gerbil runner

Tom, I am so sorry to read you have lost your mother. I hope things will get easier for you as time goes on. Jen

Hi, Denise. Sorry you had to find us, but it's a good place for support. Jen

I'm so sorry to read of Sam's passing. My sympathy goes to you.

Dave G's list inspired me to plug these celebs into a very basic spreadsheet. Name, date of death, claim to fame, and misc. notes. Would there be a way to post it here? Maybe in a place where we could all contribute to it as needed? One of the advantages to a spreadsheet is it can be sorted alphabetically in a heartbeat. Let's not forget Andy Kaufman, the comic, who was a non-smoker and died of lc. And I agree, this business of always asking lc patients if they smoked (as if that means they deserve it) is cruel. Most forms of cancer are affected by lifestyle choices. So are diabetes and heart disease. Let's educate to reduce smoking, but give lc patients all the funding, support and research needed! Jen

Crystal, so sorry to read your mother-in-law has passed. Sometimes sclc moves really fast. It took my mother almost 3 weeks to get a firm diagnosis (3 bronchoscopies and a pancreas biopsy), and she was fortunate to be strong enough to stand the wait. Hope your family will find comfort. Jen

For a huge selection of hats, caps, turbans, bandanas and scarves (as well as very nice wigs), check out www.headcovers.com. Jen

Well, the chemo was too tough and has been changed, but the good news is...the chest x-ray done on Monday no longer shows the tumors! The onc is very pleased, even though he says to assume the cancer is still there. Mom will have a cat scan on the 19th - we'll see how the pancreas tumor is faring. Mom feels really good right now. Her blood counts are great, her appetite is good, no side effects after 2 days of the new chemo. We're going out Friday to shop for wigs. Her hair is going fast, and she ordered a wig online, but wants to try some on. BTW, anyone who wants to look at hats, caps, turbans, bandanas, and nice wigs...try www.headcovers.com. Over a hundred headcovers, not counting the wigs. Even a couple of headband wigs, meant to be really easy to wear. The site is geared toward cancer and other medical hair loss. Jen

My mom is losing her hair, and I've been searching the web for wig info. I found a site specifically for "medical hair loss", and they have great info, as well as lots of wigs. They also have over 100 hats, caps, and turbans. Pretty, stylish ones. Also bandanas, scarves, and gift ideas for cancer patients. Check out www.headcovers.com Best selection of non-wig headcovers I've found. Jen

Yay, Dave! I was concerned for you. Glad to hear you're doing ok. Jen

My mom was put on that exact routine. The first day took 8 hours. She hasn't lost her hair, but she says it feels "funny". Unfortunately, she got uncontrollable diarrhea and spent a week in the hospital. My mom tends to get the worst of any and all med side effects. Stay on top of any problems and drink like a fish! Good luck. Jen

Ginny - Glad to read that the Duke is hangin' tough. Hope the cancer cells are suffering far more! Jen

Me, too, please. I'm not one for chat, but I'll check in on a weight-loss thread. Lost 25 lbs. in the past 6 months and have 20-25 more to go. I started running in June, and love it! Mom's diagnosis kinda blew up the running habit, so I have to re-dedicate. There's a terrific site, www.fitday.com which is FREE and will teach you a lot about what you are actually eating. It tracks a wide variety of nutritional info as well as calories burned through exercise. Check it out! And for those interested in physical exercise, there are many programs which will take you from running 60 seconds at a time to running for 30 minutes at a time. It really works! www.coolrunning.com has the "Couch to 5k" program which is great for sedentary beginners. It worked great for me.

Thanks, everyone! Mom got released yesterday and celebrated by going out to lunch. Today, I get to take all 3 boys down to visit. She's getting the week off from chemo, and next week will go in 3 days, and then get 3 weeks off. Dad didn't remember the name of the chemo, but promised to get it for me so I can look it up here. She has a PICC line now, too. They still have the d@mn Thanksgiving turkey in the freezer. We're thinking New Year's may be the day we finally get a real family holiday.

Well, Mom is feeling better. We kept Christmas pretty simple. Dad came down Christmas Eve (my husband's family all comes down Christmas Eve) and had a Midnight Mass to play for, so he was doing better. Christmas Day, Dad, my aunt, and great-aunt and great-uncle all visited Mom first, then came here for dinner. The little guys, Danny and JJ, had a great time with the new toys and provided a lot of laughs for all the adults. I went in to see Mom in the afternoon, and gave her new clothes, which she loved. The infection is under control, and we're hoping Mom will get to come home on Saturday. Her chemo is going to be changed, though. I don't know what the new meds will be yet. Thanks for all your empathy and encouragement. Usually, we feel pretty hopeful about Mom. Just had a little trouble dealing with another hospital holiday. Jen

Mom had to go into the hospital on Monday - uncontrollable diarreah and low WBC, looks like a staph infection too. She was in ICU on a respirator for Thanksgiving, and now she'll be spending Christmas in the hospital . I can't bring my two younger boys (3.5 and 20 months) to see her because of the risk of infection. My 12-year-old and I have been in, though. It's so hard to have holidays change like this. My mom and dad have always hosted all the major holidays. Dad and I haven't had much enthusiasm for Christmas this year. Mom feels badly that she's "ruined" 2 holidays this year. And seeing her so sick after only 2 chemo treatments is worrisome. The little ones will enjoy Christmas, but the rest of us are struggling. In the back of our minds is the worry that Mom won't be here at all next year. She's lost probably 30 lbs. in the past month, and still can't eat. Thank God she can afford to lose the weight, but this is getting scary. Hope those of you at home with your loved ones have a very blessed Christmas. We're hanging in there, hoping to get Mom home soon. Jen

My mom has a met in the pancreas. As a matter of fact, the early diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. The tumor closed off her bile duct, causing elevated liver enzymes and jaundice. Her older sister also died of pancreatic cancer about 10 years ago. Mom had a stent placed, which fixed the problem, but it took 2 bronchoscopies and a needle biopsy to confirm that what she had was SCLC with a met to the pancreas rather than pancreatic cancer with met to the lung. Her brain and bone scans are clean, and her liver is clear also. Weird. But hey, we'll take SCLC over pancreatic cancer (which would have meant palliative care only).

Anne, I'm so sorry you've had to say goodbye to your mom.

Jason, I was so sorry to read about your dad. My sympathy goes to you.

Beth - you and I are in almost the same boat. I'm 35, mom is 59. She had a hard time getting diagnosed - 2 bronchoscopies were inconclusive, she had to have a stent put in her bile duct, and the brushings from that were inconclusive. Finally, needle biopsy confirmed SCLC. It IS scary. But some people do survive this cancer. Make every day count, and work on getting a remission. I like to think that if we can get Mom into remission, she'll have time to wait for the next great cancer treatment.

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to check what Mom's taking and if today is the same as yesterday, call the dr. for reinforcements. Is Ensure a possibility? Or would it be too much like dairy? Mom lost 12-15 lbs. in the hospital, and although she's far from thin, she feels weakened. I want to nip this in the bud.

Mom had her first chemo yesterday - cpt-11 and cisplatin. Today, neither the breakfast eggs nor lunch potato stayed down. Chicken soup for supper seems to be staying put. She had attivan, and some kind of suppository for nausea. Any "veterans" have ideas on what to try for food? She's drinking plenty of water, so dehydration isn't an issue at this point. Her next chemo is Tuesday - only one of the drugs (I don't know which). Will the nausea get worse with more chemo? She also had trouble sleeping last night. Is that unusual? She does have meds for sleeping. TIA for the advice. Jen

Barbara - no real help here, but my mom has the same problems with quitting. First time she tried, she went 9 months and everyone suffered. Now she can't smoke because coughing could make her bleed (she spent 4 days on a ventilator due to bleeding after bronchoscopy). Keep trying, get all the anti-depressant help you can. Best wishes.

I can't believe he's gone. I just started visiting this board, and read all his posts with appreciation for his humor and strength. Sincerest sympathy goes out to you.

Karen, I haven't posted much but have read all about your mom. So sorry you have reached this point. My prayers go to you and your family for strength at this time.

Thanks for the welcome. Talked to Mom last night - the brain scan was clear! Today she starts chemo - she couldn't remember the name of the drugs, but the routine will be 1x per week for 3 weeks and 1 week off - she thinks. I'll have to ask my dad today. He'll know. She's ready to evict the bugs, as she says. Hopefully the bone scan done yesterday will be encouraging as well.