gerbil runner

Sure sounds good! Hope the next visit is even better.

My mom got a call from her onc. tonite. When she called me to say the onc had called, my heart skipped a beat - the dr calling on a Friday night? The reason? Her scan from Wed. was CLEAN!!! No tumors showing in lungs, no tumor showing on the pancreas. Nada! After only 2 rounds of chemo! A needed boost for my mom's spirits - her blood clot in the arm is still painful. Monday-Tue-Wed she'll have another round of chemo. We're so glad it's working!

Foods? Not sure about that. Do you mean foods to avoid because of the medication, Shirley? I did find a good site about deep vein thrombosis (the serious blood clots, mom's is superficial). Check out http://www.spotlighthealth.com/dvt/dvt_ ... rview.html Tara Lipinski talks about her precautions against DVT after surgery. And Dan Quayle had pulmonary embolisms twice (maybe that explains it...ooh, bad girl!) But seriously, the info is very readable and extensive.

Yes, we've been fortunate. Mom's onc spent 20 years at Dana-Farber, just recently came to this area. SCLC is of particular interest to him. He's also been a professional witness against "big tobacco". Very open and easy to talk to, according to both my parents. No mention of statistics or time frames. The hemotologist he works with is treating mom's blood clot. How long does it take to clear up a blood clot? Mom's is very painful, right inside her elbow.

My mom got a sore spot on her arm, and was smart enough to get it checked out. Turns out she's got a blood clot in her arm. The dr. gave her medication to inject herself - mom was quite grateful for any option other than hospitalization - and she also has antibiotics for the sinus cold she's got. We're waiting for the results of her cat scan - should get them Monday when she goes in for her next round of chemo. How dangerous is a blood clot in the arm? Anything else we should look out for with the meds for it?

So sorry to hear of your loss. Feeling helpless is so difficult.

I also vote for a second opinion - 3rd if need be. How did your dad tolerate the chemo? Is there a reason he can't have a few more rounds? Hope you can find a good onc for more treatment.

Yeah! Good news at last! Hope the scooter brings you lots of fun and memorable trips (the good kind ).

Israel, welcome! According to my mom, the patches do really help. Also, if you have difficulties even with the patch, see a dr. about anti-depressants. Many people who smoke have problems with depression when they try to quit. You can do it! And your experience with tobacco addiction will make you an empathetic doctor when you tell your patients they need to quit.

Me, too. My mom is going in tomorrow for her first scan. I got the crabbies, too. Prayers for 2 GREAT scans tomorrow!

No, no! Oh, Shellie, I can't say how sorry I am. Prayers going out for you both.

You can do it. Your SO needs a swift kick in the a$$. Anyone who short-circuits your efforts to get healthy has his own set of problems. Stressful times of life make it harder to evaluate relationships. However, you need to think about the status of this relationship. A "love" relationship should be something that makes life better, not tougher.

So glad you're OK - and great news, to boot!

Yikes! Glad you made it out ok! My mom had a similar (though not so close-call) experience at Christmas. She rebounded very quickly once she was properly rehydrated and diarrhea stopped, and is doing GREAT. Hopefully you'll regain strength just as fast.

Norme, so glad to hear Buddy is feeling more energetic! Maybe his appetite will pick up with the increased activity. Jackie - hindsight is always 20/20. You did what you could and what you felt was best at the time. There is no guarantee Iressa would have given Mike more time - maybe the side effects would have hit hard. You have to forgive yourself for "errors", real or perceived. Certainly Mike would forgive you.

If he's not eating, he could have low blood sugar or some mineral imbalance. Is he drinking enough? Dehydration will make anyone disoriented. Don't wait around on this.

Thank you all for your input. Mom has mostly dealt with panic attacks by deep breathing and other self-help techniques. She was worried because the last panic attack was the first time since she started experiencing them that she was unable to stop it. She is a cardiac patient (2 minor heart attacks), so she's had several EKG's since this all started. Still, it's worth keeping in mind. Thyroid is a good one to check. When she originally started having the attacks, her dr. prescribed Xanax in small doses. It didn't help at all. The idea of inducing a panic to learn how to stop it is interesting. Wonder if Mom would try it.

Faith, get well soon! She's beautiful. You're all blessed to have each other.

My mom has been prone to panic attacks for the past 12 years or so. She takes Paxil, and was able to pretty much head off an attack by breathing deeply, etc. But a couple of days ago she was out wig-shopping and got one so bad she threw up (panic attack, not wig). It's very disconcerting to her, because she never knows when an attack may come, and it makes her worry about going out. She's seeing the dr. for a scan on the 20th and planning to ask for help. Mom's determined to get this back under control, and pronto. I was wondering if anyone else here has experience with panic attacks, or whether anyone knows if chemo or other meds (such as pain meds or steroids) might increase panic attack problems. Everyone here is so great about sharing info! Snowflake, I told her about your "Fantasia" episode because she had had hallucinations in the hospital after coming off the respirator. Her visions involved barking dogs - not nearly as entertaining.

I am so sorry you're going through this worry with your dad. Unfortunately, the only info I can give you is, yes, it is possible for the fluid to not contain cancer cells even if cancer is there. My mother had 2 bronchoscopies (the second one took samples from 3 different areas) which showed only "atypical" cells. It took a needle biopsy of the met in her pancreas to confirm small-cell lung cancer. Mom had had bleeding after the first bronchoscopy (spent 5 days in ICU on a ventilator after that), and they knew because of her CAT scan it was almost certainly cancer, but it was still a bugger to get a diagnosis. I pray your dad only has an infection. Hopefully all the tests will be for nothing.

prayers for you and your mom. Jen

Flabet, I'm so sorry your husband lost his battle with this horrid disease. I looked back at your posts, since this happened before I joined the board. I admire your strength in still coming to this board and responding. I do not mean to imply in any way that you (or the dr) did not do enough for Doug! Also, it seems your husband was not fortunate enough to get really good responses to chemo. Not fair. Not fair at all (but then, what part of this disease is). The speed at which sclc can move is my very point. There may be a window of only a week between "not quite right" and "too sick to be helped by the treatment". I'm only hoping to convince my mom (and maybe raise awareness) that sclc waits for nobody, and any symptom or problem should be checked. With this disease, we need all the help we can get.

...but it seems that the most common scenario for those who lose the battle with small-cell lung cancer is that the cancer "outruns" the patient's ability to hang on for more treatment. In other words, patients get too debilitated to survive long enough for another round of chemo to knock back the cancer. This seems different from other cancers, where often the patient will run out of options for treatment. So I get the feeling that a sclc patient should become something of a hypochondriac. Let no symptom go unchecked, stay as strong as possible, eat like a horse when you can. Scan frequently, treat agressively as possible. Am I wrong? Am I missing something? It just seems that most who lose the sclc battle had not run out of treatment options, and could have survived/thrived longer with better management. I do NOT mean to make any caregiver feel that he/she has not done the best possible in those cases - I'm primarily trying to convince my mother (who will wait and wait and wait before calling a dr.) that she will be much better off if she changes how she deals with discomfort and "minor" illness. My mom was coughing up blood periodically for 3 months before she saw a dr. KatieB, I have read several times that you felt your dad could have done better if he had been more open about symptoms he was experiencing. That's the kind of problem I'm trying to address. Any other thoughts, comments? Jen

Holly, no matter how "great" an onc is supposed to be, no matter how well respected, if he doesn't want to agressively treat your husband no matter how clearly you state your wishes, he isn't helping. All his knowledge and expertise are being witheld. Find someone who WILL treat your husband!

New dr., now, pronto! Quick, while your husband still has the strength to fight! How many chemo drugs has he been given? There must be something that hasn't been tried.