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Gabinka

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Everything posted by Gabinka

  1. Gabinka

    How is everyone?

    Hi Friends! Well It's been almost 7 months since my dad has passed and I'm sitting here reading everyone's new posts and old posts and it once again brings tears to my eyes. I don't think I'll ever forget my dad...EVER! I have break downs here and there and cry uncontrollably but then when the tears finally stop, it feels good. Almost as if we are meant to cry until we can't anymore...a release. My next hardest step in life will be next year. I'm getting married and won't have my dad to walk me down the aisle. I won't have his sense of humor to laugh at and have our inside jokes to share. I miss him so much. I do, however, feel him around me all the time. ) After my dad passed, my uncle (my dad's sister's husband) was suddenly diagnosed with brain cancer and he went very quickly. So, we had yet another funeral about three months to my dad's. This whole situation has made me so strong and I've realized through all this, "Don't sweat the small stuff!" and realize that life is short and we can't walk around worrying about a few lbs or a few dollars spent. Live life to the fullest and never take for granted EVERYDAY that you wake up and can breath fresh air, walk a mile, speak a phrase and see the color of the sky because sometimes there are people out there who would give anything to be in your shoes. Give me an update on how everyone's doing...I miss talking to you all. Love Gabby xoxo
  2. Alyssa...first off, I'm so sorry for what you're facing right now. It's not an easy ride, I know. I have read everyone's answers here and I think everyone is just so great on this site for support and friendship through the hardships of Lung Cancer. I really think that it's a combination of the meds and depression. Depression causes huge fatigue. Always remember, keeping asking the docs until you get a straight answer. The thing I found with my dad was some docs give you the run around and you just have to keep pushing for the answer that solves your problem. My dad didn't have the sleepiness but he was "body" tired. He just kind of sat around and didn't want to walk to much etc. Keep us posted...we're all here to help. Gabby )
  3. I know I haven't written in a while. My dad finished his fourth and last round of chemo and all was looking up. He was scheduled for radiation on Friday the 28th at 12:24pm. On Saturday he developed breathing problems where he got winded even going from the couch the the bedroom. We took him into the ER. The breathing got progressively worse as hours went by. They did CT scans and x-rays on him and ound out that h caught phenomia. They put him on a ventilator and took more tests and gave him anti-biotic drip. We thought this would help. We all slept in the family room of the hospital on couchs and chairs to find out the next day that there is nothing they could do. The phenomia had taken over and his lungs were filling up. By day three he could even speak. His last wish was to get his radiation and hope for a miracle. He was SUCH a strong man and really believed he was going to make it through. He ended up getting the radiation eventhough he was dying and he knew it. All he wanted after that was just to go home. We managed to transport him home in an ambulance and into his own bed, with his own blankets and we all surrounded him and all fell asleep with him. He passed at 2:15 Wednesday morning. I'm up and down with emotions and can't go to my mom and dad's house because I HATE it there. I saw my dad lying there in the bed with no breath in him anymore. I can't get the vision out of my head. I also can't get the vision of his eyes looking up at me when they told him there was nothing they could do anymore. I bet if he didn't get phenomia...he'd still be here. I go through so many emotions...at one point I'm laughing at all the funny things he used to do and then I'm so ANGRY I want to hit a wall. My mom is falling in and out of depression wearing his clothes around the house and going outside and looking at the garden that he put together. When the ambulance came to take his body she didn't want to let him go. She was saying "He's coming back!!! He's coming back!" and then was covering him up saying he was cold. It is so heartbreaking. They were together for 44 years and best friends till the end. I hope she will be ok. Thanks for everyone's support....and keep your loved ones by your side and cherish every waking moment with them. One good thing out of this, and even the paramedics said this. He went with so much love around him, peacefully, in his own bed, bundled in love, in his sleep...and THAT is one hell of a way to go. Thanks Again... Gabby
  4. Hi all!!! I know I haven't written in a while but nothing has really changed since my last post. I just don't want people to think I fell off the face of the earth or just forgot to write. ;o) My dad, so far, is doing well. The drainage tube is still in him and he is waiting on the "go-ahead" for them to remove it. He has an appointment this Thursday so they can hopefully take it out and book him for his much needed and postponed, third round of chemo. The last appointment he had was about a week and a half ago and they took a CT scan to check on the status of the cancer. Even though, his chemo is now about 3 weeks late due to the drainage, the cancer is stable and hasn't grown or spread, which is great news. Well, that's it for now. I will post another update on Friday after his appointment to let you all know what's going on. Thanks again for everyone's ongoing support. Gabby xoxo
  5. Thank so much Randy! that made me feel better. It just seems that everytime something is going well, it crashes again. But...when you hear it's a normal thing to happen, it kind of makes you feel much better that it's a routine thing. Poor mom was crying just because she doesn't know what to expect. Everytime I see her, I always tell her all your responses "Mom, Randy from the forum told me that this is a normal thing and his wife had it too." her face lights up with hope that it's not just him with some severe complications. Thanks again Randy!! Gabby xoxo
  6. Well, here I am again, late at night starting a new post. Got back from the hospital tonight from being there all day. My dad had 8 of us there today! hahahaah!!! He said that he has the biggest and best support group that a guy could ever ask for. Here's the scoop....This morning, after his CT scan two days ago (which showed great progression in the decrease of the tumors in his lungs) fluid showed up in his lungs. So, this morning they had to do a bedside procedure on him. He said it hurt like hell, he actually screamed at times they were doing it (no he wasn''t out. They gave him morphine and numbed the area). They put the tube in his lungs and drained out all the fliud. He said when they put the tube in it all just came gushing out. He feels much better right now after it all came out. Chemo has been postponed by a week or two to allow for his body to heal. His spirits are up again...thank god! When they wheeled in the hospital food, I looked at it and said "Ummm no, that's NOT gonna do.;o)" My sister and I proceeded to go out to the best burger joint and we got him a gourmet burger, steak-cut fries and a large strawberry milkshake (with whipped cream and mutlicolored sprinkles). ) Thank god for Daughters hey?? ;o) If that doesn't make him gain weight then I don't know what will. Here's a tip: Did you know ice cream is the quickest way to gain weight? ;o) PERFECT! Milkshakes and Sundaes it is then!! lol! He's going to be there for a week or so. I also requested that he is in a private room as he is a chemo patient and can't risk having people around that are sick with the flu etc. He's on the Respitory floor of the hospital. So tomorrow, they are moving him to his own private room. My sister and I even paid extra to get a TV and his own private phone with a line right in his room hooked up. Only the best for our Daddy. Anyone else have a similar experience with the fluid in the lungs?....and if so...how long did it take you to recover towards your next chemo? Thanks so much.... Gabby xoxo
  7. Ahhhh Cr*p! Another obsticle. After the CT Scan and finding out that the Tumors have shrunk they also found fluid in my dad's lung...and so he's in the hospital for about a week till recovery. They are draining it out tomorrow and he will be there till next week. They postponed his third round of chemo from next wekk to the week after to make sure he's going in with FULL recovery. ANyone else have experince with the fluid in the lung thing? Is this common? Gabby xoxo
  8. So Dad got his CT Scan results today. The tumors have now shrunk!!! so that's great news!!!!!!! yay daddy! He'll be back to a butterball in no time. )
  9. Thank you!!! I just read Marianne's story and incredibly it lifted my spirits! She has the same one my Daddy has. I PM'd her right away. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be looking more into "Good News" from now on. Gabby xoxo
  10. Good Morning everyone... ( Well, not too good of a morning. It's 2:00am and I've been tossing and turning and just can't sleep. The more I read on the stuff, the more I worry. ( Are there any people out there with positive stories or outcomes on SCLC?? I keep reading that in 5 years it comes back and that's it and then there is a 18 month window for survival. Someone please lift my spirits tonight and tell me that there is hope for my dad that it won't return. Other than the cancer, he's such a strong healthy man. Sometimes I just lay there at night looking at the ceiling as tears roll down my face. I'm such a positive person normally as everyone may have guessed according to my recent posts, but sometimes my emotions get the best of me, especially when I am alone and start reading, digging and researching. His next round of chemo is next week on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with a follow-up check up appointment on the Tuesday. He had a CT Scan today and I guess they'll be going over it on the Tuesday. So far so good, the tumor is shrinking, but what about in the future? P.S. I HATE CANCER!! It needs to be squashed like a bug. P.P.S Sorry for venting and being such a "Debbie Downer." :OS
  11. So...Dad went in today to see a Urologist and actually it has nothing to do with the chemo or the cancer. :oS Poor thing, now he has this on his plate. He just has an enlarged prostate and on a cathiter for about a week until the medication they put him on kicks in.
  12. Dobrou Noc (Good Night in Czech) )
  13. Hi all!!! That was a long night. It's 3:12am! I took NED's advice and got on the phone and called a nurse at the Cancer Agency where my dad is registered. I told her that everyone is giving us the run around and that a simple "He's Dehyrated" just won't do anymore because he is in pain and it's been a week and nothing has changed. My mom dragged him down to the hospital where they ran a series of tests, put a decafiter (sp?) in so it could drain his bladder. Well, tests revealed that he's really low on potassium and sodium because of all the water he's been given, it's diluted everything. THANK GOD we took him!!! They have him on IV pumping him with potassium and sodium in a water mix I guess and draining that bladder. He's now in there overnight with my mom by his side and in the morning they are going to run more tests to see if his levels are back up there and then they'll release him. Oy Vey!!!! I hope he can go home tomorrow.....they both need so much well deserved sleep. They both haven't slept in days. She's watching out for him and his bladder wouldn't let him sleep. He even said today that when he gets home, all he wants to do is sleep for 3 days straight. Thanks for listening and all the advice and support everyone. I'll keep you updated... Gabby xoxo
  14. P.S. Thank you NED! .....for all your continued suggestions and support. )
  15. Hi everyone! So after four sleepless nights with my dad's so-called bladder infection that the nurses and on-call doctors said he had, we took him to our general practitioner (family doctor) and she took a urine sample. It turns out he's DEHYDRATED!!!!!!! Can you believe that??!! That dehydration causes so much discomfort and the symptoms of an enlarged prostate and bladder infection? He has been drinking a ton of water but I'm guessing maybe not enough! They're still going to double check on the enlarged prostate but from the results of the urine sample, it shows dehydration. Thanks for all your support once again everyone, you really all are helpful. xoxoxoxoxo Gabby
  16. Just in case everyone hasn't clued in yet...Christie_Danielle is my niece and "Butterball Daddys" (George's) granddaughter. ) She saw me on this forum and really wanted to join as well because she saw all the support on here. Welcome Christie!!!
  17. First off, I'd like to start by saying thank you for everyones support on this site. Since I introduced myself, which was not even 24 hours ago, I received abour 15 welcomes and words of hope and support. Thank you all!! I think I'm going to title all my entires as "Butterball Daddy", so everyone can just easily see who it is and easily just recognize it in the list. OK, so here is one of my updates.... I went to see my dad today after his second round of chemo, day 4. Holy, does the chemo ever kick a human being's butt. This is all so new to me.....( He is so skinny, not like in my profile picture at all. I want my "butterball daddy" back!!! The chemo is leaving him extremely tired with no cravings for any type of food. I bought him some soft serve ice cream (which he used to love!) and he took a couple licks and my mom put the rest in the freezer. I'm guessing this is normal though, right? So far, the X-rays taken last week (before his second round) were showing great progression with the tumors decreasing in size. I do have a question though, one problem he is having is that he can't urinate. His bladder feels pressure and the only time he can go is if he immerges himself in hot water and then its released. Sounds like a bladder infection to me. They also put him on anti-biotics for a collapsed lung lobe that was caused by the chemo and said that this will make it inflate again. When I called the hospital help line last night and talked to the night oncall doctor, he said that it could just be a bladde rinfection or a enlarged prostate due o the chemo. Anyone have any ideas? Thank you... Butterball Daddy's Daughter.... Gabby
  18. First off, I'd like to start by saying thank you for everyones support on this site. Since I introduced myself, which was not even 24 hours ago, I received abour 15 welcomes and words of hope and support. Thank you all!! I think I'm going to title all my entires as "Butterball Daddy", so everyone can just easily see who it is and easily just recognize it in the list. OK, so here is one of my updates.... I went to see my dad today after his second round of chemo, day 4. Holy, does the chemo ever kick a human being's butt. This is all so new to me.....( He is so skinny, not like in my profile picture at all. I want my "butterball daddy" back!!! The chemo is leaving him extremely tired with no cravings for any type of food. I bought him some soft serve ice cream (which he used to love!) and he took a couple licks and my mom put the rest in the freezer. I'm guessing this is normal though, right? So far, the X-rays taken last week (before his second round) were showing great progression with the tumors decreasing in size. I do have a question though, one problem he is having is that he can't urinate. His bladder feels pressure and the only time he can go is if he immerges himself in hot water and then its released. Sounds like a bladder infection to me. They also put him on anti-biotics for a collapsed lung lobe that was caused by the chemo and said that this will make it inflate again. When I called the hospital help line last night and talked to the night oncall doctor, he said that it could just be a bladde rinfection or a enlarged prostate due o the chemo. Anyone have any ideas? Thank you... Butterball Daddy's Daughter.... Gabby
  19. I would first like to start by letting everyone know that my heart goes out to all of you who's loved ones have been hit by this terrible disease. My daddy was diagnosed about a month ago with SCLC. He is now on his second round of chemo and anti-biotics because his middle lobe has collapsed (it will inflate back up again they say) He has a fantastic doctor and the chemo looks like it's working well. The tumor has now shrunk. His cancer was caught in the early stages. At first they diagnosed him with bronchitis and put him on Antibiotics until they realized that it just wasn't going away and nothing was taking so they did an x-ray and nothing showed up. Three weeks later, (because he kept violently coughing) they took another x-ray where it showed the spot on his right lung. (quick little bugger that it is). He has one more round of chemo and then radiation. I will keep you all posted. My dad is one of the strongest men I have ever met and my hero. He packed up his family (two little girls and his wife) and escaped the former communist country of, back then, Czechoslovakia in 1982 and never looked back with 1000 dollars in his pocket and one suitcase in between all of us. He brought us here to build a better life. Here he built everything from the ground up always keeping us in mind. Now it's my turn to take care of him, and I will do my damndest to fight this horrible disease. I am now putting a Lung Cancer Run here in Vancouver together for next year and hopefully years to come. I am hoping to have a HUGE turn out and raise proceeds for research and awareness for such a deadly disease. I realized that there are so many other runs going on but Lung Cancer is always ignored because I guess there are not many survivors...but why couldn't THAT be the main reason for having one? the reason being BECAUSE it is the largest killer of the cancers....we need more research towards it!! Through all of this I have realized that the people around him and himself NEED 100% positive thoughts and energy and so does everyone else in his situation. I am so glad to have found such a supportive website with people that are going through the same thing I am going through. Thank you for reading my post. Gabby
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