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gerbil runner

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Posts posted by gerbil runner

    Getting worried - pain, reason unknown

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    Hi, all.

    Just got off the phone with my dad, and I'm really, totally PO'd. Some nurse suggested to my dad that the dr's might be looking for a recurrance of cancer. He called me all shook up over this.

    How could there possibly be a tumor big enough to cause such pain yet not visible on CT scan? When mom was first diagnosed almost a year ago, she had a tumor (met) on her pancreas which was clearly visible on x-ray, yet had MUCH MUCH LESS pain.

    After hunting around on the 'net, I'm thinking chronic pancreatitis. Mom has been on low levels of pain medication ever since diagnosis due to pain in the abdomen where the met was. She had a whole lot of radiation to the pancreas. Cisplatin can cause pancreatitis, as can steroids (which she is taking for pneumonitis). Then of course the stent removal procedure, which started the whole thing, can cause pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can also cause shortness of breath due to irritation of the diaphram, and mom is on low levels of o2 due to SOB.

    The problem is, acute pancreatitis is indicated in part by high enzyme levels, which mom does not have. However, if the pancreas is already damaged, high levels of enzymes cannot be produced and do not show up in tests. Usually this happens during prior attacks of pancreatitis. But I'm sure everyone here who has experience with radiation will understand why I feel her irradiated pancreas may be previously damaged. So if mom has pancreatitis, she has taken an unusual route to get to it, and therefore would be difficult to diagnose. Pancreatitis is most often due to alcohol abuse or gallstones (mom had her gallbladder out 36 years ago). It's like LC in a non-smoker with no cough.

    It seems to me that my mom's history gives a whole shopping list of reasons that her pancreas may have chronic damage. The original tumor. The radiation. The chemo. Her chronic pain in the area would be consistent with chronic pancreatitis. When the stent was removed, some stones were found. Gee, doesn't irritation from the stones seem more likely that an invisible, suddenly painful tumor? The CT scan was one of the first things they did to rule out cancer due to her history! There's nothing there!

    I'm upset that my dad has been given a suggestion of recurring cancer to worry about. Why even bring it up? Maybe it's another case of "You have cancer. What else is there to worry about?" Maybe if we could find a hundred people who have survived a year out from a met to the pancreas, we'd find a high incidence of pancreatitis.

    Sorry for the rant. I don't want to think about the beast coming back, either. But I honestly don't see how it could make sense. I hope the doctors aren't ignoring the other possibilities just because mom has had cancer.

    Thanks for your prayers and well-wishes. It means a lot to us.

    Getting worried - pain, reason unknown

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    Mom (bellringer) is in the hospital. Since her stent removal on Tuesday, she's had severe pain for which no concrete reason can be found. CT scan, blood work and urinalysis show nothing abnormal. Dad took her in yesterday afternoon for pain management . She's getting morphine in the hospital, but is still in a lot of pain. Still has a wry sense of humor - "It only hurts when I move or breathe".

    There is no evidence of infection, blood clot, tumor, gallstone or anything else. Just a whole lot of drug-resistant pain. After almost 4 days of this, Mom is getting frustrated and we're all worried. What is it, and when will it stop?

    Please send prayers and good thought out for my mom.

    Update on bellringer (and gerbil runner)

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    Hi, all! Just got off the phone with my mom. Her stent was removed with no problems as far as the dr's were concerned, but...mom has had a lot of pain. I've been talking to her today while she endured great pain. Finally, my dad brought her in to the hospital. After CAT scans and consultation, it seems she is suffering from air coming in to the site where the stent was removed. We're relieved it's not a blood clot or embolism, which was what the dr. had suspected. So now she's home, with a little less pain, but happy to hear that the CAT scans showed nothing unusual.

    And as for my being MIA...mom has been ok though tired. She sleeps when she needs to and gets out for fun when she can. All things considered, she's doing well and enjoying herself.

    But my husband and I bought a new business, and it's not been fun. We purchased a truck as part of the deal, and my poor husband had an accident with it the first day. Our employee who had been with us for 7 years handed in his notice because he's moving, and the guy we hired to replace him stole over $900 from us. So just as Ed's last day rolled around, we had no replacement. I had to put my 2 youngest into full-time daycare while we work out the mess. Danny and JJ love being at the center, so that's ok, but Bob is a nervous wreck. He's seeing a psychologist for stress-management, and is on his 3rd prescription to help him sleep.

    But compared to what was happening a year ago...when my mom was in the hospital with jaundice...and the dr's were telling us that it looked like advanced pancreatic cancer...and she'd be lucky to live more than a few months...it's really not much.

    The only reason I'm still up is the Red Sox look like they're going to end "The Curse" and I can't bear to not watch.

    Mom's glad to be home for the night (she doesn't even like hotels, so you can imagine how she feels about staying in the hospital), but still in pain. She really needs a break from the "extra" things she's encountered. But we all feel a bit guilty thinking that way when she's been lucky enough to make fast friends with NED. And she's still NED, even though she has pneumonitis and cardiomyopathy.

    Sorry to be so long. But now you know. I'm grateful that my concerns are what they are, because I know how minor a business is compared to life and health. I do log on to read every few days. Cat, I pray you will have loving hands to help you fight the beast. Fay, I'm so glad that cancer is not the cause of your immediate problems. Dave C and family, I read your posts and wonder how you manage. May God grant you the strength for all your challenges. Snowflake, Cheryl, Katie, and so many others...I read about your daily lives and updates, and think of you and pray for you.

    PS...if anyone needs a phone card to help keep in touch with friends or family...please please PM me. That's our main business.

    Thanks for being there for us.

    Why does it keep coming back!

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    Just wanted to offer a word of encouragement - my mom was hospitalized for a bad chemo reaction, but the cancer was knocked out!

    Why keep fighting? Because SOMEONE is going to be the one who beats the beast for good. And the only way to know if you're the lucky one is to fight.

    If someone robbed your house and took everything you own, leaving only a lottery ticket for some far-off date, would you throw it away? No matter what the odds may be, you have to have the ticket to be in the running for the prize.

    I hope the next treatment will not have any "interesting" side effects - except for completely killing off the cancer cells.

    Okay...so I'm disappointed with the world....

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    I hope you're feeling better now, Fay.

    Nobody is "chipper" all the time, and we certainly don't expect you to be. But remember that bad news always sells, and there is certainly a lot of good being done that is ignored. Don't let the news (or neighbors) get you down.

    No matter how small you think your contributions may be (and those of us who receive them know you make a HUGE difference here), just think of how the smallest pebble cast in the water can still make an awful lot of ripples.

    Not LC related--has anyone gone for an infertility workup?

    in CAREGIVER RESOURCE CENTER

    Posted

    I was also treated for secondary infertility. I went in first, and after a questionaire and blood test was diagnosed with irregular, non-ovulating periods. I had gained weight and was having problems with depression, also. Bob had 3 sons already, so he was not an immediate suspect :wink: .

    I was put on a low dose of Clomid. It made me ovulate, but I still didn't get pregnant. I was also put on Prozac for depression.

    After 6 months, my periods were regular again, but we opted not to increase the dose of Clomid due to increased risk of twins/triplets/etc. I did feel much better and was starting to lose the weight. My husband and I were very busy building up our business, so we decided to back off treatment for awhile.

    About 6 months after, I conceived Danny.

    When Danny was 18 months old, I conceived a JJ :lol: . We had neither decided for or against another baby, but he was a surprise.

    I would recommend reading "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" as a start. I forget the author's name.

    Good luck - I was very fortunate, and now have 3 terrific kids.

    please pray. Sorry if this is long.

    in HOPE

    Posted

    I'm gonna be real blunt, because life is too short to beat around the bush. Your husband needs to grow up in a big way. He married you as a package deal with your kids. You are not his mother. "Your" way will never be exactly like his mother. He either needs to accept the way you do things or the marriage will not work.

    It's time to make some demands. If he can't handle things in the joint account, then get separate accounts. Have him pay specific bills out of his account - say, phone and electric along with his car and any "personal" expenditures. Can he heat a casserole for dinner a couple of nights a week?

    If he's working, do you REALLY need 2 jobs? What can you cut back on?

    If you can't quickly find an agreement with your husband, find a counselor quickly! Getting married should have added another adult to the household - not another child.

    Update on Bob

    in GENERAL

    Posted

    It sounds really frustrating. But on the other hand, there could be worse problems than a dr. who is TOO involved and concerned. At least things aren't likely to get overlooked.

    Premarital Test

    in JUST FOR FUN

    Posted

    Frank (and Mr Ry) - you need to tie a string to the brim of the hat; then tie the other end....you get the picture?

    If nothing else, your wife will fall down laughing and then you can "have your way" with her while she's helpless with laughter :twisted: .

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