Andrea

Jamie, Tell him that pain is a sign of life! :):) Will he at least allow your mom to be there tomorrow? My mom told me to shove off to at some points. I think though your dad is being like my mom and doing it for our own sakes so we can take care of ourselves. It is funny how parents have a way of doing that! Your dad's surgery is bringing back flashbacks I barely remember the hospital stay. I remember like sitting in a chair and just falling asleep and then thinking Brian was a wimp being sicka nd then feeling terrible when he ended up in the ER with a CT showing a swollen colon. Oops Did they give him the breathing ball thing wher ehe blows in to raise them?

I hope Dave enjoys his drugs and stays pain free! And yay aboutyour mom! Now I can't wait to hear that bonkitis is all Faith's fault and not the beast

what does disappearing - back to the Sidhe mean??????? Is Cat ok?

what is "I disappear"??????

My mom is on about 1 1/2 weeks---she h as severe fatigue and tummy problems

1.5 lbs gone. Only 78.5 to go

My condolonces on your loss. What a beautiful woman. Please keep lurking and posting, we are here for you

Wow you have a lot going on! I am so glad that your husband is doing a little better and that he did get to see his granddaugther get married. You have so much strength and courage and I admire you for getting on that plane! Did your daugther get a second opinion? I ahte waiting, it just is no fair. Please keep us posted!

Heck ya she is showing me up! Here is what happened on our first oncology visit at diagnosis. He said to her : "You are a mess. You trashed your body. And now you think I can successfully treat your cancer? Look at what you did to yourself, you have diabetes and you are overweight. We will be lucky if you don't die from treatment. IF I decide to treat you, and it is a risk for me if I do, I will ONLY treat you IF you take care of your body, get your diabetes under control and you exercise everyday. Otherwise I will no longer treat you". His attitude was so like I don't want to treat you and then I said "well have have an appt with Dr ___ at ____ hospital". And he said "oh, he is good, but he is not as aggressive, he is more conservative and may be afraid to push her to the max treatment due to her physical condition. We need to be aggressive and risk killing her if we want any results". And so that day he instilled such fear in her that ever since she excercised!!!! We later told him how much he scared us on that first visit and he said that was his intention and obviously it worked Heehee. A lot of people actually don't go to this dr b/c he scares him away, but then again he has a wait list that is months long to get in. AAHH the power a good oncologist has.

Thanks Denise. I used to work out with a trainer and hated every second, but lvoed the trainer, lost weight and then gained it back For those who exercise, what do you do? What type of exercise and for how long? Just curious I was feeling really pathetic. If my mom walks on the treadmill 30 minutes a day and seh is the cancer patient, what the heck is my excuse!

Wasn't there at one point a diet leader and we would report in? I finally decided to get serious about weight loss, I even exercised today Some may say it is pretty pathetic that I have to go part time and work only 30-40 hours a week to do so, but hey, what can I say. At least I finally moved

Mazel tov! May your life be filled with lots of health and happiness!

Ellen, Good idea to keep a record! I would always count the days when I knew my mom would be tired from the chemo. It is almost like a menstrual cycle, predictable most of the time

Dear Outside, I can't add anymore to what has been said except to say that your daugther is lucky to have a mom who is so concerned like you are. Remember, as others said, if she pu shes you away, it is most likely the drugs talking. As my mom told me, "who else can annoy you but me?". And it is true, moms have a special magic to them.

Beth, This is so unfair. I wish you nothing but peace and love.

Carleen, Thank you for posting! You have been missed terribly. I am praying so hard for Tuesday and I hope nothing lights up on the PET. You have such a beautiful spirit. Please post after the PET results! We love you!

Do they have him up and walking yet? Now you have to update your profile with surgery done

My grandma had left things with notes for me. For instance, she left a tablecloth with a note taht read: "Dear Andrea and ___" and she told the person how lucky he was to have married me. Heehee She also left a note in her music box telling me how much she lvoed me.

Cathy, As a former Long Islander, I can tell you that she is about 1 hour from the city Deb--you expressed yourself beautifully! And I knowyour dad was smiling down when you locked the keys in!

Thanks for the info! I just called. I asked if fatigue is common, she said no, energy increases with the meds. Oh well, I guess everyone is different Then she asked for my address to send out something from the Safety Dept. Apparently they record all calls about side effects.

Shelly, First, I am so sorry. I am heart broken for you. Second, don't panic just yet. Breast cancer is very very curable. My friend's cousin is 35 and she has had Stage IV for many years and takes a pill daily and is ok. Third, you do have a reason to live, you have a husband who loves you! And a sister who needs you. When will you know the Stage? On Tues? Does your sister live close to you? Be strong my friend and please know that we are here for you! Feel free to e-mail me or PM me anytime!!! WE LOVE YOU

You have your hands full! Geez! I am soooo excited that the cancer skipped the lymph nodes. Awesome! And how long will it take for the biopsy bone results? Ihope to see good news!

Denise, I have no answers, just wanted to send love and hugs your way.

Cheryl, If you didn't have monsters you'd be abnormal Sending lots of love yoru way.

We saw the onc today, my mom has majorlly increasing fatigue, to the point it is worse than it was with chemo and radiation. They did the CBC and she is slightly anemic. He believes Iressa is causing her fatigue and anemia even though it is not the more "common" side effect. So the plan is to give her a shot every two weeks and if her fatigue does not get better in 6-8 weeks, we need to reevaluate whether Iressa is for her or not. As for the rash, she only has a few slight new freckles, which he says is an Iressa rash. My dad asked him if there are long term studies regarding the use of Iressa as a "maintence" drug. He said not really b/c it is so new and that all of the articles we will read have to do more with Stage IV maintence. However, he said the abstracts we don't have access to suggest that if Iressa works so good in Stage IV, perhaps it should be used earlier in treatment and hence they are trying it out on people who have NED after surgery and chemo. I also asked how long Iressa is taken for and he said 2 years max (not sure if that is everyone or just her situation). That's the story. I hate seeing my mom so weak, but such is life on this roller coaster that for some reason won't stop.