mhutch1366
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Posts posted by mhutch1366
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Karen,
My parents stayed with me on and off for 7 months, essentially put their entire lives on hold to see me thru the chemo and the post surgical periods.
The saddest day of my life was when I had to tell my dad on his 80th birthday I had cancer.
Thank the good Lord for family.
MaryAnn
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Central time????????????
here I thought the whole world ran on EST.....lol.....
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I find it hard to accept that some people want to not fight down to each and every fiber of being. An individual not only has the right to do so, but also has the right for those who love him or her to be as solidly supportive as possible, accepting the decision. I don't understand it, but I support the right to do so.
MaryAnn
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Just for reference...
When I first asked what kind of NSCLC I had, my surgeon told me it didn't matter, the treatment would be the same for all three. Now I had a pancoast tumor, and I do not know what makes a tumor grow that way if it is the same cell types as LC -- nonPancoast.
He never mentioned markers, nor did my oncologist.
To my knowledge, they never did markers.
I wouldn't get all flipped out about numbers, as far as I know the only solid marker is for prostate -- prostate specific antigen. There may be others for other types of cancers, but just from the different takes on markers showing up on this board, I would recommend being conservative in assigning them end-all importance.
Maybe I am missing something.
Regards,
MaryAnn
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Happy Birthday, Dave!!!
God bless and keep you.
MaryAnn
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It has been my experience that not only are people clueless, but they don't know how to respond with quiet support. It is too alien an experience for them to imagine.
Just consider the intent. They mean well, even if they drive you nuts.
It could be worse.... you could be all alone and noone to give a da^^. That's definitely no fun.
Being diagnosed with cancer was the most alienating experience of my life. Like I no longer belonged to the mainstream human race. Hard to comprehend unless you've been there.
Regards,
MaryAnn
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I have never had a PET scan. All my screenings are done with MRI and CT. I had all my surgery, radiation, and followups at NIH, where I am sure they would have sent me for a PET scan if it had been advantageous.
Just my two cents.
MaryAnn
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Debbie,
I still get the tremors not only because of the nerve damage but because of the meds. I had the neurologist check them out, and if I decrease all the meds, esp the pain meds, I don't have as much tremor, but then I am in pain. I also notice the tremor gets much worse when I need to eat. Thanks, Karen, for the tip about hydration. I'll see if that helps.
Ask your doctor, but I have NED and have had tremors ever since surgery. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.
Warm regards,
XOXOX
MaryAnn
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Greg,
I will pray for God to give you the strength to endure this recent development, and to help you and your family deal with it.
I had a lot of problems with the veins/arteries on the left side of my neck, there was so much involvement that the blood supply to my brain routed itself more to the other side . The surgery allowed the doctors to carefully dissect the tumor away from major blood vessels and nerves from the area just above my heart all the way to near my left ear. It seems the tumor was wrapped around this stuff. It is possible to get through this. You have age going for you. Miracles happen.
God bless and keep you,
MaryAnn
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Dear Norme ---
Please take care of yourself. It's easy not to eat regularly when you're worried. I hope and pray that you are well (get that doctor's visit asap) and that Buddy's colon tumor is small and easily treatable. God bless and keep you both.
Warmest regards,
XOXOXOX
MaryAnn
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Hooray for Peg and Bill's good fortune!!
May this last and last....
Warmly,
XOXOXOXOX
MaryAnn
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Shelly,
If the insurance will cover it, ask your doctor about Fentanyl patch. It goes on the skin and dispenses medication continuously. It is for pain that is opiate-resistant, and may well be able to help your dad with the pain.
Be really cautious with all the bm stuff, the medications do slow down the bowel, and I'm sure your dad would rather not have a colonostomy. If I had had a clue about how sluggish the bowel can get on these meds, maybe between walking and eating and taking fiber I could have kept things moving enough to avoid having one myself. I do know that it is not infrequent that cancer patients have colonostomies performed.
Prayers for your dad, and I hope you both feel better soon.
Warmly,
XOXOXOX
MaryAnn
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Sue,
Plenty of reasons to be optimistic!! That's terrific news....
I'll keep you in my prayers, and I am looking forward to hearing about the new procedures' success.
Warm regards,
XOXOOX
MaryAnn
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Cheryl,
I had the exact protocol you did, although I think my tumor was larger, and it was dead when it was removed according to the pathologist's report. My surgeon PLEADED with me to have at least one of the two planned chemos post-surgery. I am three years out now with NED. Especially if you feel that you'd like to make sure and go ahead with chemo, I think if you are firmly proactive about it with your doctors they'll agree with you. Statistics say... that it doesn't seem to make much of a difference, but to those people who turned chemo down only to lose remission 18 months later, you don't feel like a statistic. At that point, going for the chemo is like closing the barn door after the horse is gone. (particularly appropriate analogy for you).
In a nutshell : Better safe than sorry.
I wept when I read about Apache, and share your sorrow. I hope you enjoy your new mare, and I know you'll come to love her very much in time.
Go with your gut feelings, and get the second set(s) of chemo. I have absolutely no regrets.
and hair grows back. I know. It's only hair after all!!
Warmly,
XOXOXOXOX
MaryAnn
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Christy,
Prayers en route, and fingers and toes crossed.
Hope Darrell comes out of this appointment on top of the world!!!
Warm Regards,
XOXOX
MaryAnn
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Dave,
You may want to consider having a port put in, makes it a LOT easier on the veins.....
Hope the new chemo does the trick!!
Warm Regards,
XOXOX
MaryAnn
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Fay,
Thank you for informing us of Janet's passing. I will pray for her and her family.
I hope you're feeling better from whatever it was, and glad you're home.
You are all in my prayers.
Special blessings....
Warmly,
MaryAnn
XOXOXOX
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Laurie,
I would get your mother to Fox Chase for an evaluation ASAP. Find a doctor who will talk to her, this guy is not being professional, unless your mother asked to be kept in the dark and she would have told you.
It isn't too late, I had a series of radition plus chemo -- cisplatin and vp-16 all at the same time, and it killed my primary tumor, which had spread hugely and was eating away at the little spiky bones that come off your spine. It also ate five ribs and a lot of other tissue.
Meanwhile, be your mom's advocate, and call on the doctor to level with her.
You're right, though, about wasting time. Don't. Go to one of the Centers, like Fox Chase, where they are progressive and intelligent. I've never heard of a doctor who would not tell a patient the diagnosis, not today.
Good luck, and I hope your mom feels stronger soon.
Warmly,
XOXOXOX
MaryAnn
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Gay,
I agree with what Becky said. Wisdom indeed.
Take each day as it comes, one step at a time. The whole is enormous, and very difficult to comprehend.
Cancer can be survivable. I am still here, and my x rays were a sight to behold!!
I used to sit in the bathtub and soak and weep, and then get out and get on with things.
You'll find a lot of good caring loving individuals on this board, and we are here for you when it's rough and when it isn't.
Appreciate your husband, love your husband, be there for your husband.
Cancer is a disease that has impacted your life, but it is NOT your life, merely a part of it at this time. Don't lose perspective on all the good things.
We're here for you.
Warm regards,
XOXOX
MaryAnn
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Bruce,
I have a spot on my liver the surgeon believes is a cyst and is not at all concerned about. I also have a spot on my hip bone that's been there, and hasn't changed at all, that isn't concerning him either. He just noted them and moved on... to give me a clean bill . His words.
I guess he doesn't know about NED.
I have heard him say NEMD -- no evidence of metastatic disease, when someone with prior mets turned up with clean scans.
Good luck to you!!
Warm Regards,
MaryAnn
XOXOX
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Deb--
Relax. Enjoy.
Have fun.
Forget about cancer for a few moments if you can.
LIVE!!!
Make some good memories with your family.
Warmly,
XOXOX
MaryAnn
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Hi Ray,
I had great veins, until chemo... and then they had problems getting the iv catheter in that's needed for contrast.
You can get one put in I believe as an outpatient surgery.
I still have mine, I get blood drawn from it at the oncologists so I don't have to go downstairs to the lab the insurance company cooperates with. Its as temporary as you want it to be, I guess, makes chemo and other stuff lots easier.
Why do I still have mine?
two reasons.
One -- I believe in Murphy's law.
Two -- I am in no hurry to volunteer for any more surgery, outpatient optional or otherwise.
I would advise you to go ahead and get the port, Ray. I think you'll be glad you did.
I have mine in my chest, right side, just under the collarbone. I have seen some elderly people with them in their arms, but I would advise against that just as far as comfort goes.
Warmly,
XOXOX
MaryAnn
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He KNOWS he needs to wear a mask, he's just wanting to be normal a little bit... for a little while... and forget the cancer.
It could be fatal for him to catch something. He needs to wear a mask if he has the strength to go at all.
He shouldn't be afraid of people knowing he's got to take precautions.
We all would love to wake up and have this nightmare gone.
I would have loved to have the energy to think about going to my kid's ball game at that stage.
I hope he goes, and has a blast, and WEARS THE DARN MASK. Bring straws for cocoa or coffee.
As for the counts... tincture of time.......
Warm regards,
XOXOXOX
MaryAnn
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Dave,
I got the tumor reduction with cisplatin and vp-16 concurrent with radiation, that shrunk the tumor considerably. Have they considered that option? My tumor was still big, but had pulled away from all the edges considerably, and on top of all else was dead on removal.
God bless and good luck to you.
Miracles happen every day.
the hard part is WAITING....
Warmly,
MaryAnn
XOXOXOXOX
Mom started chemo on Monday...Help!
in CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTER
Posted
I got so sick the first treatment! I remember asking the doctor if he could do something. His response was so matter of fact, I wonder why he didn't say something BEFORE about nausea and premedication.
I got iv zofran and lorazepam (Atavan) before I got my chemo treatment. It helped. I also took zofran three times a day for essentially six months, plus Zantac for nausea and reflux, from radiation esophagitis. Since I got radiation and chemo at the same time it was hard to tell what was from what. But the premedication DEFINITELY helped. Didn't and don't care about being a wuss, but I hate nausea.
Your mom should talk to the doctor about premedications, and maybe take zofran more frequently. I have no experience with compazine.
I do remember feeling like I wanted to crawl under the bed and die I felt so sick, but this too shall pass!! tell your mom just to hang in there, it can be better the next time around. The option to have Chemo is a gift we didn't have 30 years ago, so I was happy to embrace it wholly, the bad with the good. Take heart..... be tough.
When the going got too tough I took bubble baths and naps.
Prayers for you and your mom.
MaryAnn