Don M

Happy birthday Cindi. ta da da da ta da

Janet: you and Ron have my prayers.

Good Luck Beth. I remember my barium was strawberry flavored. It still was yucky. Don M

Heather: you have my prayers

Good deal Fay!

You have my prayers

Hi Tammy. I am sorry your dad is in pain. I think the radiation should shortly give your dad some relief. Unfortunately, depression is a common hallmark for caretakers and lung cancer survivors too. I take lexapro myself. I think it helps me. Your dad is alive, so he is a lung cancer survivor. Once the pain is managed, the docs should be able to send him on the chemo teatment. I hpe the best for you and your dad. Don M

I hope the surgery goes well for Ken and it turns out to be 1a. I have had 2 lung cancer surgerys. I did not know for sure what the cancer would be staged at until after the post op pathology report is done. Don M

Shelly: I am sorry you have to deal with this all over again. I will pray for you and your family.

I am glad you got fixed up Don. I hope Lucie gets some relief from the radiation. Don M

I am sorry that your father-in-law is in such pain. It would be good if your husband could get his dad to sign papers authorizing him to be briefed on treatment and to make treatment decisions. I would hazard a guess that the treatment the hospital offers is palliative in intent, perhaps radiation treatment. It may be best to get his dad in hospice now. Perhaps they can deal with the pain management better. Don M

Hi TAnn: When I have to do the wait and see stuff, I always assume that the unknown structure is something other than cancer, like scar tissue. Also, I take lexapro. I hope your next scan shows no change. Don M

Welcome Wendy: The tarceva has helped a lot of people. I hope it helps your husband.

Pleasant dreams Beth. Don M

Bill: I am not an expert, but I would question a radiologist report that identifys structures in the 1 -2 mm range as nodules. I would think the report might say that they could be nodules, scarring, or pleural based densities that could be nodules. As Peggy says, the tarceva seems to be working. For me the next step would be to do a follow-up ct scan in 3 months to see if the 1-2 mm stuff has changed. You and your wife have my best wishes. Don M

Cindi: You have my prayers. I hope you get a fair price for your house and that new paths will open up for you. Don M

Patti: I am rooting for Frank too. I am sure they will get Frank's heart rate and blood pressure problem resolved and he can go on chemo. I wonder if they will put him on digoxin?

Hi: I also am surprised that Ken will be having a lobectomy if the cancer has spread outside his lungs. At any rate, I had a lobectomy 15 months ago. The pain was managed well. Be sure to ask for an epidural. My biggest problem was being able to urinate after the catheter was removed. The epidural and other pain killers retard the urinary response, but it can be dealt with. In my case, I had to have the catheter reinserted, and I went home with it. I later saw an urologist who treated me for an urinary infection. The catheter came out about a week after discharge. For me, dealing with the catheter was way more traumatic than the operation itself. My recovery was relatively pain free. I had physical therapy that started about 6 weeks after surgery and went for 3 months. I believe it helped a lot. The single most important therapy in recovery is to walk. I was walking a mile a day within 3 weeks after surgery. 4 months after surgery, I could walk a mile in 16 minutes. I also had to cough a lot immediately after surgery to clear the lungs. It hurt, but I needed to get the gunk out of my lungs so I would not get pneumonia. Don M

Congratulations: I hope the time flies by and then you can get some quality grandma time in.

Hi Bill: I may be wrong, but I think PET scans are less reliable for tumors 5 mm to 10 mm. They are more reliable for the bigger ones. I think a 5 mm tumor seen on the CT scan may not show uptake on the PET scan, but still could be malignant. I remember reading somewhere that the reliability is 80% or so for the smaller tumors. I tried to find the document again, but could not find it. You will have to ask a radiologist to make sure. I feel confident that the follow up CT scan wil verify the good results that your wife has experienced. Don M

These are questions mainly directed at those of us who have had a pneumectomy. About 2 weeks after my pneumectomy, or about 3 weeks ago, I noticed a dry cough that would tend to send me into cough spasms. It has not gone away. My pulmonologist says it happens with some people. He said that the remaining lung tends to get stretched and that causes an irritation which can cause a dry cough. My questions are: have any of you experienced a dry cough? How long did it last?

I am sorry to hear you are having a harder time this time around Frank. Just get though it and let the cancer be waylaid. Don M

Bill: I am very pleased to hear your good news. Don M

David: You and your family have my prayers.

Praying for you Barb