cathyr

Don and Lucie, Sorry to hear about the new lesion, but it sounds like your doctor already has a good plan in mind. Can I sneak into your suitcase for the cruise? Great idea! Hugs to you both! Cathy R

Beth, Sorry to hear about the new diagnosis, but I must tell you that there are plenty of us still around who have nodules in both lungs after 4 months and in worse shape than you. You have age on your side for one thing that some of us don't. I, for one, have had nodules in both lungs for 14 months now. I also have mets to the adrenals. Nobody knows how long we have left, but you've got to pick yourself up and start another treatment. We all know it's not easy. None of us want to suffer at the end and we all have the same fears. So, don't give up - get mad and do something about it! Prayers are with you. CathyR

Karen, I'm really worried about Margaret too. I pm'd you a couple times to see if you had heard from her. I guess not. I don't have her number or I would call. If you have her last name I can try to find her number. CathyR

What wonderful news! I'm so happy for you both. Enjoy! Enjoy! Hugs, CathyR

Barbara, My prayers to you and your family. Condolences to you all. I'm so glad you were able to bring such joy into his last year of life with the twins. He passed with wonderful memories! Hugs to you, CathyR

Count me in! I'm bringing a Chocolate Seven Layer Cake from Jerry's Famous Deli in Marina Del Rey. It's the best. Please save a couple cold Sam Adams for me too. See ya later! CathyR

Hi Peggy, I'm glad you found us. This site is a terrific source of information and support. I'm so sorry your husband is sick. It's a tough battle as you apparently know. Somehow, we are getting through this together. Welcome again to this site and please feel free to "communicate" anytime you want. CathyR

The truth is always the way to go. I don't believe you should ever get into trouble telling the truth or ever feel bad about telling the truth. Just my opinion. CathyR

Prayers for Mikes family and friends. I really believe it's the hardest on the still living. Hugs to you all, CathyR

Margaret, Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for your loss. The relief comes in knowing that Jim is no longer in pain and confusion. He is in the place we will all meet at sometime in the future. I lost my husband Richard to this terrible disease 1 year before my own diagnosis. So, I can honestly say I know what you are going through. Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to grieve. Hang on to the special memories you two created for yourselves. And, let your friends and family help you when they can. Please know that you did everything you could to help him. My heart and love go out to you!!! CathyR

Wow! What a terrific poem. I'd like to have someone read that at my memorial whenever that may be. Thanks for sharing. CathyR

Oh my gosh! How cute! I have to tell you that I work for the company that makes Snickers Bars. We also make M&M's, Twix, 3 Musketeers and Mars Bars. The funny thing is that Mars also owns and manufactures Pedigree Dog Food, and Whiskas Cat food. At the Dog and Cat food plant in Vernon, Ca. we have several cats that roam around and are used to taste new foods and try out new products. They are named Snickers and Twix! Have fun with you new babies. They are just precious! CathyR

Margaret, I, for one, am very grateful that you are sharing your personal experiences with us. I pray that your strength will hold up and that Jim will find peace. Please know that many, many prayers are being sent your way! We will all get through this together. Believe me when I say you are NOT alone. Hugs to you doll! CathyR

Nina- I'm so happy it appears to be nothing more than a possible strain. What a big relief! This was a great way to start the day. Hugs to you Nina! CathyR

TAnn I'm for stable. Perhaps it will start shrinking them now. I had an appetite problem with Iressa. You basically have to force yourself to eat. Just keep fighting sweetie. Hugs to you, CathyR

Wow, What a rollercoaster ride, but I have some potentially very good news for a change. You may remember I was turned down for the GAVX clincial trial by U.C. Davis because of my pulmonary lung function test. We've (oncs. office and I)have gotten them to reconsider my case. They have decided to re-evaluate me themselves. I now have an appointment with the doctors there on Feb. 16th. I can't tell you excited that makes me. I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily and it just about killed me when I thought they were giving up on me. I also found another vaccine clinical trial called Intralymphatic Tumor Vaccine in Los Angeles for stage 3B and 4 lung cancers with St. Vincents Medical Center. They can use either your own cells or a cell line that they have refined and treated with interferon. They also use an infusion of the drug that organ donor recipients get. They still have openings for anyone interested. I have an appointment this Thursday with a Dr. Michael Wiseman who is pioneering this trial. I feel very certain I could get into this one. I will keep you all informed. I can't thank you all enough for your prayers and kind words. It helped me so much to keep positive and to not give up. Hugs to you All!!!!! CathyR

Curtis, Thank you so much for sharing this achievement of Becky's. It's just a reminder of what a special person she was. This world surely misses the gifts she was preparing to make for it. My heart and love goes out to you and your family. Hugs, CathyR

Lisa, Thank you so much for this web site. I've been looking for something like this. I've got my order on the way! CathyR

Bill, I had the PortACath under the collarbone for 3 months without trouble. Then, they put iodine through it for a CT scan and it caused terrible pain and eventually infection. I had to have emergency surgery to get it out. It works great when used only for chemo. DO NOT let them use it for anything else. Hope that helps. Prayers for your wife! CathyR

My prayers and love to your Gram. I hope heaven opens up soon for her. What a great granddaughter she has! Hugs to you too! CathyR

That's a great picture, Sharon. Hold on to all your memories. They're special, loving, and their all yours. Hugs to you, CathyR

Hey Fay, Aside from the first diagnosis of cancer which was biopsied, everything has always been scans. CathyR

Thank you all so much for your support. It's been a tough couple of weeks to say the least. I feel a bit better today ( maybe the new pain meds are working better). Yesterday I was very tearful. The City of Hope e-mailed me that they don't currently have any clinical trials available for stage 4 lung cancer. I still am going to have my onc. speak to them directly. He's out of town til the 31st. I am checking into other trials and will let you guys know if I find anything. It's just so hard to sit everyday not doing anything except waiting for this to get worse (which unfortunately, it is). I don't know how I would ever get by without you all. This site is such a blessing and although there have been controversy at times, there are more times that it brings out the best in people. Hugs to all of you, CathyR

I don't mean to sound so negative, but I swear if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck. As some of you know, I have been busy doing tests to try to qualify for the GVAX clinical trial at U.C. Davis in Northern California. I have had an ekg, echocardiogram, pet scan, cat scan, pulmonary lung function test and a VQ test. I found out Thursday a.m. that I am not going to be accepted because I only scored a 48% on one of the tests and needed to score 50%. I am devastated by this news. Esentially, I have been on nothing for 3 months because Iressa did not work for me and the cancer is spreading quickly. I have numerous nodules in both lungs, lymph nodes and adrenal glands are also affected. I have pain that is getting worse in my left lung area. The onc. says it is either referral pain or caused by scarring that is impinging on nerves. Anyway, it requires me to have to take my pain medication (percodan 10mg.) every 4 hours. I am going to try to get into the City of Hope for a clinical trial, but I am really feeling very discouraged at this point. This is the first time in a long time I just want to cry . I am praying for all of us. CathyR

As you can see, Don, we have our own "I LOVE LUCY" fan club here. Keep us informed about this marvelous woman and her fight against this beast of a disease. Hugs to you both! CAthyR