Andrea

It is so not fair what you have to go through. You are right, it is TOO MUCH for one person and I don't know why. I really really hope you can find comfort in your marriage and try to work it out. I find myself a little more "stable" mooded with a slight increase in the Lexapro I started. I have been pretty moody lately. I am praying for your sister and for peace for you. I just don't know what to say Thinking of you.

I haven't been in your shoes yet, so no advice. Just sending good thoughts your way. I can only imagine your pain

My dad had a busy summer. Finally after years he was building the pool he wanted, complete with an aqua shield dome over it so he can use it all year long. Just for fun, he had a yearly chest xray in June, all was clear (or so we thought, turns out they missed a spot, oops). In August, I was on bed rest after in-vitro. My dad was watching Channel 5 news and saw a segment on a non-surgical approach to enlarged prostate issues. He decided to see a new urologist. As part of work up, the urologist ordered a pelvic and abdominal ct-scan. Unexpectedly, a lung infiltrate showed up on the left lower lobe. My dad couldn't have lung cancer, that was my mom's job! He was her caretaker. Things moved fast since we already had a medical team in place from my mom. Yup, my dad has lung cancer. Shock can't even describe it. He underwent a wedge resection. Now he has lots of little nodules in his lung, and one in his brain that we are watching and waiting. My dad feels fine. To be honest, we sometimes forget he has lung cancer too I am sure reality will sink in sometime. It always does. And to answer the unasked, he quit smoking 30 years ago.

Well the surgeon called me today. He said "are you free to talk?". I said "sure". I was in the middle of Nordstrom's, what better place to get news He said I am a difficult case b/c the mass looks like a lipoma, but it is growing much faster than a lipoma, so he thinks it is best to get it out. A PET won't do much good b/c if it is inconclusive, we still don't know. Getting it out involves chopping half of my colon out, there is no other way. He is going to review my colonoscopy footage from Jan which supposedly was clean. This could be on the outside wall. I go back to him on Wed and we will talk further. Surgery probably would not be for another month. In the meanwhile, I only wear jeans on the weekend. I had no sweatsuits or anything, so my mom bought me 4 sweatsuits (they are in style now anyway) and two pairs of sweat t ype pants to wear around the house for recovery. Recovery at home is a full month.

My mom's oncologist tests her for them just to kind of see, I don't think they rely on them. There are a few he does, including CEA. Hers was 3 something at first, now less than 5. He also did them on my dad at his consult. He said to have a baseline even though it may be all negative.

Thank you for all the support!

I wish I knew what to say, Lucie was the love of your life and you shared so much. You are always here for all of us, we care about you so much.

I saw the surgeon my mom's onc said to see My dad called the onc to see if he had an opinion, could look at films, etc. This surgeon needs to review the films more. It is confusing b/c the radiologists call it a lipoma, which is not cancer, and for them to commit to a diagnosis is a big thing. But it is growing at a nice pace, so that makes him a little nervous. I may get a PET scan. The surgeon will call onc to see if this possible type of cancer is likely to show up on PETs. If it is not, like BAC does not always show up, then you are stuck as what to do. It is unknown at this time whether I will undergo surgery right away or wait. I should hear more tomorrow he said. It is a big surgery to remove half of my colon literally. So he wants to be more cautious. I am cancelling things with the first surgeon b/c I worship my mom's onc.

I will post w hen I am ready to take orders.

Of course I remember you. I am so sorry to hear the news I don't have any advice to offer. I am sorry you had to come back to us Keep us posted.

The report says Lipoma is likely. A lipoma is NOT cancer. But the surgeon said a lipoma of that size in that area is rare. A liposarcoma (cancer) is also rare, but it could be a liposarcoma. Plus it is growing rather fast. Of course that is just one surgeon, I am giong to see another. I am just soooo mad. My dad is SO cute, we must be annoying the new imaging center We keep calling. It was a fiasco getting the old scans to them. Now my dad wants to know exactly what the radiologist thinks about possibility of cancer, so he is calling It has been like 20 minutes and he has not called back yet.

I am so *$#(*%(*#(%*#(%#%#( mad. In 6/06 (scan for blood in urine) the mass was 4.6cm. Now it is 5.4cm. I had a ct also in 1/05 (for kidney stones). Report showed nothing. Today I picked up the 1/05 and 6/06 CDs and brought them to the imaging center that did this scan. The mass WAS there in 2005, it was 3.1cm. I got a bit mad, I called the facility, they are diong an addendum. I said I want to speak with a radiologist tomorrow. They watn to speak to my dr. I said there is NO doctor in charge of this. It is ME deciding waht surgeon and I am NOT an idiot, I can read when something says increase in size Oy gevalt!

Thanks everyone. I am going for a second and maybe 3rd opinion. My GP thinks a hemi-colectomy is drastic and wanted to know also why it could not be done laproscopically. The surgeon explained it yest, but Miss Pretend MD (me) was so shocked, I stopped listening yest This just stinks

Estimated ship daet is Dec 4, so I guess people will have to pay more for shipping to get it in time of holidays. The book was last minute, so we got it in as fast as we could. Sorry about that.

Let me see what is going on, we have a bit since the books just went to print. Thanks

Book is $15. Shipping just depends. Typically the books are sent media mail. However depending on when my surgery is, it might be closer to the holidays before they are shipped and if people want them sonner than 10-14 days it will be more costly, so I might have different shipping prices. I have not figured that out yet

Tracy, I don't have much to offer you in way of infomration, but wanted to say welcome. We are neighbors, I am in Anaheim Hills. Where is your husband getting treated? My parents are treated at Hoag.

Before all heck breaks loose over here, I wanted to update you all on the cookbooks, they were sent out to print a couple of days ago It takes about 30-45 days turn around. I hope to be able to take pre-orders as we come close to the time the cookbook is due to get them out ASAP.

So my mind got the best of me and I called surgeons today to be proactive. There were only 4 colo-rectal surgeons at the hospital we use (not the closest, but the best in this area). Somehow one was like come in now, he had a cancellation. I saw him before my scans, so I do not have the results of my scans. But regardless, based on last scan, there was a 4cm fat density mass that was not there the year before; and was not there 6 months prior on colonoscopy. 4cm is huge, so he is treating it like a cancer until proven to be a lipoma (not cancer) and they are scheduling me for a hemicolectomy in the next few weeks I called my mom's oncologist office and they said this surgeon is excellent. Suck a duck is all I can say

To follow up on a 4cm fat density mass. I was supposed to go in Jan, b ut we agreed 3 months was better since I wont try to get prgnant again until I know. If you have a few extra prayers, they would be appreciated

I don't know what to say :( Is there a treatment plan?

I am sorry to hear it I hope the second opinion gives you better news. The first pulmonologist wrote my mom off and here she is almost 3 years later.

Ditto!

:( I wish there was a magic wand to make all the pain go away.

It is not fair, that is all I can say.