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needhope

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Posts posted by needhope

    Disappointed

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Good News,

    Dad spoke with the insurance company today. There was a mix-up. The insurance agent said that it won't cost anything. Just talked to Mom and his spirits are up. He's been frying fish and cooking greens for the past hour 8) . Thanks for the well wishes. I'm praying that Tarceva does the trick.

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    MRI: How Often?

    in NSCLC GROUP

    Posted

    My dad got a CT scan last week but they did not give him an MRI. Do we have to request one? How often should they be done or are they usually only done after there are symptoms that point to a brain met? Thanks.

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    Disappointed

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Well, I am feeling better this morning than yesterday about the situation. I absolutely THANK GOD that there wasn't any growth. Things could have been a lot worse. Also my dad is still eating everything but the kitchen sink and he has gained a couple of pounds. He is now at 180, which is good. I am going to contact Genentech about their program. Thanks for the input.

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    Disappointed

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    Hi Everyone,

    My dad met with his doctor today to go over his scan results. I was expecting Avastin to be a wonder drug and show a significant regression in his tumors and allow him to stay on the drug for a while instead of shooting all his bullets at once. I guess I should be thankful that things are stable with one tumor shrinking verrrry slightly. And I really am :) . But, I don't know, I was just hoping for more of an impact.

    Well, his doctor is temporarily taking him off the chemo and giving him just Tarceva (150 mg) for a month to see if his tumors shrink. From previous posts, I have noticed that, in the beginning, Tarceva has been given mostly with other chemo and not given by itself until some improvement was shown. Anyone's thoughts on this? Does this seem aggressive enough?

    Adding to the frustration is the fact that his pharmacist told him it would cost over $3500 (Is this the full cost or at a discount :( ) for a month's supply. He has prescription coverage through Caremark and is calling them tomorrow to verify and see what they can do. For those of you who took Tarceva, how did you pay for it? It's frustrating enough dealing with this disease but having to sift through this insurance when all you want to do is LIVE just adds more agony to the situation.

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    A thought from another thread...because I am the type to

    in GRIEF

    Posted

    Hello Everyone,

    I personally like the timelines. It is what separates this forum from the other LC forums I have been to. When I first came to the boards it was kind of depressing reading some of them but then there are others that have given me so much hope. They've also been extremely helpful with looking at different treatments and how people responded to them as well as serious side effects that identify when something is going on that needs to be checked out by the doctor. Just my 2 cents.

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    Thought for the day!

    in CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTER

    Posted

    You know, everytime I get down, I am reminded that there are so many people young and old that have passed since my dad was diagnosed. So many people who went suddenly and didn't have the chance to rectify the situation, whether it was a heart attack, car crash, stroke, or murder. Though cancer SUCKS :evil: I did come to the realization that with every day that my dad is alive, God is giving him another chance at life. And for that reason, I continue to count my blessings.

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    Dad's First Scan Tomorrow

    in CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTER

    Posted

    Thanks everyone for your prayers and well wishes. You all are the best! My dad doesn't see the doc again until Tuesday so we won't know until then :roll:

    Until then, I am preparing for an eventful weekend. I am closing on a house tomorrow and my birthday is Sunday so we have alot to keep us occupied :) I will keep everyone posted. Again, thanks a million!

    Sincerely,

    Rochelle

    Immunotherapy

    in LUNG CANCER IN THE NEWS

    Posted

    Hi Everyone,

    Has anyone tried or know of someone who has tried Immunotherapy? The whole argument behind it (building up your immune system so that it naturally fights cancer cells) makes so much sense to me. There is a doctor by the name of Dr. Arnold Smith at the North Cenral Mississippi Cancer Center who has had good results. Link- http://www.cancernet.com/

    Has anyone been there?

    Thanks,

    Rochelle

    new, but not really

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Welcome,

    My father being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer is the most frightening thing I've ever faced. But after finding this website I have the hope despite the statistics. I'm praying for the best for you and your loved one.

    Sincerely,

    Needhope

    speed of cancer growth

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    Hi,

    A similar situation happened to my dad. A spot was noticed on his lung almost six months prior to his diagnosis. After he was given a bronchoscopy he was told that it was not cancer. Six months later he woke up with extreme swelling on the side of his neck and told, after a biopsy, that it was indeed lung cancer which had spread throughout the mediastinum. His is moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.

    I often have the "what ifs" and wonder what stage the cancer was when first noticed and whether we could have caught it before it reached Stage IV. Why did the doctors just rely on a bronchoscopy and not do a biopsy from the beginning to make sure? But I realize there is nothing we can do about it now. I am just more conscious of gettting copies of reports and making sure the appropriate scans are done.

    But it makes you :evil: knowing that on top of battling a disease as scary as cancer, you have to check behind people that you are paying to get the job done.

    Sincerely,

    Needhope

    New Member - husband diagnois with nsclc

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    Hi Flo,

    You have found a great support community. My dad was diagnosed almost two months ago and has started his first treatment (carbo/taxotere/avastin). He's doing okay and has maintained his appetite. We live in the Atlanta area as well :D . Where is your husband being treated? It has been a difficult time for us to say the least and it would be wonderful to know that there is someone in the area that we could compare notes with. Keep in touch.

    Sincerely,

    Needhope

    It Just Hit Me Again...

    in CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTER

    Posted

    I can soooo relate to your post. I was in the mall today Christmas shopping and watching the fathers with their families and it hit me really hard. I also become sad sometimes when I see grandfathers with their grandchildren and wonder sometimes will my dad be around to see his first grandchild. I would give anything to go back to the way our lives were before. Things that worried me in the past seem so trivial and utterly stupid now. I've been praying to God to let things go back to the way they were and I will never be ungrateful enough to complain about little insignificant things again.

    Needhope

    neulasta and WBC

    in NSCLC GROUP

    Posted

    My dad was put on Neulasta from the beginning, I guess as a precautionary measure. They held off on the Procrit shot because his red blood cell count was okay. I am glad. So far he hasn't had any major side effects except for some nausea and his hair thinning out.

    Needhope

    Update and Question

    in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

    Posted

    My father was given a bronchoscopy and was told that it was negative. We all thanked God and thought it was over. Six months later, he woke up to find the left side of his neck swollen. We then discovered after a biopsy that the shadow on his lungs was in fact cancer and now it had spread throughout the lymph nodes and mediastinum :( . It's good that your loved one's doctor is doing a biopsy right away. I wish we would have gotten one.

    When they did a scan of my dad's chest they at first thought it was lymphoma but rulled it out after the biopsy and said it was adenocarcinoma. Yet, they still do not know where the primary tumor is, so they are treating it like lung cancer. I know that a diagnosis can be frightening enough as it is but when there are questions still in the air, it is even more frustrating.

    I would post a question on Dr. West's website onctalk.com and ask any questions you may have. He is pretty prompt with his responses. I hope everything works out.

    Sincerely,

    Needhope

    Taxotere and fatigue

    in MEMBER UPDATES

    Posted

    My dad had his second treatment of taxotere two days ago and so far he is doing okay (knock on wood). I had read a lot of posts about how difficult it can be on the body. Hopefully, he will be able to keep his momentum.

    Needhope

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