Don M

I have never tried it. Maybe I should. I have just one lung now. I do exercise every day though and get aerobic. My pulmonologist says that the best way to get lung function back is to exercise. I have never asked him about pr. I get sob if I try to walk fast up a slight hill after 300 feet or so. Don M

I hope you get out of there soon Aaron. Just ask about dragging the bag around with you. You could prowl the halls of the entire facility and go on a people watching tour. You could go sit at the information desk and wait for people to ask you questions. I suppose the nurse would want to be able to see you every half hour or so. Don M

Karen, please accept my condolences for the loss of your father. You and your family have my prayers to get through this difficult time. don M

Kim: I am glad you took your mother home. My siblings and I took turns taking care of my brother who was dying of lung cancer. He stayed at my mom’s house. It brought us all closer together. He died in August 2000. We had a nurse come in 2 times a week for 2 hours a day to help. I think hospice could do the same thing for you. I am sorry your sibs are not helping. They are missing out on an opportunity to share in a blessing. Don M

You have got a lot of good tips here Mitchell. Some people like to have an infusion of benadryl before the chemo so they can nod off during the chemo. I tried it once and did not like it. I would rather sit and just stare off into space or talk to my neighbors. Also, you would have to have someone lined up to drive your mom home. Don M

My first cancer was stage 1b. I did no chemo. My second cancer was staged 1A after surgery. Since it was my second cancer and within a year, I asked for and received adjuvant chemo. It apparently did not do any good though, since I had a 3rd cancer in my remaining lung within another year. Don M

JanMarie, please accept my condolences. Don M

My condolences to Darrell's family. He was a good man with a lot of heart. Don M

So I guess the respirologist (pulmonolgist in US)thought if it was an infection there could be a risk of getting peumonia from taking the pain meds..Since it is most probably cancer, I think your mom should see a doc and get some pain meds. I hope she got some today. I think your mom should ask for a brain scan if she has a headache and there is no other obvious reason for the headache. A cat scan is not proof of cancer. the next step could be a PET scan or a biopsy. A biosy is proof of cancer. A PET scan is a reliable indicator. It is difficult to get a reliable biopsy from a bronchoscopy. I had one, and the pulmonologist could not find a good sample. I had a large mass in my left upper lobe and was able to have surgery. If it is cancer, the best possible outcome for your mom now is to have a surgical cure. I hope the best for you and your mom. Don M

Yes, thanks again Katie and Rick. This site has has steered me to making good treatment decisons for my second and third cancers. If I had gone along with what the local oncologists wanted to do at the time, I would have had much less favorable outcomes. Don M

Hi Stephanie: I hope your dad's treatment goes well and he had good results. Re the radiation, your dad could ask about getting image guided radiation (IGRT) or cyberknife surgery for the tumor near the heart. These are radiation treatments that target the tumor only and minimize damage to adjacent healthy tissue. Cyberknife is the most accurate. Here is a link to a site that is run by radiation oncologists. You can ask them about cyberknife or IGRT. http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/forum/default.aspx?c=4 Don M

Hi Judy: re your boss, sometimes people just let insensitive comments pop out of their mouths. I hope things ae going ok for you in the workplace. I am grateful to be alive too. Don M

That is just swell

Hi: your dad needs to be treated for the fluid around his lungs. I don't understand why the doctors would not know for sure what to abou it. If he can't breathe right, it has to be drained.

It is most defintiely not wrong. You honor and bless the giver by accepting. Don M

Hi Amie; congrats to you and Dave on your marriage and impending parenthood. So, I am sure you have made Suki very happy. Being a grandparent is the pinnacle, I think. I love my kids, but the grandkids are such a delight. Don M

Hi Your mom may be a candidate for cyberknife surgery if the cancer has not left the lung. If it is in the lymph nodes or otherwise has already left the lung, she could still be a candidate following chemo. Here is a link. http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/forum/default.aspx?c=4 Many cyberknife patients are elderly. They go there for treatment because they are not candidates for surgery. If the cancer is early stage, the chances are very good for a cure. The radiation oncologists who practice it say the for stage 1a cancer in the lung, they have a 90% cure rate so far. The only thing is that those who have been "cured" have not yet lived many years to show that it is as effective as conventional surgery because the treatment is relatively new. One important advantage of cyberknife compared to other radiation treatment is that the treatment kills the tumor only. It does not harm normal tissue. Don M

Paulette and Shane: please acept my condolences for your loss. Don M

I can't help it…I have to describe the difference between IGRT and IMRT. Trish is probably locked into the Harvard website. IMRT stands for intensity modulated radiation therapy. The radiation oncologist and his team are able to adjust (modulate) the intensity of the beam as it passes through the body. When it first enters the body, the beam is of very low intensity. When it arrives at the tumor its intensity is increased and as it leaves the tumor and begins exiting the body, the intensity is reduced again. They are also able to shape the beam to conform to the shape of the tumor. IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy)is the same thing as IMRT. It is just refined a bit more in that the radiation therapists are able to see the tumor in near real time with an on board imager. If they have to, they can adjust the coordinates input in the computer so that the tumor can be more accurately located. Sometimes one’s position on the table may not be perfectly replicated from one session to the next, or the tumor could have changed size and shape or shifted somewhat its location in the body. The onboard imager is able to account for these slight changes and the changes can be made.

Hi Amy. I just wanted to say hello and wish the best for you and your dad. And yeah, the yellow is a good indicator of liver problems. don M

Trish: you and Jeffrey have sure had a long journey doing the lung cancer dance. Thanks to you and this site, I was led to cyberknife and then on to IGRT to zap my 3rd tumor in my remaining lung. I was talked out of doing cyberknife because I have only one lung, and the risk of pneumothorax seemed to outweigh the extra benefit I would get from cyberknife vs. IGRT. I lost about 10% of my lung capacity with this last treatment, but I think it is coming back a bit. I think it worked. I will find out in less than 2 weeks at a PET/CT scan. Enjoy your time at Harvard on line. Don M

I finished 4 rounds of alimta at the end of August. I found it to be harder than the 4 rounds of carboplatin/gemzar I did a year earlier. For the first 2 infusions, I was really fatigued and did not recover until about the time of the next infusion. For the last 2 infusions, I seemed to recover sooner. I had sob most of the time too, but I had recovered from that by the start of the following infusion. I never had the kind of sob where you can’t get enough breath no longer how hard you try because the alveoli are shutting down. Mine was probably from low red blood cell count. Looking back on it, though it was not as bad as I was afraid it might be and I am glad I did it. The way I dealt with my fatigue was to go for a morning walk, no matter what, and then nap in the afternoon. I was also retired, so work was not a problem. Don M

congratulations

Welcome Wiesia: I hope your father finds a way to do better with the chemo and does not lose any more weight. And may the upcoming tests show good shrinkage of the tumor, at least. Don M

Hi Trish: welcome to the boards. It is a tough time for you all now, but I am glad to see that you have got some tips on where to go for help. I read somwhere on a news article, that new claims form veterans have a long waiting list uhless they are an Iraq vet. If your dad served at least 2 years as a draftee, I am sure that he qualifies for benefits. You might have to have a congressman intercede. Don M