wendyr

Dovelady, I sent you a private message. Please go to top of page in the purple area and click on My Mail. wendyr

Leslie: ditch the doctor and find one who will fight for you. This guy's an insensitive jerk and even if his bedside manner improves you will always have this bad memory of this visit to haunt you. There are compassionate doctors out there who are up to date on all the latest trials and research and you would be much better served by one of them. Good Luck, and God Bless wendyr

Congratulations Ann. Boys are such fun, so adventurous wendyr

Hi Dannie, welcome to the best support community on the web. My husband entered a clinical trial of Avastin & Tarceva a year ago and that combination kept him stable for a year - please read his profile below. He had a lot of 'chemo induced' joint pain, fatigue and low appetite. Most people find Avastin to be an easy chemo but he had a lot of difficulty with the combination of the two drugs in the beginning. Unfortunately they found a blood clot in his lung 2 weeks ago and he is now out of the trial and on Tarceva only, so we're hoping that Tarceva will continue to keep him stable. He has had good days and some really miserable days, particularly when he first started the trial, and although I'm not a patient I can understand what you are going through. wendyr

Welcome Honeybee and I am truly sorry that your mother's disease has progressed to this point. My mother had squamous nsclc and in January, 1995 she was referred to Hospice by her onc. At that point she was living alone and coping quite well. I was there when they came out to do an initial assessment. They offered medical appliances such as wheelchair, hospital bed, oxygen and narcotics, none of which she needed at the time. They also offered to sign her up for Meals on Wheels which she also did not need. Her principal contact was her nurse who co-ordinated all her care and liased with her doctor. She had a home health aid come in twice weekly to help her bathe, wash her hair and change her bed sheets. She had a mental health counselor who came by every couple of weeks or so and a 'friendly visitor' volunteer who would stop by for a visit or run errands for her. As her condition deteriorated her nurse came by more frequently and ordered the pain meds and monitored their effectiveness. During the last week of her life her nurse came by daily and was always available in that I could call her with questions etc. I was told that in any emergency they were available 24/7 and not to hesitate to call them. I was also told that when she passed I was not to call 911, I was to call them and they would come out and 'pronounce her' My mother passed in May, 1995 and over the course of those months she came to need the oxygen, the wheelchair and the bed all of which were delivered and set up. Not all Hospices are the same as some here will tell you, but my experience with them was wonderful. Some people here have had a less than satisfying initial experience with their first Hospice and so I guess I'm saying that if you don't feel completely comfortable with them, do look around your community and do not hesitate to hire another one. If it ever gets to the point where my husband needs Hospice, and I hope it's not for a very long time, I would have no problem bringing them in, and I would bring them in early in order to get comfortable with all the 'players' Hope this helps answer some of your questions, please feel free to send me a PM or email if I can answer any more questions. God Bless wendyr

Teri, I don't think you were faking it at all. You were in a new environment with people you had just met. There is no obligation to discuss the details of your personal life with people whom you have just met, unless you choose to, and in this case you chose not to. If the bonding continues and you get to know these folks better and become more comfortable with them you can then chose the time and place to discuss Bill and where you are right now. Either way, I see it as a choice, not faking it. Kudos on taking the course and branching out to carve your own path. That takes strength and courage, which you have demonstrated in abundance over these last months. May tomorrow go kindly and peacefully for you. God Bless wendyr

Sounds like good numbers to me, but we both know you've got a great onc. She stays on top of things. wendyr

I too would like to extend my condolences on the loss of your sister. I'm very sorry. My understanding, but you should indeed talk to Dr West, is that any tumor 3 cm or over but confined to one lung and not in lymph nodes is considered at least Stage 1b or possibly higher. Again I stress talking to Dr. West. I believe he has a section on staging Good luck and God bless you and your husband in your fight against this beast. wendyr

I don't carry them even though I do know how to use them. My first call would be to AAA wendyr

Ann, I've had my grandkids ( 2 girls and a boy) countless times for overnight and weekend visits and when they were toddlers, no matter how great the day was, when bedtime came, so did the tears and they cried for their mommy. I think they feel vulnerable at that time. All I could do was snuggle with them and sing a gentle song. If it's any consolation they do grow out of it and then you can't get them to go to bed because grandma's great and let's them stay up late. Hope all goes well tomorrow and you finally meet your new grandbaby. What a blessing. wendyr

I am so sorry for your loss. Your mother fought a courageous fight against this beast. Prayers that God will give you comfort and strength in the coming days. wendyr

Hi Tappy, I've had very minimal experience with ventilators but my understanding is that one cannot stay on for more than 10 days due to the risk of infection. After that a tracheotomy (sp?) is performed and the patient gets assistance breathing that way. I'm sure others with more direct experience will chime in and let you know all the facts. Good Luck wendyr

Andy, I am so sorry to hear of your dear Dad's passing. Prayers for peace & strength in the coming days. wendyr

Hi Don, cannot speak to the peripheral vision thing but I sure am glad to hear of the rash. Only on this board is a Tarceva rash a great sign. Hope you get to keep the beard, I kinda like it. wendyr

Ken, the protocol you're suggesting was used on my hubby. He had 33gy of radiation over 6 weeks along with reduced, induction chemo of carboplatin & paclitaxol. It was manageable and he got good results. They were also MD Anderson docs. wendyr

That's great news. I'm so glad wendyr

Hi Lilly, I too am reading this late but hope all went well for you. wendyr

First let me say how sorry I am to hear of your mother's dx and second I would like to extend a big welcome. Please tell Mom that all the stats she's reading are 5 years old and there have been many new drugs introduced since then. Please keep reading profiles here and you'll see the different treatments that are available. The fact she is a candidate for surgery is a big plus and she stands a very good chance of getting a cure. wendyr

Hi Judy: elevated bp is a known side effect of avastin, so at least you can be pretty sure of the cause, but if increasing the diovan doesn't seem to work please don't hesitate to contact your doctor. I don't have a drug plan and if a dr wants me to try a new medication I always ask for samples so I don't have to waste $$$ on drugs that may not work. wendyr

My thoughts and prayers are with you tonight. So much to deal with. I'm so sorry. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. wendyr

Hi Rebecca and welcome to our group. I'm so sorry to hear of your Dad's diagnosis and your need to be here but I have to agree with the others in the fact that your Dad may not need as much help as you are anticipating. My hubby is stage 3A and has been stable now for 21 months. With the exception of a couple of set backs and all through radiation and chemo he's doing fine and at no point has he needed 24/7 care. He experiences extreme fatigue at times and he does things much more slowly but does not need constant care. (See profile) Feel free to ask us anything. This is a wonderful, caring, knowledgeable and supportive group. Good Luck & God Bless wendyr

So sorry to hear of your loss. May God grant you strength, peace and serenity. wendyr

Welcome e: we are here to help you on this journey wendyr

Ken, I agree with others who feel you should forge ahead and I also agree with Welthy that the Rad Onc may just be overly cautious. Since you are not a candidate for CK then I say stay with MDA. They have it all, IMRT and Proton and they are tops in the field of lung cancer. Whatever your decision I wish you well and I'm impressed with 50% shrinkage in 4 treatments. That's awesome! Let us know what you decide. wendyr

Wonderful news Hopes for continued success. wendyr