle is almost empty, so guess I'll be heading to Walmart to stock up on their generic version. Ned

CONGRATULATIONS!! Ned

Judy, on my first Alimta cycle I developed a rash on the upper chest and back starting the 5th day after my infusion. But since that's the only time it's happened, I think it's because I was feeling good enough to go with my wife on a shopping trip to Honolulu's Chinatown, and it was a hot day with a bit more perspiration than I've been accustomed to in recent months. Benadryl allergy tablets and Hydrocortisone 1% cream stopped the itching within a couple of days, and the rash was gone within a week. Sounds like you're doing fine. Ned

Hi, Evalynn, welcome to the group! I second the motion to visit cancergrace.org for information such as the range of treatment options for the various types and stage of lung cancer. It's a marvelous resource. Aloha, Ned

Seriously, being a caregiver is often, maybe even usually, harder than being a patient. The patient can be out of it and oblivious to other responsibilities, but the caregiver still has and still feels the weight of the world bearing down on those tired shoulders. To make it even worse, when the caregiver sees acquaintances, they always ask, "How is so-and-so?" — never "How are you?" Ned

girls

That's something the guys in my photo reconnaissance squadron thought about very seriously during the period we were flying deep into North Vietnam. Several members of our unit did get shot down and captured, and one of the goals of "mistreatment" was to break the prisoner down and get him to make statements that could be filmed and used as propaganda. Some resisted better than others, and I don't think any of us could truly anticipate how we might react under such duress. But getting "information" was not a realistic goal of harsh interrogation, since we had no information of significant tactical value. Even our squadron commander had no idea what targets our unit might be tasked to photograph tomorrow or the next day, and the top secret data we were given on call signs, timing, and target coordinates applied only to our individual missions and was useless once the mission had been flown. The important stuff was micromanaged at the White House and transmitted piecemeal just in time for the next day's events. Ned