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karlakay

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Everything posted by karlakay

  1. Definitely get an MRI over a cat scan of the head. My husband had a cat scan and it was clear but the MRI showed several mets including one the size of a walnut. My husband did experience headaches that went away with Tylenol - it was an annoying one that always started in the same place which we later found out was where the largest met was. He never expressed any issues with his vision. Follow up on this and insist on a head MRI. I'll be praying for you. Karla
  2. My dear husband, Frank, passed away very peacefully at home on Monday morning, June 16. I had brought him home with hospice exactly 2 weeks earlier. He was very fortunate in that he was in no pain throughout the process and hospice was amazing and wonderful to our family. Thanks to all of you for being there for me these past couple of years. Karla Long St Joseph, MO
  3. After battling this disease since 8/06, my husband, Frank, and I jointly decided this weekend to give up the fight. He has lost the use of his legs and his mental capacity comes and goes - one minute he is very lucid and the next - not so much. He spent 9 days in the hospital and 2 weeks in a skilled nursing facility but all he really wanted was to COME HOME. On Monday, I made that happen for him. I had to have an ambulance bring him home because I could not get him into the house. When they opened the back of the ambulance and got him out, I said "honey, you're home". His response back was "I thought I'd never get here". I have enlisted the help of hospice and have a daughter who is committed to helping me with caring for Dad. He is in no pain for which I am very grateful. If it was up to him, he would pass now - he continually keeps saying he is ready to go but I guess his body's just not ready to quit yet. This forum has been a lifesaver for me through this journey and to all of you out there, I say "thank you". I wouldn't recognize you if I ran into you in Wal-Mart but many of you have touched me for a lifetime. During a time of my life when my friends just didn't get it - you all did! Peace be with all of you as you continue this journey - my journey now is to walk this final walk with my husband of 26 years and allow him the best transition into the next world as possible. Karla
  4. My husband started his whole brain radiation last week - has now taken 6 treatments out of 14 ordered. He started having really severe headaches 2 days after treatment. They are giving him 4 mgs of Decadron 3 x daily but his headache remains. I did find out they took him off of his Methadone which he has taken for a year, 10 mgs 2 x daily. Does anyone know if that could be causing his headaches - sort of like a withdrawal from them. He is so frustrated and depressed - he says these are the worst headaches he's had his entire life.
  5. My husband started whole brain radiation last Monday and now says he wants to stop all treatment and come home with hospice to die. His reasoning is that he has a constant headache that they have been unable to manage. I know he has been through alot and want to respect his wishes but I don't know how. How do I tell him it's OK to stop and let him go?
  6. My husband started WBR on Monday, 5/19/08, after several mets were found. He is also very weak from a bout of bacterial pneumonia. He will be receiving 14 treatments and we are praying everyday to have more good time together.
  7. Last night, we learned that my husband's lung cancer had metasisized to his brain. The doctor this morning gave us the option of whole brain radiation and said they have pretty good success with it. Any information anyone has would be greatly appreciated. He is experiencing bouts of confusion and extreme sleepiness.
  8. My darling husband of 26 years who has been battling this disease since Aug 06 found out yesterday evening that he has a large mass in his head along with several other lesions. We don't know all the details yet - will find that out today. I don't even know why I'm writing except that it's early in the morning and no one else is awake and I had to talk to someone. About 3 weeks ago, he started having headaches in the same part of his head and this past week, he started showing signs of confusion. He also started having difficulty walking. I brought him to the hospital a week ago yesterday and he was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. They did a cat scan of his head upon admission and said it was clear. As the week progressed, his pneumonai got better but his confusion, inability to stay awake (he's been sleeping about 22 hours a day) and his difficulty in walking led me to believe there was still something else going on. After practically throwing a fit with the docs, I convinced them yesterday to do a head MRI and lo and behold, they found our problem. The doctors are supposed to come in this morning to talk with us at length but I think our plan is to go home. He's very weak and I can't imagine he could endure any more treatment and his performance status now has to be in the negative numbers. I'd like to hear from anyone else who has experienced this as we continue this journey.
  9. My husband has been on Gemzar for 1 full year now. He started out receiving treatment 3 times per month then his blood counts started dropping and he went to 2 times per month. This last month, his platelet and RBC's have dropped so much that he has only been able to get in 1 dose in the last 3 weeks. Obviously I'm very concerned that without the treatment, his cancer will once again start to grow. Has anyone else been on Gemzar this long and if so, how did you combat the low blood counts?
  10. karlakay

    Gemzar

    My husband has been on Gemzar only since 5/07. It has stabilized his cancer and has been a pretty easy drug. A little heartburn/indigestion the day of the and the day after. Some fatigue but manageable. The only real problem we've had is low blood counts. Has had to receive several transfusions to keep his platelet and blood cell counts up. Hope it works as well for you as it has for us.
  11. Here's my 2 cents worth. My husband also had the fluid drained from the pleural sac and his was, unfortunately, malignant. That was in May, 2007 as you can see from our post. He had the pleurodesis done in August, I think, and it was a huge success. Shortness of breath issues are seldom now and the procedure was not that difficult. Was 4 days in the hospital with some pain but that was taken care of my pain meds. From our point of view, the procedure was very well worth it and has given him some quality of life back. I'd also say - find a new doc. Our doctor certainly told us the fluid being malignant was not good news but it was not the end!!!
  12. My husband is currently on Gemzar only and has been since May. He feels really good although he does struggle with low blood counts and has had to receive 6 units of blood since May. Gemzar is third line treatment for us and has stabilized his cancer so we LOVE it. He receives it 3 weeks in a row and then has a week off for rest. I hope your treatment will be as easy as ours has been.
  13. My husband is so cold all the time. We know his red blood counts are staying low - around 9 - but he can't seem to warm up. Obviously he's been wearing his long johns and keeping a blanket on but any suggestions on other ways to get warm and stay warm. Are there any meds to help with this?
  14. My husband lost 50 pounds in just a couple of months. He went on Megace and it made all the difference in the world. He wanted to eat and especially to snack on high calorie foods. He has since gained back almost 25 pounds. We also did Boost but he didn't care much for the taste of it.
  15. My husband is scheduled for a pleurodesis next week and was wanting info from anyone who's had it done to give me the scoop. He has had fluid drained 3 times in the last 2 1/2 months so they are wanting to do something more permanent. Any info someone can provide would be appreciated. Thanks.
  16. Met with my husband's onc last week. This visit was after our completing chemo and radiation and then having a cat scan to see what results we got. The doctor was very pleased - husband had 3 nodules on side of the neck that are now not detectable by cat scan. Furthermore, the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest show significant improvement and the primary tumor in the lung has shrunk from 4.5 cm to 2.5 cm. Plan now is for 4 cycles of carboplatinin/taxotere and then re-scan. We went out to celebrate as we were pleased with the results - of course, we wish it were gone in its entirety but are very grateful that we got some results. Plan now is to just keep fighting this disease AND living life!
  17. My husband is currently off of treatment and was feeling well although tired. A couple of weeks ago, he started with a dry scratchy cough and in the last few days started having intensive shoulder pain. Says it feels like it did when he tore his rotator cuff. It is now impacting both shoulders. Does this sound like pleural effusion? He had a cat scan on 12/18/06 for a follow-up but we are not scheduled to get the results until 12/29/06.
  18. Thanks to everyone for your replies and words of encouragement. Donna, they said late stage IIIB or early stage IV. The primary tumor was in the right lung, the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest were cancerous and he also had nodules on each side of his neck - two on the same side as the tumor and one on the other. They said the one on the other side of the neck is what staged it at IV.
  19. Hi All. I am just now registering on this site although I have been reading posts since September. My husband of 25 years was diagnosed with Stage IV Adenocarcinoma on August 4, 2006. Trying to gather as much info as I can, I've been searching the web and love this site. Some other sites I've looked at are only doom and gloom and although I know his condition is very serious, I always want to believe there is some hope. The members on this site are much more positive and upbeat than others. My husband has completed 7 1/2 weeks of daily radiation as well as two cyles of chemo with Cysplatin and VP-16. Just had a cat scan on Monday and will get results on the 29th. He feels pretty well - is still working full time but is definitely more tired than he used to be. Anyway, from me, thanks for being here. It gives me hope anytime I get on this site! Karla
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