ejpritz

Hi everyone: though ut is very rare that I post on here, I do read every day. My mother just passed two years since her daignosis, whcih some to think of it, I think they told us her chnaces of surviving 2 years was 2%? Well she just cooked a Thanksgiving feast. Anyway, I am not sure if I am in the right forum or not, but my question is about quitting smoking. For about 13 years I have been a pack and a half a day smoker. When my mother got sick I throught I would quit but I did not, until three months ago. I suffered my first Asthma attack in my life and that was all I needed to decided I was done with cigarettes. It has been extremly difficult at times but just as extremly rewarding. My quetsion is, I don't know if any of you former smokers know about this, I have become addicted to the Nicotine gum now. I chew about 15 pieces of the 2 mg a day. I was wondering if anyone else used this to quit and then became addicted to the gum? My concern is, is nicotine itself cancer causing? I was jsut wondering if anyone has had an experience and knows anything about the dangers of it. I am sure its better for me then smoking, but I am wondering if its bad to chew the gum for a very long time.

Thank you all for replying. The dermatoligist said it will take about two weeks for the results to come back. So we will jsut keep praying.

I have not posted in ages. My mother has been feeling excellent and I wanted to just stop thinking about it. Now I have some suspicions that she is sick again. I do have a specific question. My mother recieved a lot of radiation in order for the tumor to be shrunk enough so they coudl operate. I noticed about a month ago she has a growth in the spot where she receieved the radiation. I could see it though her shirt, it sticks off her skin about an inch I would say. I ahve not seen it except through her clothes so I am not sure about color or anything. She went to the Dr. last week and now she is having it removed today. She would not sya much expect that he did not like the looks of it. Does radiation sometimes lead to cancerous growths in the spot that you get it? I am a little concerend that her Dr. saw it on Wednesday and its alraedy being removed on Monday. Whenever they do something really quickly it makes me think they feel its urgent and bad news.

Thanks guys, we will be meeting with an attorney as soon as my mother decides exactly what she wants to do, wheter pursue this or say to hell with them and look for another job altogether. In the meantime, her boss will get his, as we are leading a campaign to have people clsoe their accounts and so far have been getting a pretty good response form people. I am just tyring ot make people aware of what happens when they get sick, people need to know that this could happen to them or their loved ones. I wish we stayed more on top of them form the beginning with attorneys and so forth, I guess I just had too high of expectations for her Company.

I wish I could get hundreds of people to clsoe their accounts, I am really contacting the media, does anyone think that is bad idea?

Hey guys: I do not know if anyone here can help. Here is the situation. My mother has workes for 26 years at a bank, she worked her way up to being a "customer service manager" , started as a teller, and then became on of the people at desks when you wlka into a bank branch. She got ill last year, went on disability, and now is trying to go back tow rok. She has no helath insurance because this Company cancelled i on her. apparantly she was supposed ot be paying COBRA, and they never snet out a notice. We do have an attroeny who proved they never sent a notice, and he is tyring ot get her insurance back but it is taking forever. Anyway, two months ago her disability checks stopped coming. I have no idea whay, she did not tell me. Then she decided that she was reday to go to work and did not wnat to fight the disability insurance again, so she figured to let it go. She went down to her branch, where as I said she has put in over twenty years. They had an oepning as a Bank teller. She decided that life is too short to work overtime and have the stress her old job gave her, so she decided to go back as teller just for the benefits, and doing somehting productive. She had no issue with the salary cut, she has learned that money is not so important in life. Anyway, her bank just underwent a merger with a huge corporation, I do not know if I am alowed to say names, so I will not. Thus there is a new Branch manager. She applied for the job, called him and he told her she did not get it. When asked why he replies that she is not a "good fit" with this new Corporation, that they are looking for different qualities in its empoyees then her previous employer. She is devestated. Talk about tkaing a step back. She really was so excited about going back. We live in a town that is one square mile, everyone banks here and they all know my mother and everyone is constantly asking "when is she coming back" Even complete starngers stop and ask me. Is it legal for them to deny her an open position when she is finally well enough to go back tow ork? My sister and I are now trying to get as many people as possible to clsoe tehir accounts at this bank and tel the manager exactly why they are doing it. I am suprised at how mnay people seem willing to do so. We were also thinking of getting the media involved. A good customer at this bank, who adores my mother, is a columnist for one of the tow large papers in Boston. I was thinking of emailing him, this si the exact kind of story he likes to write, a big coproration screwing an employee of over 20 years when she gets cancer. Does anyone have any advice?

Hi. My mother had a pancoast tumor removed last spring. She is doing excellent, no sign of anything coming back. I did not even know she had his type of tumor until I had to go to war with her employer abour her disability insurance and read her medical records myself. I do not know much about the subject, just that she had one, has usrgery and is doing quite well. Hope this can give you some positive things to think about. Erin

Cheryl: I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Just keep in mind, my mother was told one year ago this week that she had a few months and that her cancer was incurable, and inoperable and that chemo would only "prolong your life by a few months". We got the whole quality if life Vs. Quantity speech from the Oncologist, one year ago. she said it was Stage IV, that it was in both lungs and throughout the chest cavity. Well my mother got a second opnion , met a wonderful surgeon who told us it was not stage IV, and it was operable. We let him do his aggressive treatment which consisted of radiation and chemo at the same time, then operate. Some others in the medical profession advised us that it was too aggressive. Well one year has come and gone, and there is not a trace of the disease in my mother's body. My mother is well at the moment, I do not remeber her feeling this well in years and years. So hang in there, do not let anyone tell you how long you have and seek a second opinion. Erin

Well, thanks for all the replies, I am glad I could make some people feel better. thanksgiving was great, my mother cooked a feast and everyone has been comenting to me that they can't believe how much weight she has put on. My mother has always been a little underweight, her whole life. She actually looks a little plump now which is just great, she has probbaly put on about 30 pounds since she started feeling better. She spent yesterday getting on a 3 hour bus ride with her firends from work and taking a day trip out to Deerfiled Mass, was gone form about 7am until 10pm. The fact that she felt good enought to do that is just more proof that you never know what can happen. It has changed my whole view of the Holidays, and in a good way. Even though I will always assocaite the holiday season with her being diagnosed, I will also always associate it with her bouncing back and feeling so good.

Last year, Thanksgiving day was the day that we were getting my mother's results tomorrow. The day after Thanksgiving was when she was to get the news as to wheter or not she had cancer. It ended up not coming until the following week, but thanksgiving will always signify a year to me that she was diagnosed. Last Thanksgiving was horrible, I really could not stop thinking it was her last, then her last Christmas, last everything. The Oncologist told us the chances of her making it a year were slim to none. Well this year, my mother is hosting Thanksgiving at her house, not for a huge amount of people, about 7. It is still a lot of work, and I never would have imagined that this would be possible. It is amazing to me how things changed in a year, how now she is howing no signs of cancer anywhere in her body, how now she has put all of her weight back on and seems healtheir than I can ever remeber. I just wanted to put this out there for anyone who is at the beginning stages of a diagnosis for themselves or a loved one. One year ago, we honestly thought we wuold lose my mother in a matter of months. I spent this same weekend planning on how to get time off from work, talking to an Estate attorney, preparing Power of Attorneys and Living Wills. Now my mother is well enough to have spent all weekend shopping and preparing to cook for everyone. I thank God that she met another doctor got a second opinion and decided to fight this battle, and that we did not listen to the first Dr. and just go home and allow the disease to take over. I am sure if we had , this thanksgiving would be very sad for us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

I wonder why they have not suggested my Mom have a post op treatment. Maybe the radiation pellets? I will be sure to ask

One of the things that really upset me during my mother's treatments were people who had to travel so far to receive treatments or be with their family members. My family is so lucky that we live directly outside of Boston, the Hospitals are no more than 20 minutes away. My mother's roomate who has similiar surgery lived 3 hours away, and her husband could not be there every day because he could not afford to pay for a hotel and he could not stay in the ICU with his kids overnight. My mother befriened so many people during her chemo and radiation treatments who actually had to get up and rive 2 -3 hours in the morning to have their treatments. It was a huge burden on them and thier friends/family who had to drive them to and form and take time off. Are there any organizations that will help people pay for hotel rooms under such circumstances? I know there was one wher families would soemtimes let people stay in their homes, I was wondering if there were ones that pay for lodging?

yes you do. I have a pretty good one now too, so I am ready. Now all of our friends will have to get it twice

you guys have no idae how many people Janine likes to email to. If anyone can get the word out its her! Hey Janine, let me know if I can help out, Erin

Congratulations. I know how great it feels. My 53 year old mom is reaching that milestone in about 3 weeks!!! And to think, it was about a year ago that the oncologist sat us down and siad there was little to be done and she doubted 9 months was possible!! I hope one day you are celebrating her 20th anniversary.

sorry, I jsut realized I posted this in the wrong forum!! I am too hectic at work today and not paying enough attention!!

Hi everyone: For some reason I can't get this question out of my head. My mother had surgery in April, had about 2/3 or one lung removed. They put the radiation pellets in her lung. she had scans last month that showed no cancer. Do people sometimes get chemo after surgery to prevent it from coming back? I am wondering if maybe she should be doing more. Her other lung did show something that one Dr. siad was cancer, the surgeon who did the operation says was not. Whatever it was, it is no longer there. Who has had chemo following sucha surgery? Thanks Erin

Thanks guys. I am looking into all of these places. (And I am starting to think Boston deserves the curse after the way these idiots celebrate. A 21 year old girl gets killed after Game 7 vs the Yankess in the riots and a 21 year old got killed during the riots after the Superbowl.)

Well if they can pull off a miracle, maybe some doctors out there can too.

Well Don, sorry you guys lost. Can you be on our side now? I think we need all the prayers we can get.

Roger Clemens, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Yankee flag in the window. "This house is yours for eternity," God said. "This is very special, not everyone gets a house up here." Roger felt special, indeed, and walked into his house. On his way up to the porch he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a three-story mansion with a bright red and blue sidewalk, a 50 foot flagpole with a Red Sox flag flying on it, and a Red Sox logo in every window. In the front yard was a sign reading 'Welcome To Beantown.' Clemen looked at God and said, "I don't mean to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I won three World Series rings, more awards than I can remember, and I won more than 300 games." God answered, "So what do you want to know, Roger?" "Well, why does Pedro Martinez get a better house than me?" God chuckled and said, "Roger, that's not Pedro's house... its mine."

I got cut off in the middle of that last one by my boss. Anyway, things are looking up, if worst case scenario is paying the bills since April, we will be OK. It is a lot of $ but nothing compared to what I thought we were in for. So the plan is to sue them for her insurance back, and if we lose then we can get her put on the insurance my father is on through his pension, though its a little pricey. But in any event, today is great. GO SOX!!! Any fans out there??

Thaks guys. Well this Company apparantly has no idea what they are doing. We were told that her insurance as been reinstated through april 17, 2004. We recieved a HIPPA Cert saying that date as well as a letter. That is positive, since her surgery was in Macrh, and all of her chemo and radiation was prior to that.

You know, I never even thought of calling a congressman. Has anyone ever taken this road and received help from their congressman?

thank you guys. I ahve researched the COBRA Laws and they definatly violated them. They are just being so difficult. Even though the Attorney sent them a letter or representation and my mother isgned a Power of Attorney for him to dealw itht hsi issue, their policy is "Not to speak to an attorney or any third party." Problem is, the last thing my mother needs to do is sit on the phone with 800 numbers all day. In have consulted several attorneys and many feel we have a good lawsuit here. I am just trying to figure out who to use and what action to take. My mother had a pancoast tumor, so when they removed it they had to cut some nerves. Now her left eye droops and her left hand and arm suffered damage so that she does not have all of the use. She was supposed to star physical therapy two months ago, and had to cancel it and has not been able to go. nOw form what I read and form what her Dr. told us, the longer she goes without the physical therapy the worse her arm and hand will become. He called it "Claw Hand", and said without therapy there is a chance she will end up with that permanantly. So this is just one fo the reasons it is so important for her to get insurance. Not to mention the obvious. We did ask if it was an option for her to pay back all the payments she was supposed to be making, that is what the appeal is. Its been 6 weeks and no answer. I am getting so frustradted. I hate this Compnay. Everything was fine until two months ago when her Company got taken over by this enormous corporation. once the merger went through, everything got all confused.