Leela

All by myself Don't wanna be All by myself anymore -Eric Carmen

Fingers crossed for good results. Lisa

I'm so sorry, Jill. I am praying for your mom and your whole family. (((HUGS)))

My heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry for your pain. Blessings to you and your family.

It can be hard to see the "good" some days, but you are and that creates positive vibes. You are inspiring. I will send up prayers for you and your hubby. Lisa

Sending up prayers for Beb.

Here's hoping that things keep going in this right direction. Hope you got some much needed rest last night after the chat. I will continue to keep your family in my prayers.

I have no answers either, but I'm so sorry to hear about you dad. You, your dad and family are in my prayers.

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa. You've come to the right place. Everyone here is so supportive.

He and you are in my prayers!

My mom also experiences pain after the Zometa infusion, sometimes in the legs, sometimes joints. Between that and the Neulasta shots, she does take pain meds for a few days after which seem to help. I have a cousin who has also received Zometa infusions and has had similar side effects. I hope that gives you a little piece of mind. I know how hard it is to watch your loved one go through so much pain and feel helpless to ease it. I will pray that your mom finds relieve and feels better soon. And fingers crossed tightly for Wednesday's PET.

I can totally relate. Life will never be the same. I want to turn back the clock too. When that bad photo album starts playing in your mind (that's the best way I can describe it), sometimes it's almost impossible to stop it. It's amazing how so many things I used to think were important, just are so trivial now. Priorities change, forgiveness comes more easily, and I love you is said more often. And for that I am grateful. I try to redirect my thoughts, count my blessings, I pray, and I come here now. You are not alone in those feelings. Hopes and prayers to you and your family, Lisa

Thank you all for the responses. Sharonjo- she was first going today for her preliminary. She will go 2x a week to try to build up her lung strength/capacity. I think that is the ultimate goal of her pulmonologist. She's got a follow up next week with him, so we'll see what he says then. He's not sure what it is because the xrays/scans look good and the 2 rounds of antibiotics and inhaler didn't seem to improve it. barbara - we'll be sure to check those out. Welthy - that makes perfect sense. Sometimes with all that's happening, I think we look for something more complicated then it is. Absolutely right - I know she'll take those side effects over progression of the cancer.

Thanks, golden - that could very well prove helpful. She often has a runny nose. Her pulmonary dr. said maybe the next stop would be an ear, nose & throat dr. Tomorrow she goes for a preliminary respiratory therapy appt. Hopefully they will be able to shed some light. She is still working and going about life, just a little slower and she gets tired more quickly. I'm so glad to hear that you have finally found relief and are feeling better with the advair! I hope it continues for you. That gives us some hope too.

Thanks for the reply, Connie. Right now, besides her chemo and anti-nausea meds, she is only using the inhaler (not sure of the name and she was prescribed it for the sob and cough), she takes a multivitamin, iron supplement, Ambien, and occasionally Tylenol and rarely Vicodan (post Neulasta shot). She's learning to slow down her walking pace and is adapting for now, but I wish we could find her some relief. Her oncologist and pulmonologist seem stumped.

My mom has been experiencing sob for a few weeks now and has developed a cough. She says it doesn't feel like the cough comes from as deep as her lungs, but just below the neck, if that makes sense. She also says that when she lays on her left side, she does not have the sob or cough, but still has it lying on her back or right side. She has had 2 chest xrays, a pet scan for clots, EKG and a heart ultrasound - none of which showed a cause. She's had 2 rounds of antibiotics and an inhaler in case it was bronchitis or other infection, but that hasn't relieved it. They don't think it's radiation pneumonitis. She did have a red blood cell shot on 8/1 - 1 week after her most recent chemo. Her pulmonologist wants her to try respiratory therapy next. Has anyone had any experience with this and what can she expect? Thanks!

Vespa, I'm so sorry you're feeling overwhelmed and alone. It's so hard to see someone you love go through this. Your mom is lucky to have you. Hang in there and remember you are not alone. Hugs and prayers, Lisa

Thank you all so much for the warm welcome! I'm sure we will have many questions as we go along. I've learned a lot from this site already and it is comforting to know others understand. Thank you again.

Hello. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks. My mom was diagnosed in April with NSCLC squamous cell - we were not told what stage - but it was described as quite extensive. She has always been so healthy, even though she was a smoker. I think I remember 3x total when we were growing up that she was ever sick. So this has all been such a shock. Her spirits are pretty good considering all she's been through in the past few months. "It is what it is" and "one day at a time" are her mantras. This site has given me hope and I'm so grateful I found it.