Don M

Congratulations on quitting. I guess you had the ultimate shcok therapy to help you make up your mind to quit. I quit smoking 22 years ago. I had tried to quit several times before that. Looking back on it, I think I did not really have my mind made up to quit like I did at the final attempt. I suppose the best thing for you to do is just to ecourage you mom to quit without ticking her off...I suppose...if it were me though, I would tell her I can't stand to be around cigarette smoke, because I can't. I would have to have my contact with any family member or friend when they were not smoking. Don M

Kim: I think a doctor's utterances about impending death can really damage a patient's attitude. Anyway, it looks like the treatment plan itself is sound. There is a good chance that the radiation will shrink the tumors enough to give your mom some relief and then the tarceva could be the turning point. When it has worked for people, it has worked very well. I wonder what the "other complications" are that the doc refers to. Could it be pneumonitis? Maybe your mom could do image guided radiation therapy (IMRT). Hopefully the treatment would focus on the tumors only and minimize damage to the esophagus and diaphragm and result in very little pneumonitis or esophagitis. That is what I am doing for my tumor. I may be in for the long haul and I want to conserve as much heathy lung as I can in this treatment or any others that I may have to do. I will be treated using a Electa Synergy machine, which is the most advanced machine for IGRT. You have to go to a major cancer center to get such treatment. If your mom is not getting treatment at a major cancer center, she should seek a second opinion. Your mom might be a candidate for cyberknife surgery too, which is even more accurate than IGRT. There is a risk of pneumothorax though, and if your mom's breathing is already compromised, they may not do that. I got tatooed yesterday for radiation. I was kind of surprised when they poked my skin with the tatoo needle. I guess it really is a tatoo. It is the first time I have ever been tatooed. I hope your mom responds well. Don M

Laura: I am glad to hear your mom and everyone is coping well. I am sure it helps to stay in close touch with each other and stay busy. Bless you all. Don M

Carleen: I amglad you are doing better. I know that looking for opportunities to smile helps me when i am feeling down. Don M

Hi Laura. Don M

STABLE SATABLE STABLE,,,YAH!

Very nice Peggy. You have made a very comfortable place for your self. A good place to sit. Don M

Hi Nancy: I don't know much about managing met pain from personal experience. I have not had to deal with that (knock on wood). I guess my first and only thought is to see another doctor. I am rather surprised that an oncologist would not have more pain management tools available. I hope you find somthing that works for you. Don M

Kim, your mom and you and your family have my continued prayers. Don M

I use a honeywell air purifier that has a HEPA filter. I am glad you are breathing free cindi. Don M

News at 11. I am glad your grandma is ok. Don M

Exercise has always been a good destresser for me, I especially like cutting , toting and stacking firewood and watching my woodstack get bigger. Gardening is another outlet for me. I also walk. Lately, I have been trying to figure out what the heck Baysean Probability is, which has piqued my curiosity and caused me to forget about lc for a while. Don M

I think I sort of get it.. traditional testing is narrowly defined to very specific circumstances. The bayesian method is more broad? If you know that a drug does well in a controlled experiment, you still don't know how it will work in the general population. You start out with the statement that a drug will work well in the general population and then refine that statement with data? And what does this have to do with Schrodinger's cat anyway? I didn't do all that well at sadistics. Don m

WOOH! WOOH! WOOH! NED! Now all your have to do is get rid of that pesky pneumonia. Good for you Ralph!

Good for you Charley, and may you have decades more of quality life. Don M

I am glad you don't have to do more chemo and the uptake is going down Bill. I had a similar experience with a radiation oncologist at my last consultation at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle. He did not get real upset or anything, but made some comment about how he was the leading expert or something, I don't remember his exact words, but I got the impression he was a little bit defensive. It did not make a huge impression on me. I just kept asking away with my questions. He was the last specialist I consulted with out of 4 that I saw there. I think I kind of impressed them because I was well organized and could speak a little medical jargonese. Apparently they don't get many self advovcates. They are, however, the best medical team I can find regionally and I like them. I think I will mention to the radiation oncologist sometime, that the main reason I ask so many questions is because I want to know as much as I can about my disease and its treatment. It is the way I cope with having this d__n disease. I know others don't want to know anything, that is the way they cope, but I am not one of them. Don M

Shanna: there is no doubt that there are tough days ahead for your mom and you. But don't try to anticipate too much at once. Right now, just focus on getting your mom's pain under control. The radiation should help a lot. They may still be able to get the cancer under conrol with teatment. The radiation will definitely be a good first step. Find moments in the present where you can be with your mom and just enjoy one another. Don M

I am sorry Kim. Just consider that some people have a remarkable turn around with tarceva. I have also heard that it may cross the blood brain barrier and work on brain mets. At the very least, the raiation will ease some pain. Your mom should try the tarceva. Don m

It is nice that your mom is having this "second wind". Maybe you could get a tempur-pedic pad for your mattress. I have one on my bed and it helps my scoliosis lots. For my brother's final days, we had home nursing care about 3 hours a day, 3 times a week. Medicaid paid for it. The family members would take turns attending to him the rest of the time. I hope the rest of your time with your mom goes smoothly and is full of peace. Don M

I am glad too that you dad is able to get some hope here. I have learned quite a bit about lc too since coming to this board (probably way more than I ever expected to or wanted to). I remain hopeful for me, your dad and others in overcoming this disease. don m

He is selfish. My first reaction and still is anger. So I can't say much. A lot of it depends on your mom. She will have to tell him not to smoke in the house I think...I dunno...obviously you want to find a way to work it out amicably. But getting a court order to force him to not smoke in the house crossed my mind. Of course, this is not a real solution. It just seems to me that he would naturally want to help his wife by not smoking in the house. Maybe he is in shell shock. "the damage is done" ... at first I thought he was talking about himself and that he was the one that has cancer. But it is not him that has the cacner . It is his wife. And all he can say is the damage is done. Unbelieveable. Incomprehensible. I am sorry I can't be of more help. Don M

More bad news. I am very sorry Carleen. Try gemzar next. Don M

I am glad to see you are still NED Kasey. I hope your neice finds the way to NED too. Don M

Great news Dahron. Do you have a green convertible? Don M

Congratulations Joanie. May you have many more years. don M