Nova

I'm so sorry. I sound like a broken record saying that, but there's been so much sadness lately. I can't imagine having to have a talk like that with my mom... it would be heart breaking. It's so hard .....Please know I'm thinking of you. Nova

I'm so very sorry for you and the kids......I can't imagine what you must be feeling. Bless you, and please know I'm thinking of you. Nova

Thank you. They've sent Harry home from the hospital. I can't believe it.... His Platelet count is/was only "20", and the nurse even said he didn't think it was a good decision to let him leave the hospital, but they did. He's on ton's of antibiotics, antifungals, anti-everything's. He's awfully happy to be home though, and even though it's a little scary for my son and I - (he "caught" his dad this morning before Harry slid down on the kitchen floor in a dizzy spell), we're happy to have him home too. He has to go in for a blood test on Tuesday, and if his platelet count is still low, they will give him a bag as an "out patient". We'll see what happens..... You just never know with this stuff! Thanks for the prayers. Hope you're all doing okay today. Nova

A friend found and sent it to me today. Sounds like a good thing! Nanospheres leave cancer no place to hide 21 June 2007 NewScientist.com news service Celeste Biever GOLD-coated glass "nanoshells" can reveal the location of tumours and then destroy them minutes later in a burst of heat. Using these particles to detect and destroy tumours could speed up cancer treatment and reduce the use of potentially toxic drugs. It could also make treatment cheaper, says Andre Gobin of Rice University in Houston, Texas, who helped to create the particles. In 2003 Gobin's supervisor Jennifer West showed that gold-coated silica nanospheres could destroy tumours in mice, while leaving normal tissue intact. The blood vessels surrounding tumours are leakier than those in healthy tissue, so spheres injected into the bloodstream tend to accumulate at tumour sites. Illuminating the tumour with a near-infrared laser then excites a "sea" of loose electrons around the gold atoms via a process called plasmon resonance. This creates heat, killing all the nearby cells. However, before this can happen doctors first have to make sure they find all the tumour sites, which requires an MRI or CT scan. This extra stage can mean multiple hospital visits and more drugs for the patient. Now the team has shown how to tweak the size of the nanoshells so that they also scatter some of the radiation. That means any cancer sites will "light up" under low-intensity infrared, so they can then be zapped with the laser. "We can use one single particle to accomplish two tasks and neither feature is diminished greatly," says Gobin. To achieve this, the team had to carry out a delicate balancing act. Smaller spheres convert more radiation to heat, which makes them better at destroying tumours, but larger ones scatter more radiation, which is vital for the imaging stage. Previously, the spheres were 120 nanometres in diameter, which meant they only scattered 15 per cent of the light shone on them, and converted the rest to heat. West's team increased their size to 140 nanometres, causing them to convert 67 per cent of the light to heat, and to scatter the remaining 33 per cent. The team injected the new particles into mice with colon carcinoma tumours and used a technique called optical coherence tomography to test their ability to act as an imaging agent. This involves shining low-power near-infrared light onto the tissue and then measuring where the scattered light bounces back. They found that the nanoparticles caused tumour tissue to light up 56 per cent more strongly than healthy tissue. The team then applied a higher-power infrared laser to each tumour site for 3 minutes to heat the tissue. After a few weeks, they found the tumours had been almost completely destroyed. Eighty per cent of the mice treated survived for more than seven weeks, while all the control mice, who did not receive the nanoshells, died after three weeks. "Using one particle to detect and destroy tumours could cut treatment length" Since optical coherence tomography only penetrates up to 2 millimetres, the imaging step will only be useful for locating tumours near the surface, such as cervical, mouth and skin cancers, says Gobin. However, the team plans to modify the nanoshells so that they work with more deeply penetrating radiation, such as X-rays. Houston-based Nanospectra Biosciences, which West co-founded, will begin trials of the spheres in humans in the next two months. From issue 2609 of New Scientist magazine, 21 June 2007, page 28 --

I think your dad is a very blessed man, because he has a daughter that loves him so much! I guess it's hard for people who aren't going thru this on a daily basis, to understand. Things change too quickly with cancer. One day will be excellent, the next day you might end up at the ER.... Sounds to me like you're making a good decision. Nova

I'm sorry. I know it's hard to watch that weight disappear.. When Harry is sick like that , he survives on cheap popsickles. I tried buying the more expensive ones,- made with juice, or mixed with ice cream,- and he wouldn't eat them. He says the only thing that tastes good, are the type that the kids usually eat. They come in either a netted bag, or a long box. Walmart carries them. There's about 50 of them in the bag, and they cost about $2.50. I'm sure there's no nutritional value in them, but at least it's like drinking kool-aid, so it's fluids. I too, have tried everything under the sun, to tempt him to eat. The snack tray sounds like an excellent idea. I'm going to try it when Harry gets home from the hospital. Good luck to you, Nova

Thank you for all of the prayers and good thoughts. Harry's platelet count, (even with them giving him bags of it), has dropped to "8"..... It's supposed to be between 130 and 400. His body just isn't producing it. His other counts are coming up a tiny bit though, so that was some good news. Maybe he's on the mend, super slowly. I've already left a message at the Oncologist's office, asking them if there's anything else they can do, so he doesn't have to try and get thru the last 2 chemo sessions. I don't think he can take it. His body is so worn out. I keep thinking, "It's not the cancer that's making him sick, it's the treatment"! The tumor has shrunk, and he was feeling good until he got the chemo. Thanks again, for all of your help, thoughts, ideas and compassion. I keep you all in my thoughts daily. Nova

Saying "Thank you" seems so "tiny", but thank you, with my whole heart. The night I posted that, my imagination was running wild with all of the "why's, what if's, and how comes". Guess I got overwhelmed. I think I've found my crying spot now though, away from where my son and Harry can see me..It's in the chicken coop! The hens I have don't seem to care at all if I sit in there and bawl my eyes out! (As long as I've brought their food with me!) Thank you all, for sharing your stories with me. I feel better knowing that I'm not the only one who has felt so totally worn out, tired, frustrated and angry with this hateful, hateful disease. Thank you, Much love to you all, Nova

Harry was admitted to the hospital late in the evening on the 15th with a fever and stomach pain. He's also lost 7 pounds in 3 or 4 days.(Total weight loss in 6 months is 45 pounds). A scan of his stomach has shown that he has an abscess, and thickening of the intestinal wall, caused by infection, caused by the chemo... and on and on... He might have to have surgery, but they're hoping the antibiotics will make it go away. His platelet count is 16, so surgery would be dangerous, because he could bleed to death. All of his counts are really, really messed up this time. I don't know how he's going to make it thru 2 more rounds of chemo. He gets sicker and sicker each time he has it, and lands in the hospital for longer periods of time. I am so "cancered out", and I feel so helpless. I want it to go away and leave him alone. I want my chubby, thick haired, sometimes bossy, very handy, Tampa Bay Buccaneer Fan, loving husband back. I have never in my life, felt truly depressed. I could almost always find some sort of humor in every situation, even though I've been thru some very stressful times over the years, but this thing called cancer is about to crush my spirit. I know this Board is supposed to be a place of support and encouragement, and I realize I don't sound very supportive or encouraging right now, but I can't help it. I hate this stuff.....I want to curse, and I don't curse! I want to punch or kick something. I want to scream at the top of my lungs........ Sorry... whoever is in charge of this section can delete this and ban me if they need to, but surely I can't be the only one that has felt this utterly helpless while watching someone I love, suffer so much.....???? Please tell me you've all felt insane at some point! It will make me feel so much better.... I'm sorry. Thank you guys for listening. Nova

Hi, and welcome here. I like your Mom's attitude already--that she wants her arm to feel better! That's the way to do it-- Concentrate on the thing that's most important to you! It's good that she doesn't have any of the symptoms, because that might mean they've found it early. It's nice to "meet" you, and I'll be keeping you guys in my prayers. Nova

I'm sorry your friend has to go thru this. I'm "too new" to cancer, so I can't answer your questions, but I'm sure someone here can. I've never heard of "tomotherapy". Best of luck to your friend. Nova

Thank you, Barb. I appreciate you! Nova

I'm sorry that you and your Mom are going thru this. My first thought was,did the doctor say "for sure" that she had lung cancer??? Did he give any thoughts to which type he thought it was? I know they're pretty good at guessing, by looking at the scans, but there are a few different types of lung cancer, and hers could possibly be treated...??? Maybe you could talk her into getting a second opinion?? I haven't had to deal with Hospice, other then when my step-dad received their services. I didn't care for it, but some people have had very good experiences with them..... Guess it just depends. Take care of yourself. I'm adding you guys to my prayer list. Nova

Thanks for posting that. I get excited about anything new for small cell treatment.

I would call the 800 number for the Social Security office. Your Mom may be eligible for SSI payments, which money-wise, is not enough to live on, but it makes you automatically eligible for a Medicaid card. Harry has one, but we've never had to use it, because his employer is still paying for his health Insurance - (bless thier hearts!), with United Health Care. I don't know if California is different or not, but you really should call the SS office and talk to them. Harry was declared eligible the same month he applied for Disability, (in February), but we have to wait until August to get a check.....(They make everyone wait, and you don't get "back pay", unless it takes them longer then 5 months to decide if you are eligible). Good luck to you, Nova PS If your Mom has a "lot" of savings, you may need to shuffle some of it around, if you know what I mean.....You can PM me if need be.

I'm so sorry for you guys. Given some time, your Mom might consider treatment...? It's an awful lot to think about at first.. too overwhelming. I'm thinking of you. Nova

So many good replies... I can't possibly add anything to it, (because I'm too new at this), but I did want you to know that I'm thinking of you.... Take care of "you"! Nova

All of the above.....and nuke it out of existance. I'm becoming bitter about cancer too. I HATE it, and I hate what it has done to my husband, myself, and our 14 year old son, so I understand your anger. I wouldn't wish this on my very worst enemy.

Sorry, I forgot to answer your question, Liz. Harry stopped using those patches quite a while ago. He too, knew they were making him sick, especially when he would apply a new one. He takes a small dose of Morphine now, only when his chest/rib area starts hurting. Thanks, Nova

I just found this "Just for Fun topic area"! I like it! I will be 46 on June 15th-this Friday! We're having a "70's theme" party, which my daughter is throwing for me, and everyone is dressing up! Can't wait to see the grandbabies dressed as Hippies! LOL! I always tell everyone my correct age, but add that I still "feel" 20 "at heart"! Nova

I noticed the article said it was used for "advanced" small cell. (I'm guessing they meant "extensive"?) Harry has limited, (last time he was scanned anyway), and they've already told him they would prefer he get the brain radiation anyway, in July, so I guess they don't just use it for advanced/extensive cases...? I loved reading the "20 year" survivor story! Wow!

Your post made me smile! BIG smile! What a family full of walking miracles you have! Getting into rehab for drug addiction, and sticking to it for years like you have, is WONDERFUL! (I have a very close family member that has been thru that!) I'm so happy for your Mom, your dad, and for you too!!

Thank you all for writing. There are several medications listed that I haven't heard of, so I'm going to write them down and call the doctor if I need to. It seems the nausea is letting up a tiny bit today, (after taking Compazine, Reglan, Ativan and Zofran, all at once - per doctor's orders)...(He said they all work in different ways to combat nausea, so to take ALL of them)..... Sounded a little much to me (scary), but he said it was alright....? Now (of course) Harry's getting really dizzy when he stands, but I imagine that's from the whompus amounts of medication! (I couldn't SIT up, much less "stand", if I took all of that!) Thanks for the good thoughts and ideas. Take care of yourselves! (What would I do without all of you??? ) Nova

Thanks Liz. Besides Harry having to get his shot tomorrow,(Monday) we don't have to go back to Moffit til the 29th, for his oncologists appt., and the next chemo.-(Unless he continues to feel worse after today.) He always ends up either IN the hospital after chemo, or AT it, in the little ER they have. I'm crossing my fingers it won't happen this time, but past experience shows he doesn't do well afterwards.... At least he only has 2 more to go.... How are YOU? Hope everything is going good, and that you're feeling well! You're my favorite "Jersey Girl"!!!!

Harry finished his fourth round of chemo today--the first time with Carboplatin. I had such high expections that he wouldn't get as nauseated with this as he did the Cisplatin, but it's not to be. In fact, he got sick earlier then he did with the Cisplatin. He's back to sleeping almost non-stop, vomiting when he's awake, weak and dizzy, etc. He's on 4 meds for nausea. Compazine, Ativan, Zofran and Reglan. Anyone know of anything else on the market we can request for nausea? Surely there's something that will help.....? Thanks, and hope you're all feeling good today. Nova