Andrea

Thank G-d it is not ALS. So much more needs to be done for that disease too. I wish your friend the best. Just to give you some "hope", my dad had/has multiple things in both lungs. Per the biopsy from the right, one was cancer, others were not. So we are not sure on the left. Right now we hope just the one was cancer. And he also has a blip on the brain.....Multiple nodules does not necessarily mean bad. Keep us posted.

My mom had that while on chemo and received a blood transfusion once or twice. It was no big deal in the scheme of things, even though I freaked out at first b/c I did not realize it was a common side effect Hang in there!

Hhahahahaha, well if they are bad the garage isn't a bad place. JUST KIDDING. I meant to store all the toys and things And I heard I will need lots of diapers too.

You are so kind to have done that.

Thanks Mamogram and ultrasound was fine. However the surgeon told me today that there is a new study that over 4 rounds of fertility meds puts you at a high risk and I had 10 rounds of meds. So I go for a boob MRI in 6 months. On to the next thing to worry about

The official due date for 40 weeks is July 18, but they will be here the latest July 4 since twins don't go past 38 weeks Keep those orders coming! Need garage space for the babies

I would want a PET if I were you. For my mom, they did PETs throughout the first couple of years, not as often as CT scans. She never had a bone scan as a PET scan would show the bones they said. She also had a routine brain MRI done often. That is how they found her brain anyerusm actually. If you are interested in a third opinion, I worship the ground Dr Neil Barth walks on. He is at Hoag Hospital. Also, I heard that his prior associate Dr. Andy Jang went to Kaiser a year ago. If you want a second opinion from Kaiser, consider looking him up. He saw my mom once when she was in the hospital and he was really great.

I am so sorry

Both you and your mom are strong fighters! Thinking of you

I am glad to hear the good news! As to possibly why the onc is not giving Traceva yet, my parent's oncologist is waiting to give my dad Tarceva until he really needs it b/c if he gives it to him now for maintence and my dad really needs it later on, it might not be as effective.

It is like survivor's guilt. I oftentimes wonder why are my parents doing ok for now and others are not. An orthopedist asked my mom the other day how she survived and my dad said "good doctors and luck". Unfortunately there are no clear answers.

You have such a full plate my friend! Most people could not do what you are doing and I have so much respect and admiration for you. You are a role model. Hopefully in time things will settle down and you will find that balance. I am sure there will be many moments of madness while you try to find. I am so thrilled about the scans though, that is wonderful news. Hang in there, we are all here for you. And your post is not really off topic at all. It is the story of a true SURVIVOR!

I can be very paranoid as many know and when I don't post about a test things go hay wire, so I am just doing my ritual and posting that I am off to my 6 month pelvic ultrasound today and yearly mammogram tomorrow. Better be safe than sorry after two years of hormones pumped into me for fertility Also a reminder for all females to get their tests done

Yes Maryanne, you certainly did contribute Thank you!!! My dad's appt was ok, he gets scans April 13, so that wiill tell us a lot.

Yvette, SO sorry you had to find us, but welcome. Where in Los Angeles are you? I am your neighbor in Orange County My mom was also diagnosed as I was planning my wedding and I too am an only child. This is an awesome place for support. Please feel free to PM me if you ever want to talk.

I may not agree, but I am just "reporting" what I saw today: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditio ... index.html Study: Lung cancer screening doesn't save lives POSTED: 4:25 p.m. EST, March 6, 2007 Story Highlights• Screening smokers, ex-smokers for lung cancer doesn't save lives, analysis finds • Researchers had hoped finding cancers earlier would help survival • Scientific study of scans' effectiveness to be complete in a few years Adjust font size: CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A new study suggests that screening smokers and former smokers for lung cancer doesn't save lives or prevent advanced disease and may lead to unneeded and harmful treatment. But it's not the final word on CT scans. Some experts have hoped that the scans, which are a special kind of X-ray that can detect tiny lung abnormalities, will prevent lung cancer deaths by getting people into treatment earlier. But there hasn't been convincing evidence of that. A large and authoritative scientific study won't be completed for a few years. Without that evidence, the American Cancer Society doesn't recommend the test, which costs $300 to $400, and most insurance companies won't pay for it. The latest research, appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed lung cancer deaths and cases of advanced lung cancer among 3,246 smokers and former smokers who had annual CT scans for about four years. Researchers compared deaths and advanced cancer cases with rates predicted by a mathematical model. The model -- based on a person's age, gender, asbestos exposure and smoking history -- has proven valid in previous studies. The model predicted there would be 33.4 cases of advanced cancer; there were 42. The model predicted 38.8 lung cancer deaths; there were 38. "We don't see a trace of evidence that a single life was saved, that a single case of advanced cancer was avoided," said study co-author Dr. Peter Bach of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. CT screening did increase diagnosis and treatment. The people screened were three times more likely to have lung cancer diagnosed and 10 times more likely to have lung surgery than predicted. Bach said the cancers found by scans probably were so slow-growing they might never have caused death. Meanwhile, scanning missed the fast-growing, fatal cancers, which popped up between the annual scans. "It's like taking a photo of the night sky when you're looking for a shooting star," Bach said. Because CT scanning led to more biopsies and surgeries, patients were at risk of complications such as lung punctures, bleeding and infection, Bach said. "Getting screened for lung cancer with CT scanning is not only unproven, it's potentially a risky endeavor," he said. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and worldwide. It will be diagnosed in about 213,380 Americans in 2007, and the disease is expected to kill 160,390. Smoking is the main culprit. Last year, another study was more encouraging about the potential for CT screening. It found that people whose early tumors were detected and promptly removed had an estimated 10-year survival rate of 92 percent. An author of that study, Dr. Claudia Henschke of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said the new findings don't detract from the benefit found in her study. She said both studies should encourage discussion of how best to evaluate screening tools. Any alternative to CT scans for lung cancer screening is many years away. Dr. David Johnson, at Nashville's Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, who wasn't involved in either study, said the new research adds a note of caution about CT scans as smokers, former smokers and their doctors wait for results from the National Cancer Institute's study of 50,000 people coming in a few years. In the meantime, Johnson doesn't recommend routine CT scans. "There's nothing more powerful to protect yourself from lung cancer than stopping smoking," he said. "CT scanning is not the answer. Stopping smoking is the answer."

I've been told I need a lobatomy too recently to remove the fear from my brain I am sorry you are so surrounded by this. I'd love to hear an update on what is going on with you, your sister, etc.

You are not alone in the addiction A lot of us are like that. I remember when I first joined I was clinging to every post and just reading and reading every minute. I admittedly have not been as addicted and reading every post every second like in the past b/c life is getting in the way. However if I go a day without checking posts I truly feel something is missing in my life : ) And I typically still check in a few times a day

Of course don't do vitamins without asking your dr b/c some can interfere with treatment. Even on my own not cancer related, I had no idea that taking my Iron pill with Calcium counterbalanced each other. Always best to check wtih the docs

From my knowledge, the next step varies case by case. Some people go on Tarceva for maintence, some get radiation after chemo, others do nothing and monitor progress. My mom had chemo, s urgery, radiation, then nothing b/c for her the risks of Tarceva outweighed the benefits (she did not react well to it, she was on it briefly). My dad had surgery and now they are waiting for growth before Tarceva. Keep us posted

Best of luck. I know there is a lot of advice out there on nutrition and exercise. However if you aren't feeling up to it, my two cents is to eat what you can. My mom didn't follow any sort of exercise regimin or diet, she just ate foods that she felt like eating and she also took aversions to other foods. Kind of like she was pregnant

Congratulations!!!!

You guys are such great ego boosters, I love it! Hahaahha. :):) Off with my parents to the oncologist today for my dad's check up.

BAC is bronchiaevelor carcinoma, it is a rare form of Lung Cancer. My dad first had a biopsy. The intial path on the biopsy done the day of the biopsy was negative. We received a call a few days later that after the final path report, it was suspicous for cancer, so he needed surgery to confirm or rule out. Biopsies are not always 100% conclusive. ALso the tumor can be in a hard area to biopsy, so they don't always biopsy it first. Hence they jump to s urgery. My dad had VATS and the biopsy was done to determine if it was cancer, what kind, and then how much to remove. So results were instant. However they only look at a small section immediately, the formal pathology report comes out later. VATS is still major surgery, it is just an easier recovery than full cutting. My mom had a mediastonoscopy first which would have led to a VATS if the lymph nodes were clean. That was a full surgery too, but not as invasive.