Bud Baker

Congrats, Linda!

Great news, Alisa. Congrats!

One of the drugs prescribed for me to prevent nausea made me so dizzy and loopy that I stopped taking them and tried ginger capsules. They must have worked because the cisplatin, one of the most notorious of all the chemo drugs for causing nausea, never made me nauseated at all.

Chemo is really tough on a lot of us. I had days where I just wasn't able to function. And one of the drugs they gave me for nausea made me so dizzy and loopy that I never took it again after the first round. Hang in there!

My wife and I had intended to do wills, medical directives, durable power of attorney, etc for years, but never got it done until I got diagnosed. It does give us the incentive to get that taken care of.

Following a Monday biopsy, today, my wife, Rose, was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. It was just a phone call, so I don't have a lot of info yet, but I have been told there will need to be surgery, and there will need to be chemo. Sheesh...

That's great news! I hope my scan at the end of the month goes as well.

Happy Birthday, Katie!

My father and his brother were both Marines. I served in the Army, 1971 to 1973.

I grudgingly agree with the courts, but have mixed feelings about this. We know the odds of the chemo working, but it's likely the alternative treatments have never been scientifically tested. If it's not a treatment that will make cubic dollars for a drug company, it doesn't get tested. So we reject the untested treatment and require the awful chemo. I understand the fact that we're pretty sure the chemo will work, and have no idea about an alternative treatment, so with a kid's life on the line, requiring the chemo is the only sensible thing to do. But I still don't like it.

From MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30804744/wi ... ?GT1=31037 WASHINGTON - It may be riskier on the lungs to smoke cigarettes today than it was a few decades ago — at least in the U.S., says new research that blames changes in cigarette design for fueling a certain type of lung cancer. Up to half of the nation's lung cancer cases may be due to those changes, Dr. David Burns of the University of California, San Diego, told a recent meeting of tobacco researchers. It's not the first time that scientists have concluded the 1960s movement for lower-tar cigarettes brought some unexpected consequences. But this study, while preliminary, is among the most in-depth looks. And intriguingly it found the increase in a kind of lung tumor called adenocarcinoma was higher in the U.S. than in Australia even though both countries switched to so-called milder cigarettes at the same time. "The most likely explanation for it is a change in the cigarette," Burns said in an interview — and he cited a difference: Cigarettes sold in Australia contain lower levels of nitrosamines, a known carcinogen, than those sold in the U.S. That's circumstantial evidence that requires more research, he acknowledged. But anti-smoking advocates are citing the study as Congress considers whether the Food and Drug Administration should regulate tobacco, legislation that would give the agency power to decide such things as whether to set caps on certain chemicals in tobacco smoke. Smokers once tended to get lung cancer in larger air tubes, particularly a type named "squamous cell carcinoma." Then doctors noticed a jump in adenocarcinoma, which grows in small air sacs far deeper in the lung. Initial studies blamed introduction of filtered, lower-tar cigarettes. When smokers switched, they began inhaling more deeply to get their nicotine jolt, pushing cancer-causing smoke deeper than before. Burns' study, presented at a meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, took a closer look. He compared smoking behaviors of different age groups over four decades — how much they smoked, when they started, when they quit — and how cancer-risk changed. The risk of squamous cell carcinoma stayed about the same over those years, Burns found. But adenocarcinoma rose. It makes up 65 percent to 70 percent of newly occurring U.S. lung cancer cases, but no more than 40 percent of Australia's lung cancer, he said. While the nation's total lung cancer cases have inched down as the number of smokers has dropped in recent years, the study suggests an individual smoker's risk of getting cancer is higher. It's well known that cigarettes differ from country to country, because of different tobacco crops grown locally and smokers' varying tastes. Nitrosamines are a byproduct of tobacco processing and levels vary for several reasons, including differences in curing practices. Australian cigarettes contain about 20 percent of the nitrosamine content of U.S. cigarettes, making the chemical a prime suspect, concluded Burns, who has been scientific editor of several surgeon general reports on tobacco. That doesn't rule out a role for deeper inhaling, cautioned Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society: "There's several strong suspects in the lineup. They may have acted in combination." Philip Morris USA spokesman David Sutton called the study speculative and hard to evaluate until it's published in a medical journal, something Burns plans to do.

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Bassist Donald "Ean" Evans of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died of cancer at his home in Mississippi. Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said Evans died Wednesday. He was 48. A statement posted on lynyrdskynyrd.com said, "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of longtime Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Ean Evans. Ean put up a valiant battle with an aggressive form of cancer and he will be sorely missed by family, friends and fans." Evans was born in Atlanta, but moved to Columbus in eastern Mississippi after marrying his wife, Eva. He joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2001 and had been touring regularly with the band until being diagnosed with cancer in 2008, when he cut back on performances with the band. Survivors include his wife and two daughters. Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Mike Chain, a local guitarist who was close friends with Evans, told The Commercial Dispatch in Columbus, Miss., that Evans was always a dreamer with a "big heart." "He was just one of those guys who was always a dreamer and always seeing ahead," Chain said. "And he was the most positive person I've ever met." The above article is from MSN. It, as so often is the case, and like all the other articles I found announcing his death, didn't say what kind of cancer he had. But this article, about a benefit concert given for him on April 19th, identifies his cancer as lung cancer.

That is too funny. I hope you won't mind if I borrow it for another forum.

Dr Pennell discussed this in this poston GRACE. Being a bicycle nut, it was a very interesting topic to me. It's a bit of a catch-22. I think exercising really helps a lot, but trying to exercise while battling the symptoms of lung cancer treatments (not to mention the lung cancer itself) is no easy task.

Congrats, Randy! August will be six years for me.

Congrats, Dana!

Great stuff! I follow Lisa's blog, and shared speaking duties with Jerrold at the DFW Walk/Run for Lungevity, so it was great hearing both of them. I thought the other stories were excellent, too.

Ah, but the hills add a good challenge, especially to those of us with less than two lungs, like me. Nice photo!

Our ride today took us out to Forestburg, which is just 15 miles from Montague, where the worst Texas fires were. There was no fire damage to be seen on our route, though, and no smoke in the air today. The Texas governor has applied for federal disaster aid for all those who lost their homes. I hope they get it.

The dust was awful yesterday even here in the DFW area, and I could still smell smoke this morning. The real damage was miles west and northwest of here, though. My asthma isn't liking all this one bit. Of course, it didn't keep me from making a bass fishing trip to Lake Fork today, and won't keep me from my 130 mile bike ride tomorrow. The heavy rains predicted for Sunday should put out the last of the smoldering fires.

Great news, congrats!

This is from the 50+ cycling forum (for riders aged 50 or more): A dapper 50+ cyclist finished his daily ride rather late, turning toward home late in the evening. Riding along, he noticed an upscale bar that seemed somehow familiar. He got off his bike, secured it in a safe location out front, and walked into the bar. Dressed in full club gear, it was clear this 50+ cyclist was well-looked-after and could challenge even some of the younger riders on his better days. Seated at the bar was an attractive and well-turned-out 50+ lady. Our cyclist walked over, sat alongside of her, ordered an Italian mineral water, took a sip, turned to her and said, "So tell me, do I come here often?"

Happy Birthday, Dawn!

Old guy goes in for his prostate exam. Old wife comes along for the company but waits in the lobby. Dr asks old guy about urination, painful urination, volume of urination, frequency of urination, getting up at night to urinate, etc. Old guy says... "You know doc, last night I got up about 2am to go for a pee and when I got to the bathroom GOD HIMSELF turned on the light for me." Doctor says "How about that?" and finishes the exam. Later doc talks alone to old guy's wife and says "You know your husband told me that he got up last night to urinate and claims that God turned on the bathroom light for him." Old wife says "Dammit - he peed in the refrigerator again!"

Dawn, Welcome! Glad you're feeling better. I live in Arlington. Katie is starting a new support group that meets twice a month in Trophy Club. I hope you can join us.