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Brenda, I am so very sorry for your loss, and for the impact of that loss in that way. Carleen, thank you for your beautiful words. I couldn't find the right ones. XOXOXOXOXOX MaryAnn

Fay, I am so happy for you, I will do Bet's happy dance! This man is the best surgeon on several continents, I believe that. I also believe God works through his hands. He doesn't say no, He said to me, and Kasey, I believe I can do it. And he did it. And here we are. Good luck, Fay; I believe if his bosses (eg Congress and other people that cut NIH budget to fund OTHER THINGS) will underwrite this, he will do it. If it can be done, this is the surgeon to ask. Prayers for you, Fay, and for the people out here making decisions about what the budget will allow... I can't see him turning you down... WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!! as leslie used to like to say. I'm running on.... I'll stop now... XOXOXOXOX Love ya, Fay. MaryAnn

Larry, Prayers for you and Alyce and your family... I am so glad you have the whole family there now... XOXOXOx MaryAnn

There is a fentanyl patch for opioid resistant pain, that made a world of difference for me... I was taking Fenatanyl patch plus Vioxx, which you can't get now; ibuprofen does almost as well; neurontin for nerve pain. Also, from what Don Wood says, Lucie has gotten great relief from irradiation of the bone tumors. There is no reason to be in that kind of pain at all!! I wouldn't rest another minute without getting the oncologist on the phone and making sure this issue was addressed immediately. Pain will take the wind out of your sails, for sure, and unrelenting pain will definitely destroy your will to fight. Good luck getting this under control. XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Ah, Californian flowers... make me green with envy..... Ever since I saw the jade plant the size of a whiskey barrel.... Wouldn't have believed it.... XOXOXOXOX MaryAnn

, so very sad, Leslie will indeed be missed... God bless and keep you, dear. Prayers for Mark and those left behind. XOXOX MaryAnn

Great, Heather! What good news!! XOXOX MaryAnn

Fay, I'd be happy to welcome you to the sisterhood of the goretex chest wall in leiu of ribs. No, you don't set off airplane metal detectors. My mother's hips do that. I'm missing a bunch of ribs, and I've grown to like the goretex... it's lightweight.... Prayers... XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Hello Linda and welcome... You have come to the right place for support. I feel for what you have taken on; running the farm and caring for two ill horses is a full plate without the added stresses. I'm sorry to hear about your dad, and I'm sorry your family got hit again with this so soon. Your mom might start to feel a bit better when the tumor shrinks in size, allowing better airflow and NOT spitting its nasty metabolic products into her blood. You don't mention if she ever had cardiac problems before. If you have her with you at home for the entire treatment time, you're going to spend a fortune's worth of time on the road driving her back and forth. I don't know what her chemo schedule is, but the radiation is generally 5 days a week. I survived my cancer; I am fortunate to be here. Miracles do happen. Your mom is blessed to have such a fighter on her side. Keep us posted, and remember you have found a good group of warmhearted people here who can share your journey -- are sharing your journey. Good luck and keep us posted. XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Hi! From my oncologist: I hope this helps. It helped me an AWFUL lot, because also on and off I had thrush, which made for really bad mouth sores. My oncologist prescribed this for me when I had difficulty eating post chemo and radiation: Directions: swish and spit about 1 spoonful (fifteen mls) every 30 minutes as needed, esp before eating. (you can swallow a little bit or a little more...) Mouth rinse: (pharmacist has to make it up) 25 cc of liquid Benadryl, 25 mg/cc stock solution 25 cc of Maalox 25 cc of lidocaine, viscous, 2% solution 25 cc of nystatin liquid. (stock solution) ----------------------------------------- There is also a premix similar to the above available in the Wash DC area by prescription called Gel-claire, but the nurse had no firsthand knowledge of it. Hope this helps! XOXOX MaryAnn _________________

Beautiful, Frank. Thank you. I certainly will add my prayers. XOXOX MaryAnn

Good to hear from you, Fay. I hope you feel better real soon. XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Prayers... XOXOX MaryAnn

Lori, What the doctor told you makes sense. A rough couple of months post surgery, and then things start to come along nicely. All it takes is a woman too stubborn to let go. Prayers for you and your mom. Keep us updated. XOXOX MaryAnn

Nicotine is an appetite suppressant. I'm sure that doesn't help. I know it's one of the reasons I don't eat much. I had been struggling to quit before diagnosis, and prior to surgery was down to 3-4 a day after a year of smoking/not smoking. After 21 days in the hospital I didn't smoke for 9 months then I got so depressed I didn't care. After much wrestling internally, the beast and I worked out a compromise to feed the addiction and keep my lungs relatively clean. I smoke 2-3 cigarettes a day, in the car on my way to and from work. I don't smoke in front of the kids, only in the car. The rest of the time I chew nicotine gum. It's a miserable habit but nowhere near as awful as a 2 pack a day habit. Some weekends I don't smoke at all, or only 1. I breathe pretty well, considering. I am not up to another major fight given the limited strength the "new normal" has brought. After 27 years of 2 packs a day, quitting was a roller coaster for real. I don't know how much it was compounded by the growth of the cancer, which was of a type to affect behavior and mood, among other things. Support your dad as best you can, and maybe just maybe this post will help someone to trade off on the gum and spare the lung damage. I'm not proud, but it works. XOXOXOx MaryAnn

Carleen, I agree. You know in your heart what's best for you in the long run. Children aren't easy, or cheap. But they make you get up in the morning. Their demands are in the NOW. And they are such a gift from God. I would only worry that you're stressed enough to hamper the AI -- you could get AI instead of invitro, couldn't you? Anyway, love to you both. XOXOX MaryAnn

To borrow a phrase, WAAA-HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations, dear Kasey. Carleen, I'll drive. But this is a party I wouldn't miss. XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Waiting can drive anyone nuts... especially when the What Ifs kick in. I pray you do not have cancer, but something much less serious like a mucus plug. The CT should tell if it's solid or liquid. This has been a bad winter for respiratory crud. Who knows what these darned infections can do? Let us know how things turn out, and remember we're here to be happy for you if the CT reveals your mass to be non-malignant. XOXOX MaryAnn

Beatka, Tell your dad to keep his chin up. He has a lot going for him, and there's every possibility he'll do just fine. As Cindi says, some of us are still here, and some of us are not, but it all boils down to attitude. Sounds like you're doing everything you can be doing -- except ignore the stats. They're based on old data, and more and more people are surviving now -- which won't show up in the stats for another 7-8 years. XOXOX MaryAnn

I had things taste wierd for over a year -- slightly metallic (I had cisplatin). I lost my taste for chocolate completely, and pretty much sweets. Went for meats and green vegetables, baked potatoes, rice, lots of milk.... I talked to several nutrtionists since my weight had pretty much bottomed out. They told me to make every mouthful count -- to add olive oil or butter, things with a high calorie count. I ate despite the wierd taste because I knew I had to. Fortunately I didn't have to cook for myself much of the time, so it was easy to appreciate and eat what someone else (often my mother) cooked for me. Also, I ate with the family. I took Scandia shakes with extra ice cream. If your grocery doesn't have it on the shelves, I know the pharmacy can special order it. All in all, keep persevering. That's what it takes. Don's advice about little meals and hi calorie snacks is good too... XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Pat, I am so very sorry.... XOXOX MaryAnn

((((((((((((((Carleen))))))))))))))) XOXOXOXOXOX MaryAnn

We're here for you. Rant all you need to. Prayers for Joel and for you... XOXOX MaryAnn

This "new " information was published in... 1998? Well, there ARE many new compounds coming through the approval pipeline, and many new combinations found to be extraordinarily effective. I'll put in a prayer here for all the researchers working 70-90 hours a week trying to find cures for some of these cancers....almost like snowflakes, none are identical... XOXOXOX MaryAnn

Welcome, Robin! XOXOX MaryAnn