Andrea

My law firm does a lot of medical malpractice defense, I do more employment law b/c the med mal stories really do feed on my neurosis, especially the cancer ones. I have no opinions either way, it just depends on the case. Many are legit, many are not. I feel bad for the drs on the one hand and the nurses b/c they get sued over the CRAZIEST things; however reading Heather's story and "Guest's" story, well, I won't publicly say what I would like to do to those doctors or what I wish for them One thing to keep in mind about suing, in most states there is a "statute of limitations" which means that you have to sue within 1 year of realizing there was a problem. A lot of people decide 2 or 3 years later to sue and it is too late.

Hi Cookieman, I like cookies too I will be thinking good thoughts for you. I myself am a raving lunatic and almost b-tch like during my mom's scan time. I get so insane that I refuse to allow them to use their phone in case the dr calls and forbid whomever I can not to call them so the phone won't be busy for those two seconds in case dr office calls After all, even with caller ID it could be busy for a second.

Yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay! Go have some Long Island pizza and a bagel for me to celebrate. The West Coast stuff just is not the same

Elaine and everyone else who is neurotic, When will it end? Logic common sense--we all have had swollen glands, especially as kids. Swollen glands are inflamed lymph nodes. It is what happens when we get sick and have an infection. As a matter of fact, I am told it is the norm. So why do we hear the word lymph nodes and jump when reality is they get swollen if we are fighting an infection???? And then what happens when we have kids? Do we keep thinking each time we feel something it is cancer? I almost feel like I need to get a grip and control on my neurosis and fear so wh en I have kids I don't pass it to them and make myself sicker. Does anyone else have the constant daily fear that so mething will be found, every symptom could mean something? It really is unhealthy. Of course, if I were not neurotic, my mom would not have had her chest xray (it was at my insistence, against waht dr wanted). So it is a double edged sword. SOrry, I am rambling

Hi. Wow, you miss a couple of days and so much happens on this board My mom had her surgery on Thurs, upper right lobe removed through the new minimally invasive technique. She was in ICU for a bit, then next thing I know Sun morning the chest tube was removed and she was sent home! She is very weak, tired, and in a lot of pain. She cannot imagine having the "bigger" surgery and how much that must hurt. She is walking very short distances a few times a day and doing her breathing exercises. We don't have the pathology report back yet, so not sure if she is getting chemo with radiation in a few weeks. Meanwhile my husband Brian was very sick this weekend, high fever, severe abdominal pain and diarreha. So I took him to ER Sun night. CT scan showed abnormal colon with adema, lymph nodes swollen in colon, consistent with colitis. Why is it though that when I see the word lymph nodes swollen my mind goes to cancer like gastric lymphoma or hodgkins? I truly am mentally ill maybe. He is seeing a gastro dr to follow up. And in the midst of all of this, one of our cases goes to trial on Monday so I have been working 12 hour days before surgery and after (I took off for surgery), which in a way gives me less time to worry. Although I still manage to squeeze in a few anxiety attacks each day G-d bless xanax.

Hi. Perhaps I am a bit "emotional" tonight with nerves for my mom's surgery tomorrow. It helped that I was sooo busy at work and was there till 9pm. I just want to take this time before knowing what tomorrow will bring to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. You are all such an amazing wonderful understanding accepting group of people. I constantly check the board to make sure everyone is ok and I think of each of you, I grieve with each of you, and I feel your anxiety waiting for tests and fighting the unknown. I feel so blessed to have found this board, I consider you all my friends and I have learned so much from all of you. Anyway, thank you Katie and Rick for this board; thank you to my "sisters" and thanks to each and everyone of you. I am constantly praying for everyone. Love, Andrea

Heather, I will throw my two cents in. If you are going crazy, then have them come with the white jackets for me! I like you would have panicked. However, logically EVERYONE has back pain, hence they even have "Relax the Back" stores and chiropractors! So if you think about it, those fighting these deamons have so much stress and tension, how can they not have back aches?????? Lately I have like every symptom in the book. I had chest pains; heart fluttering sensation; severe headaches; back pain, all at different times. I had a stress test and EKG about 6 months ago; I had a brian MRI for my headaches in Oct, yet I always think with each symptom "what if" b/c of what happened with my mom. Now you compound how you personally as the patient must feel and yeah, you are going to get stressed each time. Totally normal! Want to laugh at me? This is very embarassing. I am not even sure if it is funny or stupid, but I will share. I had my annual exam with the gyno on Monday. He could not adequately feel my ovaries, so he sent me for an ultrasound. I FREAKED out and went yest. When I got there, they said the dr orders were not adequate and it was a big fiasco. I was trying to be nice, but I said "I am getting this ultrasound, I am sorry if I sound crazy, but my mom is getting a lobectomy on Thurs and I just promised to organize a lung cancer walk and I need to know now for sure if I am ok." I WAS CONVINCED THAT B/C I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE WALK, THEY WOULD FIND SOMETHING ON A ROUTINE ULTRASOUND that they seem to do yearly on me. Now is that crazy???? And I apparently was so upset and the woman felt so bad for me, she had the radiologist come out and tell me I am fine. So no, YOU are not crazy. I win the lunatic award! I am still nervously awaiting the pap results that they all do each year. I hate it! Now that I embarassed myself, maybe I will be saner after the surgery tomorrow. Although I doubt it

I am soooooo excited about this! My husband knows he is in trouble, I was up tossing and turning all night with ideas, just like I did when I planned the wedding I am trying to hit up some people I am friends with for raffle prizes, like I have a friend who is the top botox dr in Beverly Hills, so maybe a free treatment. I am waiting to hear back from them. Also, I am really friendly with the people at Jose Eber, they came to do my wedding. So I am wondering how they can say no to a free haircut for a raffle prize, but you never know. If I already have prizes, it will be easier for me to solicit more

Thanks everyone! I was up all night trying to brain storm and see where I can round up prizes for a raffle, etc. I will have LOTS of time to think about lung cancer tomorrow during my mom's surgery, so I will make lists of my ideas and share them Monday I will be staying near Cedars in LA this weekend without computer accss

Renee and Heather inspired me to get involved and organize a Lung Cancer Walk on November 6, 2004 in the Southern California area. As you may have read under the Activism Forum, Renee and Heather are the brain childs of having a walk in major cities across the US on Nov 6, 2004. Renee sucesfully organized a walk last year. As soon as I saw Nov 6 I HAD to get involved. That is my mom's diagnosis date. Anyway, the reason I write is for help. Is there anyone in the Southern California area who would like to be involved on a committee to help make this event a success? We want to make it HUGE across the US and get publicity, etc. However, in order to make it HUGE, my husband reminded me that I might need some help and perhaps committees would be a good idea. If anyone wants to join on with me, please let me know! Thanks!

I would love to help organize a walk in my area. My area is Orange County or Los Angeles. It would be so great! Please send me the information on how I can help!

Denise, I will be thinking good thoughts! I am hoping that once your mom is at the wedding and everyone compliments her, she will be "at ease" for the night and have a wonderful time! I think scan weeks put us all in a frenzy. I myself know I always seem to lose it Please post right away when you get results. Also, as wonderful as this board is, I don't have my mom read it. I will show her bits and pieces of people's pictures and posts, but I honestly don't think she can handle it. Every person is different. Like you, I am her researcher. I thought my mom knew statistics, but she doesn't. She told my mother in law what her statistics are and they were higher than reality, so why tell her. My mom knows how incredible everyone on this board is, she knows I talk about the people all the time, she knows who all of my sisters are, but the reality of this all can be hard. If I can do anything, please let me know. If your mom wants to e-mail me or my mom, one New Yorker to a former New Yorker, at anytime or if we can write a message you can forward to her let us know.

My mom had her PET and Brain MRI. Her brain is empty as I always knew Pet showed no new cancer. So March 4 is upper right lobe removal!!!! Tonight I am going to read all the posts about surgery, I never wanted to before because I was too scared to jump the gun. On Tues they are doing the clot filer through her groin to prevent further clots to lung. Has anyone had that done? Is it painful? I assume it is b/c you are awake. I am not sure what to expect with that, I have not heard much about it. Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers. I love all of you and pray for you and your families all the time!

What a sweet beautiful face.

Andrea, That is good news! Every single special moment means so much more now than it did before cancer life. I know your daugther will cherish her beret and sweater for the rest of her life. Thanks for sharing and bringing a smile to my face.

Do the people who comment know that you have cancer? Another viewpoint is to be flattered that you look so good and healthy that people are commenting that you are lucky to be thin! If you did not look healthy and good, they probably would not say that. I probably would want to snap back at them though that they would not want the cancer diet. I myself am a fluffy person as you can see from the picture, I have always had a chubby tendency and I get soooo envious of skinny people and have been guilty myself of telling someone who looks good that they are lucky to be thin b/c us chubby people often long to be thin and wonder what it would be like to be able to walk into a store and buy anything. I honestly never thought about all of this until now--I am guilty of at times telling people I wish I was skinny like them and I always meant it is a compliment. Anyway, don't be upset, be thankful that you look good and have the discipline. I admire you so much!

Thank you everyone! The wedding was very special. I danced to "Wind Beneath My Wings" with my mom, I asked the band to dedicate it to her. It was the most touching moment I was told and the poor videographer said he is not sure if it will be in focus b/c he was crying. His mom was just diaganosed with "most likely lung cancer" and they find out next week. We saw the surgeon today. She gets a PET scan and brain MRI on Feb 27. If all is clear, surgery march 4.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaki ... 5300c.html

Hi. Has anyone had experience on the impact of having blood clots and ability to do surgery? I am just curious b/c I am jumping out of my skin. The oncologist stopped after 4 rounds of chemo, set my mom up for a VQ scan today and a CT scan, and we have an appt with the surgeon on Monday the 23rd (day after wedding). Unofficially we were told she still shows clots. I know the oncologist said something about blood clots needing to regress for surgery. Did anyone ever hear of havign surgery or not having surgery due to blood clots? Thanks

My mom's sugar goes out of control with the steroids. She does have Type II diabetes, but was never on insulin. With the steriods given with the chemo, her sugar jumps to high 300's and she started insulin -- the oncologist told her it was very common.

Becky, You are a true fighter and inspiration!!!!!!! Here's to choice C!

Laurie, You will be sitting with an Atlanta musician next weekend at the wedding...... http://www.michaellevine.net/home.htm

Gay, Congrats on winning the scooter battle. I love the new picture Dean posted of him on the scooter Enjoy scooting around!!!!

SOOOOOOO cute. I want one so badly! :)

Norme, My heart goes out to you. I wish I had the words to say. I am so sorry. Love, Andrea