Marci

Tammy, I am so sorry - my heart aches for you right now. Love Marci

Thanks for information and posts everyone. Carole, thanks for the informative Prednisone info. Yes, love/hate I can see, my Mom feels the same. My Mom just developed a lump in her breast very close to the skin surface like a grape size. Afer much research on the Prednisone this can cause lumps/bumps in skin so I am hoping for that is what it is and not the cancer acting up again here. I am curious on the adrenal glands issue you had, my Mom also her adrenal glands have grown in size along the way. What role do your adrenal glands provide to the body? And what happens when they are no longer working properly? Any info. would be great Carole and I hope you are doing good yourself with your journey. Thanks- Marci

Hi Everyone, Thanks for the posts. Hope all of you guys are doing good too. Well, the goods news is that Mom came home on 1/20. Bad news for her is more chemo to look forward to. I guess I'll try and look at the bright side no one told us the this fight is over yet! Hopefully this treatment will click with her instead of giving her so many side effects like the Taxotere. Sending you all my best Marci

Hey Linda, Her oncologist was thinking about Alimta I think its called. So we will see when we go for the follow up appointment. Of course I know when my mom is stable or not since I am her main caregiver and believe me did I see the change very quickly with the Taxotere. Very scary. Hope your doing better since you came off! Take Care Marci

Hi Linda, Boy, do I hope you enjoy your cruise coming up. I noticed you had problems on the Taxotere with the breathing etc. My mom too. They are taking her off also. It really did a number on her out of all the chemo's she has ever been on. Anyway I hope your new chemo will be better and I hope you are feeling better real soon in time for your vacation. Enjoy!! Get well soon- Marci

Hi All, Well we made it through X-mas and then on 12/29 Mom asked my Dad to bring her to the hospital b/c her breathing was really bad. She stayed in her room on X-mas day on oxygen and we gathered around her in her bed and hung out. Well they diagnosed her with radiation pneumonitis. I was blown away b/c she hasn't had radiation to her chest since April. Well come to find out that the Oncologist thinks that the Taxotere she was on made her lungs remember the radiation and so now she was put on Prednisone and they are slowly weening her down. Also taken off Taxotere and to start Alimta when all this other stuff is over. That was the first trip to the hospital stay was from 12/29/08-01/06/09 - Yup we missed New Years together but were on the phone at midnight. Its an old tradition we used to go out of our front door and bang pots with a spoon. I know you all think were crazy right!!!!! Boy did I miss that this year! Now that I think of it I should of done it anyway by myself just to do it. Now onto 2nd stay of hospital woke up on 1/13 vomiting bile,etc. Taken to ER - diagnosed acute diverticulitis. Wow what a year so far! Sorry for the long speel but haven't talked to anyone lately. Hope you are all feeling well and this new year brings you many blessings to all of you! Please pray for Mom to improve soon so we can attack with this other chemo! Marci

Laura, My prayers for you and your family. What a remarkable person and daughter you are. May peace be with you through this time and know that you are not alone ever- your parents are your guardian angels now watching your every step. Marci

Hi All, Although Patrick Swayze is fighting Pancreatic Cancer vs. Lung Cancer my mom and I couldn't help but identify with everything he said on the Barbara Walters Show last night. My mom had always been a major fan of him in fact we even named our last dog who has since passed Swayze. Cancer is cancer no matter how you slice it we can all identify with everyone going through it in some way or another. I said to my mom I can't believe he works on a movie set with chemo side effects etc. My mom then reminded me that not having your lungs affected is two different things. I think he is so brave though and I admire his bravery and attitude. He gave my mom hope last night and that is what we all rely on. Its about time for so much awareness of these diseases affecting the whole human race. Marci

Hi All, Just wanted to wish you all Happy Holidays and to wish you all a more HEALTHIER New Year 2009 coming up. You are all in my thoughts and prayers and always on my prayer list. I love you all and we always have hope, love, and faith no matter what the circumstances. Those cannot be taken by this!!!! Love to All of you Merry Christmas! Happy Chanakau! Happy Kwanzaa! If I left one out then Happy Holidays!! Marci

Thinking and praying for you both that Tarceva will do wonders. Will hold you in my prayers. Marci

Linda, I am thinking of you and although I am not the patient I relate as it seems more stressful this time a year even for the healthy so for those not feeling well, its real tough I can only imagine. I know I am not the one afflicted with the cancer and can't imagine having the holiday stress, etc. on top of everything else. Don't worry your right this too shall pass with not feeling well. There is this commercialism associated with the holidays I think, that put pressures on us to do all these things like decorate, shop, etc. I keep reminding myself the real meaning behind it and say to myself whether this or that gets done this is the meaning of it all and spending it with people you love. But wow what pressure! Take extra care of yourself especially right now when stress can be unusually draining. I hope you feel better and have a wonderful holiday with your family! Take Care and Feel Better Soon! Marci

Thanks all for the posts. Will try and take it one day at a time for now. I guess the running around on top of all thats going on is extremely exhausting so I am trying to get the running around for gifts etc. done now so that I can just sit with my mom and enjoy everything with her this Christmas as much as we can. Hope all is well with everyone and take it easy running around yourselves on top of all else. Sending my Best to Everyone- Marci

Just a vent about the holidays. It seems more exhausting than ever now. My mother always loved Christmas and we are trying hard to keep things the way she always had it. Decorations, tree, etc. So exhausted though from it all. My heart is not 100% in it I have to be honest. I don't trust anything anymore so I really was reluctant to put my tree up in my own apartment this year dreading if I had to take it down for some reason early etc. I did put it up at my mom's request b/c she wanted me to and put hers up as well. She made us promise to keep the trees up no matter what. I am hoping for a good Christmas with my mom and hope she can enjoy all the foods, decorations, etc. I hope for all of you and your families the same to enjoy. Marci

Hey Jackie, Infections, Infections!!! We had gotten used to that because it seemed there was so much of it. My mom had numerous Urinary Track Infections, mouth irratations, other infections we don't know they would only tell us since they new she had a fever there was something her body was fighting something. As long as she is monitored by the Docs and her fever seems low and they have her on antibiotics it should clear on its own. I was always concerned for the breathing- chest thing like you said the watching out for pneumonia etc. Hope she feels well soon and the mother's ring is so sweet. I think Walmart has them reasonably priced. Marci

Thanks everyone- thank you Sandra for the advice on the baby shampoo will encourage her to use that. Good thinking!!! All of you are real angels and if I didn't know any better I would think you all were walking around with wings!!! LOL! Sandra, your hair color on the site reminds me of my mom since mom's is reddish brown. I need to put a picture up of my mom soon. Marci

Thanks everyone for the posts. The only thing I think that really troubles my mom is the hair loss part of this drug because thus far with all other treatments she has not had any loss. I am hoping and praying just for thinning and I know that this should not be such a big thing but it is for my mom emotionally. With this disease, we can cover the physical pain with pills etc. but emotionally for your mind I think its torture. Thanks Again Everyone- Marci

Hi All, They are changing mom's chemo regimen to Taxotere. Please post any replies on how anyone has done on this and how well tolerated it is or not. They feel Taxotere is the way to go since my mom has never taken anything under this chemo family umbrella of drugs before. Please post any info. on this. Thanks so much! Marci

Gabby, I am so very sorry for your loss. You and your family will be in my prayers for strength and peace for you and your family. With Deepest Sympathy- Marci

Thank you to all of you. I keep you in my prayers as well. I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving and are able to enjoy your meal and hope you have a peaceful day with your families. Marci

Hi All, My mom's petscan showed activity in her heart. We took her today for a TEE which they take a camera and go down through her throat to look and take pictures of the heart. Well, the results were that they found a 2 cm mass in her right atrium. Right now, they tell us that it is not blocking anything and blood flow is ok but to get to the oncologist right away and to start a new chemo. Please post if anyone has had anything found in the heart. I am trying to stay strong for my mom and to tell her that we can still fight this but we just feel shell shocked that the heart is involved now. Any feedback on this would be great. Marci

Hi Sandra and Ellen, Thanks for posting back to me. Its encouraging to here that the radiation could take some time and still give my mom the relief. Very true everyone its a variation. We are still praying for you both as well. I hope you both have a nice Thanksgiving with your families. Marci

Hi All, Well my mom's petscan revealed something in her heart. The Doc referred us to a Cardiologist asap. Has anyone else had this discovered before? We are going today for an appointment. Could this be a blod clot caused by her port? She is also on Warfarin daily. Could this be the cancer there? Any feedback would be appreciated. Marci

Hi All, Mom had 3 weeks of radiation to her shoulder to relieve the pain but after going for the 3 weeks she says she still feels pain there. I thought this would do the trick . How can she not have gotten anything out of this? The radiologist said that for 2 weeks after it ends she could still get benefit from it - has anyone else had late effect of the radiation with better results after? Marci

Hi Everyone, Hope everyone is doing well. Well, its that time again, SCAN TIME - so nervous and scared. My mom has been quite calm through this which is very unlike her. I had asked the Doc. what to expect remission, stable, etc. I do not want her to get upset if she is not in full remission and I know thats what we all wish for. He advised stable, shrinkage would be great and remission would be wonderful. So we will wait it out this week to see the results - hope this Carbo/Gemzar works. Please keep us in your prayers this week. I also have you guys in mine every night. Thanks guys- Marci

I sent emails to Ellen and Oprah as well and mentioned I am a member here. Just maybe a miracle will happen and someone public will approach. I also know that Richie Sambora who is a guitarist for Bon Jovi - his father had lung cancer. Not sure going about how to contact him maybe a publicist or something. Marci