gerbil runner

Shelly, I've been thinking about you often. When you get a moment, please let us know how you and your dad are doing.

Mo, you certainly have my prayers. May whatever is getting you down be easily fixed.

Hi, Jerrye! My mom had a stent placed in November, because she had a met which was blocking off the bile duct, causing a lot of pain and jaundice. When mom first went in the hospital, we were told what she had looked like pancreatic cancer(which her older sister had died from several years ago). The procedure went smoothly, and she improved very rapidly. It only took a couple of days for the jaundice to clear. I hope you will also find the procedure easy and the results spectacular.

DaveGr, I gotta tell my DH about that one! And Dave A, I run 16 miles a week. I'm sure I can catch you . Cookieman is showing lots of wisdom on this front . Snowflake, you've obviously taught him well. "If you can't quit while you're ahead, quit while you still HAVE a head".

Hope and lovin' life are powerful things. May the next treatment work better for you.

Great ideas, Farmer Jack! Or how about we let the drug companies and anyone else with something to sell pay for the whole darn thing - cancer patients get a free weekend at the Marriott! Free demos on the benefits of massage! Alternative comedy therapy offered every night! Those organizers lack vision...

Hey, try having a grapefruit extracted with salad tongs and see how the miracle of birth REALLY works . I guess I was lucky - only the first of my three babies was delivered with forceps. Whenever my husband, or any of my 3 boys, or either of the Davids get out of control, it always reminds me that we neuter male pets on order to get rational behavior. I guess there's no hope for men unless we're willing to get out the garden shears... (And no, I'm not willing , though I do remind my husband it's never too late to get circumcised )

Thanks so much! Stem cell is not a common treatment for LC. It's basically a way to give a massive amount of chemo, enough to destroy most/all of the patient's bone marrow, and then implant stem cells (preferrably self-donated beforehand, like my mom is doing) to rebuild the bone marrow. My mom was offered the opportunity because, even though she has extensive SCLC, she had a very fast, very complete response to chemo and only 2 tumor sites. If the cancer does not respond well to chemo, stem cell rescue does not make sense. Her onc. was with Dana Farber for many years, and also spent a couple of years at Roger Williams Medical Center, which is where the procedure will take place, so he's seen a lot happen in that area. He claims that, like most new treatments, only the patients most likely to benefit get approval. Once a treatment succeeds in a few trials, patients with more difficult circumstances are allowed the treatment. Naturally, results are not as good once tougher cases are being tried. Stem cell rescue has been used for a variety of cancers, with varying degrees of success. It's even being tried for people with severe rheumatoid arthritis. As extreme and scary as the procedure is (about 2-5% of patients die of complications), she is being offered a better-than-50% chance of a CURE. As we all know, that beautiful word is not something usually offered for sclc patients. Mom is also lucky to have insurance willing to pay for the procedure.

Happy birthday, KatieB!!

Happy happy birthday, from LCSC to you We wish you all the best in all you like to do. Wishing you many many more!

Oh Shelly, my heart goes out to you. Please know you are both in my prayers.

Just an update on where my mom is at... The PET scan showed only a tiny spot at the original lung tumor site, which the onc. and radiologist firmly believe to be scar tissue. Blood levels are good, EKG looks good, pulmonary function not great, but ok. Mom is supposed to have a stress test, also. She had a heart attack - minor - back in 1990, so everyone wants to be sure her heart is strong enough. Friday, Sat., Sun. and today, she went in for Neupogen shots to stimulate stem cell production. Tomorrow is when they start collecting stem cells. Mom has to be there at 6 am, and it will take 8 hours. Due to her heart condition, the dr. wants her to stay overnite for monitoring (just to get more information). Since she would have to return at 6 am the following morning, it's probably just as well. One thing the dr.'s want to do before she begins the super-chemo is remove the plastic stent which was placed in her pancreas. Since the tumor there is gone, the stent is no longer needed. We're not sure how the timing will work out, but I think Thursday is when they want to do the stent removal. Once the stem cells are collected, Mom should get a few days off before being admitted. We're getting nervous, anxious to get this over with. It will likely be at least 3 weeks hospitalization, and a slow recovery after. I'll keep everyone updated.

Hi, Dan - glad to hear you've been busy torturing your c-cells. Seems that radiation can really knock your energy levels into the basement - my mom snoozed through most of her radiation days. Hope your hand and energy levels improve.

Ginny, I'm so sorry.

OK, so if these questions are so important, and so few of us have taken anatomy classes, why don't the dr's hand out a body drawing with labels? Label the liver, adrenals, kidneys, gall bladder, etc., and give the patient some idea of which innards are where .

Sharlene, don't get caught into thinking that radiation is only pallative. SCLC is quite sensitive to radiation, and it helps knock out large clumps of tumor. Radiation is considered important in eliminating tumors, not "just" symptom relief. Sure, it's tough. And the effects can linger. But worth it.

Still eating like a pig , which is why I haven't lost any weight, despite a steady 15-17 miles a week running. Got some Godiva chocolate from my wonderful 12-year-old son for Mother's Day, so I kinda doubt I'll post a loss for the month. Anyone who wants to track what they eat and figure how the calories are being burned, look at www.fitday.com. Registration is free, the education, priceless .

:mrgreen: Yeee-Haa!!

Boy, Ginny, sounds like your sister and your friend are both facing tough times. But the Duke seems better, and prayers will go out for all of you. Take care of yourself in all of this.

Sharon, I hope your dad is back to normal now. Please let us know.

This is such a hard decision - and I think the worst case scenario is getting brain mets after PCI. This is a real possibility! My mom is leaning away from PCI for several reasons, one of which is, the stem-cell treatment she is supposed to get soon will use a type of chemo which is believed to cross the brain/blood barrier. The thought of long-term side effects concerns my mom, also. Her mother died of Alzheimer's, so the idea of being mentally "compromised" is scary for us. Also, we live right near a top-notch radiology facility, so we are confident that spot-treatment for brain mets would be handled well.

Oh, Debi, how sad for your sister and her kids. Hope they will be all right. We all have to find a balance-live each day like it could be your last, but plan like you'll live to be 100. Prayers going out for you all.

Jane, I'm so sorry things are not looking good for Alan. Prayers for all your family going out.

Mo, it's probably just the chemo. My mom's dragging from it, too. It's frustrating for her, as I'm sure it is for you. Lie down more, drink more water, spread out a blanket and get a more horizontal view of the Tonka trucks! Hope the elephant takes a hike soon.

For non-chemical cleaning, try a vapor cleaner. I bought a refurbished Eureka Envirosteamer (the one that looks like a small canister vac) for $89, and it can really kick butt! Cleans the floors, counters, any bath surface with no chemicals. It takes a little getting used to, but does wonders for blasting crud out of hard-to-clean areas (think toilet seats ). It can even touch-up the carpet without leaving it wet. For day-to-day stuff, I use Fantastick Oxy-clean. Mild smell, no warnings on the label, easy to find. Not great on soap scum, but will do windows and everything else. General cleaning can be made easier and more environmentally friendly with microfiber cloths. Look in Wal-Mart or Target in the automotive section. They also make unbeatable skin-care cloths - gentle exfoliation.