Andrea

I am so sorry your children have to endure this It is not fair at all. As for not reacting, we didn't react that much to my dad's diagnosis. We cried hysterically that day for a bit, and then stopped feeling, we were numb if that makes sense.

How about: "It can't happen to me, I am too young"

You and your daughter are so beautiful!

Congrats!

No experience with it, just wanted to say I have been thinking of you!

I am so sorry I had two recent miscarriages from IVF, but I was no more than 1-2 weeks along. In time I hope you have an easy healthy pregnancy.

My parents (and me) ditto your sentiment. This new normal is suck a ducky, hate it, don't want it, blah blah bahhumbug.

Thank you Tami for remembering The mass was seen on the colonoscopy (shame on the doctor who missed it in December ). Dr. said it is very large and he is 95% sure it is just a lipoma. He did multiple biopsies to be sure and I will find out in a few days. I want to know now of course If bengin, we will re-MRI it in 6 months. Now if this is ok, I am contemplating FINALLY taking a vacation, it has been 4 years since I took a real trip (weekend to Vegas doesn't count), and I never went on a honeymoon. I am worried b/c I have routine blood work Nov 28, but my mom said I am an idiot if I worry about that in considering a trip A second condition has to be trip insurance in case something comes up with my dad since his scans are also Nov. 28. My mom said there is no need, but that at least she can comprehend

Yay!

The shirts came out great by the way. Mine is already gone, my dad LOVES to roam around the house in those kind of t-shirts and I saw him walking the dog wearing it the day I brought it over

Thanks Don. While I knew, I TOTALLY forgot and just called out to Brian to change our clocks

Hi. I see you are in Corona. Have you tried Hoag Hospital? It is a bit closer than UCLA and my mom has had wonderful treatment there. Actually my dad too, he just started. We had confusing info on my dad's diagnoss too, some thought it was lung cancer, then it wasn't, then it was stage iv, now it is stage unknown. To give you hope, my dad had multiple nodules in both lungs. One is definately cancer, but the other n odules in that lung are not. So it is possible the ones in the other lung are not. Hence we are on a wait and see.

My mom was and my dad is on a 3 month time line. Now that my mom is 3 years out as of this month and her scans were clean, her scans will be once a year. My dad is newly diagnosed and he was told he will have two scans at 3 months intervals and then at 6 month intervals. Of course this is assuming all is stable.

Yeah Barb I was just reading about prop 86 the other night and I am like wait, why is so much going to breast cancer and not as much to lung??? I am voting for it just b/c the funds are going to something good and why not tax people for smoking. I am not anti-smoking, people can smoke, as long as it is not in my face. But if they want to, they can pay a few cents more. Sort of like if they started to tax cookies and I wanted my cookie, I'd just pay a bit more

I just found it, it costs $295 for the lung screening at my mom's hospital: http://www.hoag.org/cancercenter/News01.aspx I called them a month ago and they won't let me do it without a doctor's order b/c I am not 40 yet.

I priced a full body ct screening and it was $895. Not sure if there are different machines, etc. I do know that they charge insurance companies a lot more than the cost When my doctors in general always talk about the high costs if everyone got screened, the false positives, how much it would cost for follow up, my response has been blunt. I said: That's nice, but I really don't care about others and how the cost effects everyone, I only care about me I should have had my dad screened sooner. Two weeks before his abdominal ct-scan,we drove by the imaging center and I actually said "Daddy, just for fun, next year you are going to pay for a chest ct-screening". I will do one myself eventually once/if everything calms down.

Sorry you had to find us. There are many people here who were given little hope, they found new doctors, and are doing really well! Do not give up. One doctor told my mom her chances were 50/50, either she makes it or not and to only focus on that stat.

http://www2.umdnj.edu/pathpweb/intersti ... brosis.htm He is out of the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His name was on the pathology report from my dad

I am so sorry for your loss

I can understand how you feel. Before this, cancer was something that happened to "someone else". Now that it hits home, I see cancer EVERYWHERE and wonder why I have never seen it before and I have a hard time coping.

Dr. Kevin Leslie. The only reason I know this is b/c I asked why my dad's slides went to Mayo twice. They said Dr. Leslie is the most prominent lung cancer pathologist and they send rare or difficult slides to him for analysis too.

Here are the two arguments doctors have told me against screening: 1. I am an example of things being found that are nothing. In 2002 they found an infiltrate on my lung with an abdominal scan. I had to get 3 month chest ct scans and the right one disappeared, then a left one appeared, then both disappeared. It caused aggrevation, but in my opinion it is best to know. 2. My mom's pulmonologist told me not to get another one until next year. He said he would hate for me to develop lung cancer at age 60 from the radiation from chest ct-scans if I get them every year.

I hope you don't need anything cracked, but if you do, just remember my mom had it done last summer and she is doing really well :)You can PM me anytime about it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061025/hl_ ... _lung_dc_1

Bump in case anyone wants to copy like I am.