Don M

Antoinette: My experience with steroids is limited to just what I have been taking during chemo. I can't offer much advice, but would like to welcome you to this board. I am sure you will get some good input from others. you might try the "ask the experts" section. Don M

Welcome Shar; I am glad to hear that the Tarceva seems to be working for you. Don M

Hi Sandie: welcome to the board. As you may have seen, there are a number of options open to late stage lc survivors and many ae beating the statistics. I hope you find a teatment plan that knocks the cancer way back. These days, it is geetting more and more to be managed as a chronic disease. You manage to live with it. Don M

Pam: Ruby has my prayers. Don M

Hi Karen: My second cancer was stage 1a. I asked for adjuvant chemo and am taking my last treatment today. I think mosts oncologists would not recommend chemo for stage 1a, because, the statistics say the 5 year survial rate for stage 1a is 90%. This exceeds the survival rate for adjuvant chemo and stage 1b. I guess the thinking is that it would not give you an advantage. In my case, it was my second cancer. So, the oncologist went along with it, because I am at a higher risk than someone with a first cancer at stage 1a. The treatment for me was 4 rounds of gemzar and carboplatin. I had very little side effects. the main thing ws fatigue for 2 to 5 days after each treatment. The fatigue usually kicked in after the second day following treatment. If your husband wants to do the chemo, he could probably find an oncologist who will do it. I guess, if it was me, I would do it. But, I am gunshy now having had cancer twice. Don m

Hi Lorrie: I had to wait a month for my first surgery. The waiting was the worse part. I was told that if the lymph nodes outside of my lung, for example on my mediastinum, were malignant, they would abort the operation. The thinking is that if it had gotten to the lymph nodes outside the lung, it is systemic and uncontainable. Fortunately, my mediastinum was clear, and they proceded with the operation. I did not receive my final staging until after the pathology of my removed lobe, a few days later. I was stage 1b. I recovered fairly easily from the first operation. I did not notice any shortness of breath. About a year later I had a second cancer in my remaining lobe and had it removed last February. I was staged 1a after surgery. When I tried to sit up for the first time, I got out of breath. I had to be on oxygen for a couple of weeks at home. I can do any normal activity now without getting short of breath. I did not do chemo after the first operation. If I had, maybe I would not have gotten the second cancer. I am doing chemo after my second operation. Today is my last infusion. I hope your husband's operation has the best outcome possible, stage 1b, with clean margins, and that he has a fast recovery. Don M

TAnn: I hope you find a way to deal with the pain. I would be asking for stronger drugs. Don M

Jana and Karen: I hope things work out good for your mum. Don M

Hi Gay: I am glad to hear that Dean is comfortably settled in. I hope he has a quick mend. Don M

Hi Maryanne. I am glad to see Joel is done with chemo. Once he shakes the shingles, he can put it all behind him. My last chemo is this Wed. Don M

Gald to hear yu are disease free Jim. May it be that way for many more years. don M

Welcome Nell. My first grandchild was born in February too, right at about the time I was having my second surgery. Don M

Get well soon Dean. Don M

Kathi: please accept my condolences. It is obvious you love you "Pops" very much. Calling your father pops is such a term of endearment. My younger daughter, 21 years old, sometimes calls me pops. Don M

Pat: sorry about hte bad news. I hope the tarceva holds it at bay whele Brian gets some strength back. Don M

Melanie: your grandma has my prayers for a peaceful passing. I remember when I was 6 years old I would watch my grandma as she knitted a large afghan wool blanket. it was black and green and red. I asked as a 6 year old if I could have it when she died. She said sure. My grandma died in 1982. My grandpa gave me the afghan. I still have it. It is as pretty as ever. It would be 56 years old now. It is on my bed. Don M

I have seen a lot of good advice here. Your brother has my prayers. Don M

Hi Nancy, welcome: I think it is good of you to go on line to see what you can find out and to get support from others that you may be able, in turn, to support you sister. Maybe, in time your sister will come here too. However, there are many members here who are caregivers , while their loved ones do not post. Your sister is early into her treatment. I have noticed that many survivors with stage 4 cancer, will go through 3 or more treatments of different drugs. If this cycle of treatment does not give good results, there are other options. I hope the next set of scans show that the treatment is working. Don M

TAnn: I am sorry to hear of your dissappointing news. I hope the alimta knocks the cancer way back. Don M

Carol: Big day tomorrow eh? I have done it twice. I always started out in the ambulatory unit where they get you prepped and all. They are very friendly there and kinda give you a peptalk. I knew the second time that they would be stretching my side a bit during the operation while they scooped around inside of me. My anesthesiologist started to tell me about it in the prep room but I told him I was familiar with the procedure. I asked him if I had time to do stretching exercises first. He said sure. So I guess I could have climbed off the gurney and done side stretches if I wanted to, but I decided to just lie there and wait for the gas. The doc chuckled at me a bit. you certainly have my prayers that you have a sucessful surgery and a speedy recovery. Don M

Christy: I have never heard of the drugs. I am glad your mom's cancer is stable. You both have my best wishes and prayers. Don M

Melanie: I am sorry you have to face this again. I know it is just plain awful. You have my prayers. Don M

Terrie: I am glad your mom is recovering well from surgery. I started my follow up chemo 7 week after surgery. I will be finsishing 4 rounds of gemzar/carboplatin this July 7th . The last 2 rounds got delayed a bit because the oncodoc was out of town for a week and I had schedule conflicts at work. The onco nurses say the delays won't hurt the protocol. I was supposed to have finished last week. My first infusion was gemzar followed by carboplatin the same day. Then a week later I had gemzar only. That constituted round 1. Then 2 weeks later would start round 2. My oncologist told me that there was less liklihood of getting neuropathy from gemzar than taxol. It has been pretty mellow for me. The first 4 days after the combo infusion had me down. I did not much nausea, but I slept a lot. The single infusion day was not bad at all. The biggest problem I had was that the dexamethasone would keep me awake much of the first night and I would have to catch up with my sleep later. Don M

Hi Beth: I am glad that you are starting to recover from you first infusion. Hopefully the rest won't be as nasty and the avastin combo will work its magic. Don M

Pammie: congratulations on your 1 year anniversary of survival and I hope you have many more. Don M