fillise

This is sad news indeed. Thanks Connie for making the difficult call. Susan

Great news. Stable is a wondrful thing! Susan

Oh my--drag her to get that second opinion yourself if you have to! I can't imagine not being offered treatment options. Tell her my mom--stage IV--has been successfully treated for 27 months and has an excellent quality of life. Susan

Thanks for sharing your Pop-pop's obituary. He sounds like a very special man and I know he will live on in your heart forever. I will be thinking of you tomorrow. Susan

That's great news. Stable is a beautful word! Susan

Too young. Just way too young.

I am so sorry to read this. I will pray that you and your family have strength and comfort for the days and weeks ahead. Susan

Tina--thanks for posting this. Your mom sounds like an incredible woman. I'll keep you in my thought and prayers. Susan

What a beautiful tribute! Susan

It often takes a lot of test, and quite frankly you want them. When they tell you it isn't lung cancer you will know they looked thoroghly. And on the off chance that it is, you want them to find it sooner than later. It can be frustrating to wait, but the tests are important. Susan

Holding Pop-pop and your family in my prayers. Susan

I am so sorry Jenn. Susan

WooHoo for 8.5 years!!!!! You go girl! Susan

Oh Tina, I'm so sorry to read this. Your mom fought a very brave fight and you have been so brave and strong as well. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Susan

I am so sorry to read this. I will be praying that Pop-Pop has a peaceful transition. I will be praying for you as well. ((((hugs)))) Susan

Wendy, I'm so sorry. Maurice fought bravely and hard. The battle you fought together inspired many of us. Sending my love to you during this difficult time. Susan

((((Debbie)))) Susan

I'm so sorry Linda. I hope it bring you comfort knowing she is free from the pain. Susan

Kim, I suggest you check with Dr. West at www.cancergrace.org to see if he or his colleagues know anything about cancer treatment in Germany. He would likely know if any drugs are approved over there that are not over here and whether they are showing any survival benefit. Data I have seen shows that their overall lung cancer survival rate is about the same as for the US, but I've not done an exhaustive search. Susan

Kristi--Mom has tolerated the Carbo/Taxol very well. Her infusion days are very long (5-6 hours) so I bought her an iPod shuffle and loaded it with her favorite music. She says it really helps her to pass the time while she is getting the infusion. Yes--make sure your dad drinks lots of water. Mom also sucks on ice chips while receiving chemo to prevent mouth sores. So far, so good. He will also probably lose his hair (it's the taxol). Mom lost hers completely wthing 3 weeks of her first treatment. She was pleasantly surprised by how well he tolerated it. While it's not fun, she continues to go to her quilting group, Bible study, book club, etc. In other words she is living life. Last weekend she traveled to watch my youngest niece in her HS play. She has learned to stop and rest when she feels fatigued, but otherwise sticks to her normal routine as much as possible. The best part--after her first course of radiation and chemo, she was stable and off treatment for a full year! Kepp us updated and ask any questions you need to. Susan

I don't have advice, but just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for your loss. I'll keep you in my prayers that you find comfort in the love you and your father shared. Susan

I think all pain medications slow breathing--especially if given in strong doses--so I wouldn't read too much into the fact that they are giving him this particular drug. The main goal is to keep Pop-Pop as comfortable as possible. Hang in there. We are here if you need us. Susan

Hi! Do you know what chemo regemin your dad will be on? My mo has done two courses. One was carboplatin/taxol and the second was carbplatin.taxol/avastin. Chemo was not nearly as bad as she feared it would be. Generally she was fine the day she took the chemo and for the next couple of days. By the third day she would begin to feel tired and achy and that would last for 2-3 day and then she would start coming back up again. She had very little problem with nausea (in fact most of the nausea she experienced came from the radiation). The day after her chemo she would get a nelasta shot to keep her white blood cell count up. She hated that shot as that seemed to make her bones and joint hurt for a few days. BUT her white counts have always stayed high and she has never gotten an infection. Mom took one treatment ever 21 days. She sttok radiation and chemo separately so it will probably make a difference if you dad is receiving both at the same time. Tell us a little more about the chemo your dad is receiving. There is smeone here who will be happy to share their experiences with it and offer advice for coping with any side effects. Best of luck to your dad! Susan

Woo Hoo! This is GREAT News! Doing the happy dance here. . . Susan

A shadow on a chest x-ray is something to be concerned about, but it could be many, many things. Take a deep breath and take it one day at a time until you know more. What follow-up is she being given? Susan