TammyL

Greg passed away earlier this morn after a courage battle with lung cancer. HE had been hospitalized for 3 weeks been sick with pneumonia since christmas.He askedto go after a long afternoon of very difficult breathing that didn't promise to get better. He bravely asked the nurse if she could make him comfortable and so we did lots of morphine and sat by his side all night wishing him peace at last.. GOd how we;ll miss hime thanks for all your support over the last 6 months.

He still has pnemonia. drained another liter and a half from right lung area. Only been just over a week since last drained.Doc says if he isn't better soon ,since his wbcs are elevated still,there may be no treatments available and he may just be care and comfort.. not exactly the news we were looking for.. Since then he found the fluid and hoped that was the cause of the increased wbc .. Still waiting for them to return to an acceptable level. Holind on to the little hope we have that he will get well enough for chemo.. He is on o2 24/7 and pain meds amking j=him loopy he just had radiation to his right hip/buttock 5 days and to his brain one shot today that it. Hoping the swelling in his legs, which is awful and making it more difficult to walk,goes away soo he can be mobile and kick this pnemonia to the curb. Watching waitin .. dying inside..he's been in the hosp for almost 3 weeks.On antibiotics since before christmas. Just want to get him up and going so he can get better. the docs asked about worst case if he would want to be put on a vent we said no so the labeled him a DNR..WE are taking about discarge maybe next week but not sure how.. Services equipment..o2 He was well before pneumonia now he is weak and very unwell. one month Home alone with the kids and traveling back and forth is exausting but i don't want to be anywher else. Anyway taking it a day at a time just getting really frustrated..

The Dr is keeping Greg in the hosp just to make sure he continues to be better. They are afraid of more fluid build up. They took 1 1/4 liter from left side plueral effusion a weka nd a half ago then tuesday took a liter and a half fromthe right.. Breathing is much better though still on nebs. He started radiation for mass on buttock, which showed up last may aon a scan BUT... WAS BELIEVED TO BE NOTHING. Now that Greg cannot walk on his right leg without great pain they will do somthing abpout that. They are getting him ready for a raiation surgery fo the brain for spot there that should happen early next week. Hope fully he does well fromthat he can start Taxol . That is the only chemo Dr can give while Greg is still taking steroid for radiation of this brain.Trial will have to wait awhile but Dr want/need for him to start some form of chemo ASAP. They alos talked about putting talculm powder in the spce between the lungs whwere the fliud had built up to prevent it form happening agin.. Dr says ther is a bout 70-% success rate on that. Not sure yet.. Anyone had this done or heard of anyone having it done?? ANywya Dr says he is't giving up but also asked Greg if he would want to be kept on a vent if he could no longer breath on his own.. That was a little tough with all that has been going on.. Kinda lousy wek but he is breathing better so one obstacle down.. Now he just wants to walk..

greg ws taken of oxygen cut down on steroids toaken off Iv and had a bad night breathing thinking they might have to drain fluid from around right lung.. Prob not going home tomorrow.. Hopefully they can get thim better by monday for radiation ..

After 5 days of anbiotics, many breathing treatments, steroids and having pint and a quarter of fluid removed he is breathing easier and getting the gunk out of his lungs doc ids looking to send hoim home Saturday with no o2 or treatments.. He should ci-ontinue to gwete stronger for a couple of days with therapy at the hosp just to get his strength up. It is very tough for a 41 year old man to deal with being laid up and dependent on others for alot.. He has a radiation apt next week for the met in his brain one treatment should take care of it. I guess it is in a great location to take care of easily. Chemo is tenatively scheduled for Week of the Jan 19th. Thats what we're all aiming for Doc says he should be up to chemo by then and we want to get hte radiation treatment done quickly before that.. Thanks for all your help will update soon.

Greg is in the hosp. Unable to start chemo for awhile til he is strong again.. He had been battling pneumonia since before christmas. After 3 visits to the doc and Er they finally admitted him Sunday Night.. Had fever of 102 and fuid in his lungs.He had Siaciatic and pneumonia together so he was unable to move around which doesn't help when you've got pneumonia.. Anyway they took a liter and 1/4 of fluid from around his left lung yesterday so he can now take a ddep breath. They have had him on IV antibiotics steroids and musinex to help with the congestion. He is coughing less now and hope to have him home by the weekend. He is able to move around better too.. All is healing together.. He had ct mri bone scan showed mets in the brain and bone in his leg and ankle also spot on his buttock may be causing sciatica. He is going to have radiation on met in brain and chemo when he is strong enough.. Dr has him resting for now with nothing planned til he is a little better. Just want to have him better and home.. It is tought o be in two pl;aces at once home with the kids and at the hosp to see the Drs..

Greg is going for testing to be part of a clinical trial involving alimta ahich will be given and herbatux which may be given. He just got diagnosed with pneumonia hope he is better for christmas.. HIs spirits are at really down in the dumps.. He hasn't felt well though has been off Chemo for 3 months. Had a week of radaiation to get rid of a nodule causing pain in his rib. waiting and hoping htat helps the pain. The Dr thought he might have to spend Christmas in the hosp.. luckily his blood cell count was ok enough to go home but be cautious. Hopefully he will feel up to visiting family tonite if not tomorrow he should be.He is going for cat scan mri and bone scan Friday so he can take part in this trial. Then we meet after new year with research nurse to schedule treatments.. Dr seemed encoured about the trial and said we could use avastin and taxol as a back up. He just wants some quality of life because he hasn't had any in months. He is talking about throwing in hte towel but he keeps treking.. Thank GOD!!! Just wanted to know if anyone has had sucess with either of these treaments.. Thanks , Tammy

Greg has been off the chemo since September. Had scan in september and small 3 small nodules on his oppisite lung which happened while undergoing chemo.We were waiting to see if anything came of them..Scan sceduled in January(hoping to get throug the holidays.) Early october he had a cold then he had a pain in his rib that was unbearable and making it difficult to breath. We went to ER before colombus day wekend,CT scan showed nothing new unable to explain why there is pain shceduled bone scan again no answers lungs are clear and why is ther pain nobody knows.. had a Ct scan again in this week at the ER (pain inhis side again having difficulty breathing the nodules have gotten bigger and the original tumor got bigger as well. Now we know what the pain is from.. Oncologist suggested that radiation would work for one spot that was causing the pain in his side. Two weeks of radiation at most will get rid of that nodule. He is to start chemo and avastin monday before christmas 08.. for the rest of the tumor/and nodules.. What a fall he is having a hard time hearing 3 months off cisplatin.. How long does this ringing last anyone?? I know everyone is different just looking to be able to talk to my husband from more than two feet away and the tv doesn't have to be on full blast... ALso Gregs aunt was just diagnosed with nsclc and she is terminal. She was hospitalized for blood clots in her lungs and then she got the news and there really isn't anything they can do .Drs thought that she could do some chemo just to jeep it at bay but she got ill really fast and is not doing well at all. Never smoked was in good health til recently. That on top of chemo for christmas this a little tough. Drs said it wasn't hereditary and we all had some relief that maybe our children or his family wouldn't have a greater chance of getting sick ..then his aunt... Not sure must be something in the genes he is young for this .

Well the good new first is My Husbang Greg's nsc tumor in his left lung has responded nicely to chemo w/ radiation. Not so good news is there are threee more Cm size spots on his right lung. They are small but the onc says they can't radiate becasse they are in separate places and it would cause too much damage. They hit him very hard with chemo and rdition but somehow newspots developed. It is very hard to understand how someone can go through so much treatment and have the primary area get better and have new devlopments.. They aren't quite sure what they can do now. The neew suggestion was a lesser grade chemos so the onc. said it didn't make sense. ALready did combo os cisplatin and etopiside x4. 7 weeks of radiation. I am very concerned that there is nothing they can do and they are small spots..3 small 1 cm spots..Anyone have similiar results?? Everywhere else is good accordibg to the ct scan. Greg went to the ER friday because of pain in his side. Prob from coughing.. they did another ct scan and they said the pain can be the cancer since it is on the side of his lung.. . we are going ot boston to see what they think can be done. I don't want to have him go through lots of treaments to no avail but obviously want to try to get rid of these tumors if at all possible... We have two young children 11&7 don't want them to lose their dad or worse watch him fade away... I am really scared

We went to the doc and he said Greg is done with treatments nothing more is needed. His initial treatment is done and he is excstatic. They expect good results from the cat scan planned within the next couple of weeks. Looking to get on with his life and back to work part time anyway. He goes back for blood work next week because his WBC is low as expected and they want to follow up on that. He is on magnesium and pottasium for awhile til the chemo drugs are out of his system. We see the doc in 2 weeks and hope to get good results from 2nd cat scan. Will be going periodically now just to check on blood levels and scans.. All is hopeful.. Greg even felt good enough to go away this wekend with the guy. Just has to take it easy a little.

My name is Tammy. I live in NH. My husband age 41 was diagnosed in April 08 with non small cell lung cancer after Went to PCP because he coughed up blood and had pain behind his clavicle. Dr said his lungs sounded fine and his O2 was good. Upon my husband insistance he got an an xray diagnosed with walking pneumonia,in late feb(He had not been ill) x-ray also showed a spot... Prob nothing PCP said we need to do more tesing. He went through ct scan , pet scan, pulmonary biopsy, guided needle biopsy of lymph node, and we found out he was a stage 3b. There was a spot on the lymph node on the oppisite side of his chest than the cancer. We went to Boston for a second opinion. Confirmed what we knew and helped our oncologist come up with a plan to get treated locally. Greg has been in tretment chemo 4 rounds(may-sept) and 7 weeks(May-june) of radiation. He is really down and out and has had enough. I am trying too lift his spirits and trying to keep things "normal". It is tough.. He just finished his 4th round of chemo moday and is feeling nausous despite the meds and has an awful taste in his mouth he can' get rid of.. Didn't know if there were any suggestions to help him feel better.. Anything that has worked for your family member. The doctor really wanted to do a fifth round but said if he wasn't handel;ing it that well the four would be ok. So he is hopeful to be done til he gets another scan. We did get a ct sccan in july that showed good results the cancer had diminished signifigantly and the spot in the lyph node had dissapeared. Ther also were no new spots which is good beacause that thought never crossed our minds. So we are hopeful all this has worked to eliminate the cancer

My husband age 41 was diagnosed in April 08 with non small cell lung cancer after Went to PCP because he coughed up blood and had pain behind his clavicle. Dr said his lungs sounded fine and his O2 was good. Upon my husband insistance he got an an xray diagnosed with walking pneumonia,in late feb(He had not been ill) x-ray also showed a spot... Prob nothing PCP said we need to do more tesing. He went through ct scan , pet scan, pulmonary biopsy, guided needle biopsy of lymph node, and we found out he was a stage 3b. There was a spot on the lymph node on the oppisite side of his chest than the cancer. We went to Boston for a second opinion. Confirmed what we knew and helped our oncologist come up with a plan to get treated locally. Greg has been in tretment chemo 4 roundscisplatin 6 days cisplatin day 1 and 8 and etopiside day 1-5 and back three weeks after for 4 week cycle.AFter cysplatin being monday after first chemo week(may-sept) and 7 weeks(May-june) of radiation. He is really down and out and has had enough. I am trying too lift his spirits and trying to keep things "normal". It is tough.. He just finished his 4th round of chemo moday and is feeling nausous despite the meds and has an awful taste in his mouth he can' get rid of.. Didn't know if there were any suggestions to help him feel better.. Anything that has worked for your family member. The doctor really wanted to do a fifth round but said if he wasn't handel;ing it that well the four would be ok. So he is hopeful to be done til he gets another scan. We did get a ct sccan in july that showed good results the cancer had diminished signifigantly and the spot in the lyph node had dissapeared. Ther also were no new spots which is good beacause that thought never crossed our minds. So we are hopeful all this has worked to eliminate the cancer