jaminkw
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Posts posted by jaminkw
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Christine, How heartbreaking Jerry's situation is. I'd be focusing on the drainage, like other people have said, and whatever else will make him feel more comfortable. I do believe that collective positive energy can have a powerful impact so we're all here sending it your way.
Judy in Key West
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I retired my counseling office Dec 31 and had my annual checkup in June. I was really tired but had been working hard. Chest x-ray nada. I went back to the doctor twice for minor stuff and commented that he's not used to seeing me between checkups but I seemed to be having all this stuff (ear and then back of neck and head pain) going on on the left side of my body. In late August I got a raging infection misdiagnosed by the dentist as herpes out of control. It covered the left side of my mouth practically from nose to chin but healed with antibiotics.
In September I got pneumonia and threw a pleural effusion and was hospitalized after they took 2 litres off the left lung. Doctors' shaking their heads. They saw there were not the amount of white cells they would expect in a pneumonia patient but didn't tell me until I was better, probably because they couldn't find anything on the x-rays or scans. One of my docs came in shaking his head one day and said, "Well, the proof is in the pudding. You're getting better." And I did with IV antibiotics and went home the fifth day. About a week later I got the call that the cytologist found adenocarcinoma cancer cells in the fluid they removed. Follow-up CT and x-ray showed fluid just about gone and PET scan showed light-up "consistent with low level malignancy, infection or inflammation." Cancer yikes but certainly early stage. I'm healthy, no biggie.
So there I was still tired but essentially very healthy. Diagnosed just about one month later with IIIb lung cancer. I still find it hard to believe.
Judy in Key West
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Hey, what happened to my post to cathyb? I thought I pm'd you by mistake and then posted. Whatever, it's gone. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! not only on the test but on the stage clarification. We cancer survivors are very particular about those details.
And, cathy, do check out Mick's and David's links in Carole's profile. I did and they are great fun.
Judy in Key West
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Anyone who knows me well will tell you I'm clumsy, not graceful. They would probably also say I'm sometimes loud, rowdy and a tad controlling. I'm going to follow this subject looking in you caregivers responses for tips about how to live my life. Whenever I go and however I go, from cancer or something else, my hope is that I'll leave a legacy that prompts such wonderful comments from those I love.
Judy in Key West
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cathyb, I may have pm'd you by mistake but if so here's another CONGRATULATIONS!!! on a great test and many more to come. Also fabulous news on the l vs ll. We need all the encouragement we can get.
Judy in Key West
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Randy: I got it and me too, feeling better.
Judy in Key West
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Randy, You are too funny! I love your sense of humor and you'll be glad to know I've gotten mine back today. You can't keep a good woman down.
Judy in Key West
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Kristi: I missed this thread and just read it top to bottom. You go girl! Since you started posting you've managed to make things happen--cleaning service help, short term counseling for your family, nutritional drinks and a cane for your Dad. Most of us here know how much effort goes into getting these "helps" in place.
I'm going to ask you to please follow through on the counseling. If no one else will go to the five sessions, go yourself. Also important, take advantage of the support for supporters. I'm assuming it's a group thing and it will probably so help you build on what you've already done. You need first of all to give yourself and get from others credit for the great job you do caring for your parents. Your brothers are stomping on your self-esteem and a group can go a long way to help you not internalize their criticism. Who knows, you could just keep growing until (I predict) one of these days you'll be learning to drive!
Hang in there Kristi, Judy in Key West
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cp, When I was diagnosed I couldn't help looking up everything to be found on the subject. None of it was good. I'm IIIb NSCLC (adenocarcinoma) and six infusions put me into remission.
There is great hope for your father because he's healthy and active and that is often huge in the prognosis of any cancer.
Will look forward to your Updates, Judy in Key West
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Carole: Thanks. I pm'd you.
Judy in Key West
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Oh Kelly, I'm so sorry about the situation with your mom. Maybe your sister is trying to help or maybe she just doesn't want to do any caretaking herself. Point is you don't need the added stress of worrying about your mom adjusting to a whole new life while yours has been turned upside down.
Glad though to hear about your biopsy being moved up. Do what you have to do. We'll be here when you need us.
Judy in Key West
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I was really tired when I went to bed last night but wound up getting up and wandering around the LCSC and CancerGrace sites. This morning I tried to talk to my husband about what was going thru my mind when I was trying to sleep and he just walked away. When he came back through the room, I told him I'd been trying to talk to him and he walked away. Of course he stopped and listened but before he did I said well, that's why I'm on the sites.
Truth be told, it's not him. In the large picture, he's been a gem through all of this. Even on the sites lately, I'm going through what I've come to think of as my disconnected phases. I keep reaching out, here and to people in my life and even when they do respond, I don't really feel like it gets through to me. Who wants to hear about cancer all the time? Even I don't but I wonder if there will be a time when I don't.
I'm embarrassed by what I feel when I come on site and there are so many people suffering in the throes of this disease. But anyway, here goes. One of the things I think about when I'm laying awake at night is how long a break will my oncologist be o.k. with in the Fall. I've decided the Aug 12 scan will be great but how long until the next scan, before or after the break? What if I take a break and the scans following it are good? Can I wait until "the disease progresses" then before I go back on chemo? What if it doesn't progress but the oncologist wants me to go back on Avastin maintenance. I'll be on Medicare February 2 but what if it doesn't pay for Avastin maintenance?
Bottom line: What are the odds I'll get some significant time of at least physical normalcy? There are no answers but if you are reading this, thanks for listening.
Judy in Key West
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Kelly: I'm following your thread and saw Loveslife's reply following mine. I just got notice of a reply and saw you'd had more than a dozen more! Geez, you must be feeling so overwhelmed.
Funny but I almost asked if you were from Canada. I know your medicine is different there so our timetable doesn't really apply. If you take action on anything in all that good information, I'd follow Ned's or whoever advised posting to Dr West on cancergrace.net. He's the best and the Canadian doctors posting there are great too and they can relate responses to your medical system.
Hey girl, we are all good intentioned but you may feel on a little overload by now.
Judy in Key West
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Sandra: Talk about tough topics! I have been a workaholic all my life. Up until December 31, 2006, I ran my husband's office from home and then went to my office in town where I had a private counseling practice--saw patients, recorded my own notes and processed my own insurance claims. I decided to close my office rather suddenly, ostensibly to be free to travel with my husband for his business (he's semi-retired and made more money than I did). In retrospect, truth is that although on the outside I appeared very healthy and high energy, I was exhausted all the time. I was hospitalized the following September which signalled the beginning of my journey with cancer.
Severe chronic fatigue has been my most significant side effect from chemo--even now on the Avastin maintenance, I have rebound energy about one week just before going for the next treatment. I'm adjusting and don't think getting off the workaholic wheel has been bad for me but I'm looking for what I can do now. Like Tom, I'd like to have more of a purpose to the rest of my life. Certainly, I can understand Dave's response. If my grandson still lived here I'd be much more content spending time with him.
But listen to all of us--each situation is unique just as each of our responses to cancer and the treatments are unique. You're still young Sandra, and if you are still passionate about your work and can do it, go for it. Key I think is to asses your individual situation and make the necessary adjustment. One of the keys to longevity is flexibility.
Judy in Key West
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Randy, thanks again for drawing our attention to so much important information. I'm going back to the site and donate for a star for my neice, age 42 and the mother of ten-year-old triplets who has breast cancer with metastisis to the liver and bones.
Judy in Key West
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Randy, thanks for the heads up. I would have been really aggravated if I missed that.
I have some writing experience and would be happy to start a writing campaign. tnmynatt, I think the idea of pitching to them LUNGevity and Grace and particularly Dr West is an extraordinary idea. He's been so helpful to me, I almost think he walks on water. Kristi, if you want to form a team, I'm for it.
Judy in Key West
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Ellie,
Take comfort in Janet's message. I noticed you were only 48 and a mom. When I am tempted to feel sorry for myself, I think of younger women with children who don't always have the luxury of just laying down and whining. Hang tough and hang around this site, you'll see plenty of examples of tough men and women fighting this fight.
Judy in Key West
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My husband does most of the cooking now but I wasn't bad in my day. Truth is, though, I was an awesome baker. To this day, I'd rather make dessert than dinner. Probably because I'd rather eat dessert than dinner.
Judy in Key West
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So glad to heal you got thru the radiation so well. Here's hoping you're pain free soon. And as far as the wait goes, distraction, distraction, distraction. Hope you won't have too much difficulty finding that. Wait, I just remembered your Avatar. You have at least one kid, right? Oh well, don't think distraction will be so much of a problem.
Judy in Key West
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Kelly,
Glad you got some answers today. All that planning for a surgery that isn't going to happen, huh. That's the way it goes with this disease. You can never anticipate every possible event.
I don't know where you are from or if you are going to a hospital or cancer center but waiting until Aug 5 for a definitive diagnosis and staging sounds like a terribly long time to wait. I waited just a little over a month and that seemed like forever. I'm IIIb lung cancer but don't have a tumor so hopefully someone will come on to post you soon with info about what to expect.
Hang in there, Judy in Key West
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Oh Deb, I am so happy for you guys. The waiting may be difficult now but there's a plan in place! It means so much to have a plan in place.
Judy in Key West
What they taught us
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omg, Treebywater, I love it!
Judy in Key West