gerbil runner

Zippy Apple-hiney reporting as ordered! Dean - good to see ya!

My favorite commentary is, notice how we castrate our male pets so they're possible to live with?

I like it!

Angie, prayers going out that Caitlin has nothing of interest going on in her eye. Hang in there.

OhioKat, good to see you back! Sorry to hear you're feeling "under the weather". What an appropriate saying - late winter weighs heavily on most of us! Be good to yourself. You had major surgery not too long ago. And chemo can certainly be exhausting. My mom says "The good news is, I'm in remission. The bad news is, I'm sleeping through it." Just think how much those nasty little c-cells are suffering through this . Hope you feel some sunshine soon.

DaveG: My typical response to such comments is "Snip, snip" (think Lorena Bobbit). My husband sometimes accuses me of male-bashing. Then I remind him that my ex is still walking the face of the earth, so I must be pretty forgiving at heart. BTW - the legal summary of the Bobbit trials is: it's ok to rape your wife, but don't come crying to us if she cuts it off afterwards. I'm the only female creature in this house, unless you count the 2 guinea pigs. Husband, 3 sons, 2 male cats and one male dog. So I gotta stick up for the females!

Berisa, prayers going out for your father - and for you, too.

Mmmmm, yummy! Remember the chocolate patch? The directions said some people have so much chocolate in the bloodstream that it would be impossible for the transdermal patch to work properly. If the patch begins to melt, it must be consumed orally as soon as possible .

C'mon, guys! I like my dogs big (Mikey is 62 lbs. My last dog, Samantha the rottie, was 100 lbs.) I like my cats big - the smallest one I ever had was 12 lbs. when not fat. I love horses and ponies - someday I'll get one of my own. We also have 2 guinea pigs which live in Danny's room (he's almost 4). Nice kids pets, low-maintenance lap-buddies. I've also had gerbils and hamsters. Almost got a pet skunk as a kid. I must admit, I envy the owners of small dogs who get to take them shopping in a bag.

Geez, Dean, that stinks. I can't believe those scooters aren't rated for rain! Can you say "big liability issue?" My kids are going stir-crazy, too. So is my 60-lb. dog. So is my mom. So am I. Hope your weather is better than the forcast.

Holly, I'm sorry to hear Bill is struggling right now. Prayers going your way that he will be able to receive more treatment.

Larissa, welcome (though we all wish you didn't have to meet us). Set the statistics aside. My mom pushed her radiologist for some stats, and the ones he gave her ended up being compiled from the '70s and '80s! Take it one step at a time. The first thing to do is get your mom into remission. I know how you feel about distance. My mom is only 40 miles away, but because I have 3 sons (12, almost 4 and almost 2), it can be very hard for me to visit. The worst part is when my kids get colds, because I don't dare expose her to the germs. I do call every day to check in. Don't let statistics - or even setbacks - scare you. Every patient is an individual. My mom spent 4 days on a ventilator before her diagnosis because her first bronchoscopy made her bleed. But now, she's had such a dramatic response to chemo that her onc is giving her radiation just like a limited case would be. Take a deep breath and fasten your seat belt. LC can be a wild ride, but there are long-term survivors. Helping your mom take the best care of herself that she can will go a long way.

MO, big prayers it ends up a "little" problem. Nice to see your dr. is taking absolutely no chances, though.

I looked up the pamphlet on ethyol at http://www.medimmune.com/products/htmlp ... tml#dosage and administration It seems there is concern that it may lessen the effectiveness of the chemo. Although it is not stated as such, it lools like it's only approved where the chemo and radiation are primarily palliative.

My first marriage was to an emotionally abusive creature. It took me awhile to figure out that he really INTENDED to make me feel bad! Some sick, weak people can only feel better by destroying someone they think is strong. You've made it to the point of knowing you deserve better. Great! When I first seperated from my ex, a psychologist told me that people who always place the blame for whatever happens in their lives on someone or something else are very unlikely to change - because they would first have to accept that part of the responsibility lies within. And that's the thing they have the hardest time with. Another thing she told me is that a spouse of normal intelligence knows when you are reaching the breaking point and can see when you are unhappy. Failure at that point to try to help the situation means they don't WANT the marriage to be healthy and successful, for whatever reason. Mind games are poisonous. And let me tell you, even 10 years later my ex hasn't changed a bit. He's going through another divorce, living at home with mommy and daddy at 35 because he doesn't make enough money to support himself even though he's a college grad and member of Mensa. Get out while you can and don't look back. Feel free to email or pm me if you want to talk more.

Yeah! I saw the pic on one of the other forums - it's too cool! Maybe you could mount a Super-Soaker water gun on the front...

Oh, Norme... I'm so sorry.

Happy anniversary, bessb! And many more.

OOOO, she is SOOO cute! Adorable!

I pray you will get better news soon.

A. - I am so sorry. I pray you and your family will find comfort.

Didier, my mom also has sclc. Treatment can be a real bear, but sclc can be extremely responsive to chemo. Sclc moves very fast. Your dad can always change his mind about treatment if it doesn't go well. There are always exceptions to the rule. My mom is extensive stage, but will be getting radiation because she only has 2 sites and has had a very dramatic, positive response to chemo. That said, the chemo is very tough on her. She's really dreading the upcoming 5 weeks of radiation. But she's a fighter. The problem is, we have no crystal ball. There are options for treatment, but nobody knows which patients will respond and for how long. The way my mo looks at it, the name of the game is get into remission and wait for the next advance in treatment. A vaccine for sclc is in clinical trial right now. Best wishes to you both.

Howard, I hope you and your family have many times of peace and sunshine together. The choice of whether or not to aggressively treat such a grim disease is very personal. There is no "right" or "wrong" answer; there is only YOUR answer.

Prayers going out for a great checkup and new bi-monthly schedule!

My mom is about to start 25 sessions of radiation. Stats are usually not posted around here, but...my mother pressed the radiologist for stats concerning the radiation. He said without radiation, the 2-year survival rate is 10-20%. With radiation, the THREE year survival rate is 10-20%. Don't know where the stats came from, and I'd take 'em with a grain of salt (if not half the shaker). I don't think you're likely to get answers on whether radiation is effective if broken up by a long pause like yours - it's still debated when is best to start and whether once-daily or twice-daily radiation is better. I'd try to talk to another radiologist. Maybe a gastroenterologist as well. I think GERD does matter in the decision, but I'm no doctor.