Don M

Holly: congratulations on the birth of your daughter. I am glad that hospice is doing a good job taking care of your mom. You all have my prayers. Don M

Welcome Patti: I am not an expert about the chemo, but it seems like she is getting a lot of it. Most people who have later stages of NSCLC have 6 rounds of chemo, with 3 weeks being a round, and 3 treatment days within each round, so that is 18 days of receiving treatment. As Ry said, you should ask the experts forum about standard prtotcol for SCLC. I don't know much about the standard for radiation treatment. I do know from what others have said that doing radiation and chemo at the same time can be very hard. Perhaps you could ask the experts about radiation too. Some people have a ct scan halfway through a chemo treatment to see if there is any response. For sure, I would expect that a ct scan at least, be done at the end of chemo. I am cancer free now, but I have 2 ct scans a year and 2 x-rays a year. I have my blood checked every 3 months. I don't think it is unusual to delay radiation treatment until after chemo. If there is very good reponse to the chemo, I don't know if you should pursue radiation or not. That is something else you should ask the experts about. Maybe the oncologist will suggest not doing radiation right away after chemo.. and it would be good if you had some input from an expert about that scenario if it arises at your next appointment this January. You appear to be a very good advocate for your sister. You are asking good questions. Also, if I was told by a doctor , "no questions today", I would be very put off. I guess you have to do the research and decide if your sister's oncologist is doing the right stuff. If you feel that he is on the right track, I guess you could overlook his somewhat overbearing and authoritarian manner. I hope your sister's scan shows great response to the chemo. Don M

I am glad to hear that Mike is doing better. I hope he enjoys the football game this Sunday. Don M

That is great news about your brain PET. I hope the ct scans bring good news too. Don M

Hi Beth: I am sorry that your have to watch your dad suffer. I would just guess that your dad does not want to talk about his cancer brcause it helps hi cope with it somehow. But you can still tell him you love him and how much he means to you. Maybe in the converation, he would tell you of his feelings about his disease and suffering. Go talk to your dad. Don M

I am sorry your mother is feeling so bad. I have had chemo but never had radiation. I understand that the radiation can really whack you for a while. I took antidepressants for a while and I think it helped me. And, when I felt lousy during chemo, I just slept through it. If I was feeling as lousy as your mom, I would probbaly want to sleep a lot also. I hope your mom gets through the radiation treatment and can feel better again. Don M

Carleen: You can't carry that much pain around for long, so just let it spill out over the top as you have done here. The only thing I can think of is to just acknowledge your pain and move forward. You and Keith have my continued prayers. Don M

Good luck with the radiation Bill. Don M

It is great to see that your mom is NED. I worked most of the time during chemo. I took about 4 days off every 2 weeks. I continued to walk a mile a day during chemo. I wanted really bad to be able to keep doing my job as a forest technician, but after a while, I realized I would not be able to do the physical part of it effeciently. I retired last September. I could not negotiate steep terrain in the woods anymore. I think it was mainly because I have only one lung now and not because of the chemo. However, my oncologist told me that it could take up to a year before I get all my stamina back after chemo. I finished chemo last July. I feel good now, but I will never be able to hike on steep ground like I used to do. If your mom is motivated, exercises every day, she should be able to do work that does not demand intense physical exertion. If your mom wants to return to work, I think you should encourage her. Maybe her energy will pick up after returning to work. Don M

Amie: I hope your mom gets her eyesight back. It must be really frustrating for her and would make it hard for her to resume her business. I guess I would lean to taking the tarceva rather than blood thinners too, if I were in her position. I would have to stop eating garlic thouhg and that I would not like at all. Babies on the horizon, eh? I am sure you will make a great mother. I hope next year is a better year for you all. Don M

Hi Beth; Welcome to this group. I have never had radiation treatment but have had 2 surgeries and chemo. Others may be able to share their experiences with soreness of throat caused by radiation and what they did to treat it. It sounds like the doctors are being agressive in treatment. Hopefully, when he is through with radiation and chemo, the cancer will be gone. It is hard to do radiation and chemo at the same time, but others here have done it. Others also may be able to tell you how their coughing was managed. For myself, I had a problem with coughing after my second surgery. I would go into spasms. It was very unpleasant. I tried various things, but nothing worked until I took oxycontin I think, to suppress the cough. I took it for about a month and evetually the cough stopped. I suppose taking codeine for a cough supressant may not be a good idea if you are having chemo. I was not having chemo at the time. So, I hope the treatment nails your dad's cancer and I hope he gets through the treatment ok. I layed around a lot too when I was doing chemo. I also kept on walking, a mile a day. I figured if I can get my walking in, then I can go lay about. I think your dad has a good chance of beating the cancer the first time around. Encourage him to stay with it. Tell him to browse the site. I am 61 years old and feel good now. Don M

Wonderful news Brian. Hi Joanie! Don M

Hi Larry: I hope your wife finds some relief for the back pain. I am sorry your wife seems to be declining. You and your wife have my prayers. don M

Pat: you and Brian have my continued prayers. Don M

Hi Beth: drinking lots of water will alleviate the aches and pains. I drank a lot more water than I am accustomed to while doing chemo. I drank a minimum of 6 glasses a day. You are supposed to drink 8. I have been off chemo sicne July. I don't drink as much water now, but I know I should. Don M

Sue: I am glad to see that Mike enjoyed the footballl game at home. I guess Dallas still has a shot at the playoffs. You and Mike have my continued prayers. Don M

Hi Maryann: I am not a caregiver. There are caregivers here that will soon post, I am sure, to relate their experiences to you. I hope your husband pulls out of his funk. Maybe he should add an antidepressant to his meds. There are oncology social workers at most major hospitals that may be able to help. I think the social worker would help you as well as your husband. Perhaps you could both attend conseling. I guess if I were your husband's caretaker, I would insist that there be no cigarette smoking anywhere near the oxygen. I guess an acceptable mitigation would be to have a smoke room where there is no oxygen present. The technician who delivered the oxygen hopefully knows about your husband's smoking and briefed him on the saftey issues. He should have briefed you too. If your husband does not follow the rules, you will have to enforce them. Anyway, I hope something good happens soon for you and your husband. Don M

Hi Cindy: I can understand you frustration with the grumpy old oncologist. If your dad is happy with the onc, I guess you just have to go along with it. If it was me, I would want to do chemo immediately if there was still a primary tumor present, but I can see the logic to a strategy that puts off chemo treatment for a while. If the primary tumor and lymph nodes have shrunk or are stable, it may be a good idea to put off chemo for a while. That way, you can save the big guns for when you need them. You could think of it as a strategy to make the best use of chemo. Also, your dad could have some quality time beofre chemo begins. However, keep on encouraging your dad to get a second opinion at a major cancer center. Don M

Hi Jenny: my first primary was 4x5 cm. I had it cut out with my upper left lobe. It was stage IB adenocarcinama. I had no chemo. My cancer came back a year later. I had the rest of my left lung removed and had chemo followup. My second cancer was stage IA adenocarcinoma. I am cancer free now. Don M

Hi Pam. Welcome.

I always had a PET scan before surgery. My last PET scan showed 2 false positives and one correct positive. I always wondered why bother with the PET scan if there will eventually be a biopsy anyway. If there was signifcant change in size and density, and the object was over 1 cm, I would definitely do the biopsy. Don M

Pat and Brian: tain't easy... it's hard. Bless you both. Don m

Pat: I am glad to see that Brian's pain is taken cre of and that you have help on tht eway. Now you can rest a bit. Don M

Enjoy your holidays Mary. I hope you get to finish the chemo soon. I remember the best part I like about my chemo was having the last treatment. Don M

I have a persitent mucous build up in my bronchial area and I clear my throat constantly. I never had to do it before my surgerys. My pulmonologist theorizes that stuff gets hung up on my bronchial stump. I don't worry about it and as long as my ct scans come out clear I fgure I am ok. It is a minor annoyance. I get alleriges too. Don M