Trawna

Cough medications, also known as antitussives, can suppress coughing if they contain dextromethorphan or codeine. Codeine is stronger and may require a prescription or need to be signed for at the pharmacy. Dextromethorphan is a more common ingredient and found in products with “DM” in the name (e.g. Coricidin DM). In Canada the codeine version is availble by request from the pharmacist; the DM version is out on the open shelves. My husband had Stage 4 NCLC, and before my pneumonia shot I had a bad cough from pneumonia at least twice a year. For both of us, the codeine-containing syrup considerably lessened the coughing. Before trying this, in the USA you will need a prescription for the codeine version. In addition, before trying either of the versions you should check with her MD because even the DM version may conflict with other meds she may be taking. I hope that this will allow you both to get a decent nights' sleep! Best wishes and positive thoughts to you both.

Congratulations and well-done, Eric. You do so much for the LC community quietly and modestly and that makes the "Unsung Hero" award so very apt for you.

Looks like great fun, Eric! love the Dame Edna look, and also their Highnesses and the Dutch group. It made my day

Thank you, guys. Randy, your advice is sound, and I hope that eventually I will be able to follow it. Judy in MI I am so hoping for good results for you from your current treatment, and that you will be able to overcome the downside of the chemo. BTW my husband had the vision and hearing issues you do, and it was the cisplatin. When he went off it, he regained most of the hearing and the vision went back to before-treatment; so will yours, I hope. Thanks for the hugs, and (((hugs)))) back to you all, may you all not only survive but also thrive. For those going to the Washington conference, do enjoy the time you can spend with your on-line friends, whose support is so needed and so meaningful.

Your brother Dave now has to fill in for both you and Arnie - I hope you and Arnie are together Every day I miss you more, and every day I remember something happy about the time we were together. Three years is a long time, and seems endless, but I know you are wishing that Sarah and I could forget the somberness of the date and just remember the good times.

Hi Judy, Good to see you're back, but sorry that you're having such a rough time -- Hope you will feel better by the weekend. Things have been busy with trivial tasks this week but necessary ones, like getting an oil change, shopping, getting ready for a visit from my Grand-dog tonight until Wednesday (My daughrer and her husband are going to Calgary where he is speaking on a panel) so I always need to check out the fences to make sure no critter has dug a tunnel under them during the winter. Last time he was here there was snow on the ground, and he still found a way under the fence into our neighbour's yard (at least it wasn't out onto the road), so this time I fixed up that hole and a couple of others that I found. The opossums (sp?) have invaded our neighbourhood in the past few years, and they have dug up a lot of territory. Must go to make dinner for the kids, but I sure am happy to see you here, so many of us have been very worried about you and Judy in KW, so at least we know you are okay, even if not thriving yet. Take care and get lots of rest and hopefully you can drink if not eat very well now -- I love the Boost line (way better than Ensure and same type of cals,etc.) but don't know if you can get it down there. When I was in hospital they provided it as a supplement and it actually tasted GOOD. Sending my warmest thoughts and keeping you in my heart. Jane

Hi Joppette -- hope the new cocktail will quickly set you back on the road to recovery! Re the lack of news,I don't know id this has anything to do with it or not, but I have noticed an enormous amount of spam on "Daily Air" and when the spam is cleared off, so are all the other messages on the board. This might explain why there seems to be so little "Daily Air", since the whole set of messages is cleared, apparently, when the spam is cleared. Hopefully these spammers will shortly give up and leave some room for the legitmate posters! Take care, I am sending you my warmest thoughts for your recovery. Trawna (Jane)

Glad to hear that the Texas group are all safe Jane

Obituary -- Melva Lusk (1958 - 2012) Lusk , Melva Luanne Melva Luanne Lusk was born November 8, 1958 in Pampa, Texas to Shelton Ewell Lusk & Lu Jean "Honey" Pike, and she passed away March 12, 2012 in Dallas, Texas. Melva is survived by her loving partner of 23 years, Cecilia Gonzales; beloved pets, Pixee, Mickee, Tobee; sisters: Roxanne Newman & husband David, Jeanette Hooper & husband Danny, and Lynn Lusk & partner Mary; brother, Gerald Lusk & wife Monica; aunt, Norma Murdock & husband Duane; numerous nieces and nephews; parent in-laws, Cruz and Nelda Gonzales. She is preceded in death by her parents and grandparents. She was a loyal supervisor dental technician for 24 years with the V.A. Hospital. Melva was blessed to be given the knowledge of how much people loved her and she them. Her walk with God every morning was her deepest love. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm Thursday, March 15, 2012 at Laurel Oaks Funeral Home with Pastor Tony Armstrong officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to http://www.longevity.org in the name of "Miracle Melva".

Good afternoon all! Our temps have finally moderated a bit here (only about 85F on my patio) so hopefully the worst of it is over for us, I hope it soon breaks elsewhere. Hopefully those antibiotics are kicking in for you, Annette, and that soon you will be feeling much better. Judy IN KW I trust the day will pass easily for you. Eric hope you enjoy the R&R Hall of Fame. 3 am sounds awful for a train departure ... try and take a nap this afternoon! Glad to know you got your glasses, though, that should make online stuff a wee bit easier. Ideally your trip to Chicago will be quiet and restful. Going to meet my brother-in-law and his partner for dinner tonight, we always have a good time getting caught up. BIL is suffering in the heat as he refuses to get A/C so an evening at a cool restaurant should given him a bit of a break . Have a good Sunday all.

Hi Eric, hope you will find a tee shirt to replace the one you lost yesterday, as well as maybe find an inexpensive pair of reading glasses! Don't know about the US side, but on this side of the border the commuter buses are better than the trains, they are faster, more frequent and less expensive (and air-conditioned!) and drop you off more locally than the trains ... maybe also so in Buffalo/Cleveland? Too bad that commuter ferry to Cleveland no longer exists! Hope both Judy's are feeling better today. ts -- "mistake on the lake" is a common expression here, too. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is fun. Used to go to Cleveland every year for a bowling tournament. Eric I had a great time despite the heat yesterday and it was a real pleasure to meet with you -- thank you so much for coming "up" (everywhere in Canada we say coming "up" from the States, even though parts of Michigan are further north than we are) to visit, and we did set an all-time record for heat yesterday so don't expect it, if you come over again! Lily and Alan, I think your comments are bang on re caregivers. Judy in MI I hope you get a better sleep tonight, I am still using sleeping pills after over 2 years and don't know what I would do without them as I habitually (even with them) wake up at about 3 am even when I go to bed at midnight. And lack of sleep is really debilitating. Katie I am going to watch the baseball game tonight, our team is in Texas! Love to you all.

Hi All! Despite the fact that we just set a new all-time high temperature for the day in Toronto, Eric and I had a great time getting to know each other "in person". We spent most of the day inside some sort of air-conditioned facility and managed that way to avoid a lot of the heat. Eric took some pictures from the top of the CN Tower (3rd tallest structure on the world -- when it was built it was the tallest in the world for several years) -- and a few other places, and he says he will post them later tonight or tomorrow. Had a great day, Eric, thanks so MUCH for coming up to Toronto to visit: I had a fun day and hope you did too! Judy in KW I hope the chemo will be easier on you tonight. LaDonna I hope you have a good weekend with your Dad. Jopette, your weather jokes were hilarious (if they weren't so true)! Lily hope you get a good sleep and feel better tomorrow. LOL re the iced tea, Bud! Love and hugs to you all~

I did definitely NOT want to here this, but it would seem that many on this site have received significant benifit from WRB. and with your attitude I am confident that you will overcome this as well. Wishing you the best and thinking of you daily.

Hugs to you, Ronnie. I 'm very glad that fiinding a lovely restiing place for Pat's ashes, and one near Jacky's to boot, will give you a focus spot for when you want to talk to her or just sit quiietly with her, and I hope this place will bring you some peace and comfort. Jane

(((Lillian))) and thank you for verbalizing what so many caregivers feel. I know that am supposed to "forgive and forget" but many of us cannot do that, and yet are afraid to say so. Thank you for saying what I cannot. Every time I drive past the hospital where my husband was treated and died, I avert my eyes to try not to see the room in which he died. (one of these days I may have a car accident from trying to avoid seeing the place ) My daughter has overcome this, and actually took flowers and a thank you card to the "caregivers" involved, but she only went through the last few days, she did not live with the rest of the previous time and really did not know what had happened. Even when he was in the palliative care unit I had to battle every day with them to see that he at least had some paim-free comfort at the end. But Nick and Katie are right, in that this is the right place to say those things that we do not feel we can say to others. I saw our family MD today (after 2+ years without my husband) and his comment was that he was glad that I seemed to be "doing fine" ... even he has no idea how I really feel and would not dream to ask, nor would there be any point in telling him as he would just give me another anti-depressant which for me does no good at all. My friends here just choose to ignore it (and I do understand why) and what you can say is very limited unless you want your local friends to hesitate to call or see you. Thank goodness for this forum, you always know that there are others here who understand and that you are not alone or strange or wierd for having these feelings. Wishing you courage and strength, and sending you thanks for your honesty. Jane

Congratulations to you all. Weddings are a wonderful way to celebrate and I hope and wish the very best for you all! Jane

Such good news, Judy! Now to get you off that o2 and back to the comfort of KW. Jane

Hi Sara and wecome to the best site on the web for LC fighters/ a caregiver not a survivor, but I can assure you that the people here are absolutely supportive and I am glad that you got up the courage to tell your story. I know there are many people here who can support you as you go through this fight. It's great that you have a strong support system at home, too. I gather you are a Royals fan: baseball is my favourite sport (being from the Toronto area I have to cheer for the Blue Jays!). In your honour I will make the Royals my second-favorite team for the year. Glad you have a plan in place to fight this beast, and wishing you the best. Will watch for your future posts, and do keep posting and checking on this site and on cancergrace.org which are the best sites on the net that I have found for helpful advice and neverending support. Regards from Toronto, Jane

Judy we are all in your corner rooting for you! (((hugs))) Jane

Great picture, Ronnie, and I am sure you must be happy that she is now back free and living a wonderful jackal life! I'm so glad you will continuie to visit the sanctuary, I'm sure it will be a healing place for you. Wish I had one here to visit! Kind regards from Canada, Jane

Hi CathieAnn, To borrow from Ned (since you are from Hawaii) his usual greeting ... "Aloha". I am indeed sorry that you have to be here, but I have found this site very comforting and supportive, and I am sure you will too. We've all been there, either as a patient or a caregiver or a close family member, so feel free to share your thoughts and feelings as you go through this tough period. I gather that you have a very supportive family, and they will help you, too. May you be continue to be positive and upbeat, but also realistic (which is just how your post came through to me, I may be wrong). The waiting for treatment is always the hardest part in that you know the cancer is there and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Once you get the schedule for the chemo and radiation I think you will feel a bit more settled. My best to you and your family: as everyone says this is a rollercoaster ride and you will have good days and not-so-good ones. Do post and let us know how your Dad is doing. (((hugs))) to you all. Jane

Hi Katy, you have mine for sure. I lost my husband of 50+years a bit more than 20 months ago, so this was my second holiday season without him. It doesn't make it easier (tears still well up any time anyone mentions him and I still cry myself to sleep many nights) but it does become more bearable in the sense that the immediate tends to take precedence over the past. For example, I found it impossible to shop for people for Christmas last year, as every time I did I would think of the two of us doing it together, mulling over what we thought each person would like, and so on). So last year everyone got gift certificates. This year I was able to shop without him (although all things I bought were filtered through his eyes via my brain). So I send you my heartfelt wishes for a better year in 2011, and to the researchers and doctors working for LC patients, and please know that many of us have been or are going through your experiences, and that the grief is awful but survivable. I know exactly what you mean re those New Years shows they are the ones that I switch off the TV immediately! ((((hugs)))to you and condolences to both you and your friend's family. Jane

Sounds like you had a lovely family Thanksgiving. Now you can have a good sleep-in tomorrow! Jane

Hope you had a great evening, Eric. Will look forward to your stories of the evening! Is the filming next week? You'll be your charming self I'm sure, and all will go wonderfully well. Best, Jane