Lyn

Dear Peg, My deepest condolences to you and your family. I pray God gives you strength and comfort in coming days. Lyn

Hi Jane, My Mom's oncologist told us that the chemo (carboplatin & VP-16) would work better if she stopped smoking. He also told us that small cell usually comes back at some point. Hope this helps. I always wanted my Mom's onc to tell me everything. God bless... Lyn

Hi, I read it and enjoyed it a lot, too. I read it after my Mom had passed and it helped me understand what she went through. I am reading, "On Death & Dying" by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross now. I just started it, and it looks pretty good, too. I find the books help me with my Mom's passing. Lyn

Andrea, I can relate to you. I went to my gyno for a check up and at the end I had to ask him, "Did you check my ovaries, do they feel ok?" I would have never asked that question before my Mom's cancer. I'm getting a little less paranoid with time. You gave me a chuckle! I think it is paranoid canceritis. It takes over our lives. Lyn

Hi KC, I was not there at the moment my Mom passed either, as it was at 5:30 a.m. and she was living in a Nursing Home and I could not stay there 24/7 either. She hung on for a month after her stroke. We really didn't know when she would go. She went peacefully in her sleep (thank God). Don't beat yourself up over it. I was doing the same thing (and still am). Questioning everything and every decision I made for her as I was her health care proxy. I'm just trying to learn from everything that happened. I did read the book recommended "Final Gifts" which helped me a lot and I have ordered two more to read about death & dying. It helps me "cope". My father shared with me after his father had a stroke and could not move he went to see him and he said he could tell by the look in his eyes he did not want him there. He felt my grandfather did not want him to see him that way either. They are (were) both very strong men. So please know you are not alone in your circumstance. God Bless... Lyn

My mother's oncologist said you have to be off all blood thinners (including aspirin) while you are undergoing chemotherapy. Lyn

I have to access this site through Internet Explorer. My Netscape will not work and runs very slow. Lyn

Kelly, What about radiation to shrink the tumor? Is that not an option? Thoughts and prayers to you and your Dad. I've been in your shoes. It is tough. Lyn

Hi Grumpy, I, for one, can understand your decision not to take chemo. You know your body and no one knows how your body is going to react to it. The oncologist told my mother she should have very little side effects. Boy was he wrong. She had two doses and had no quality of life after that. Would not eat or drink and had other complications. If I had to do it over again she would have no chemo. He even said she had a very low dose. She was not in the best of health to begin with and was 68 years old with a previous stroke. God Bless you, Lyn

Elaine, In my Mom's case, she definately fits that profile. She was on anti-depressants/anxiety most of her adult life and then my Dad suffered a stroke and went into a Nursing home. She went from working full-time (65 years old) quickly downhill, had a stroke and went into the Nursing home with him. Then came the dreaded SCLC. So, she did suffer great losses, too. I believe all these things played a role in my Mom's cancer. She was very sick before the cancer too (not eating properly). Lyn

Norme, My deepest sympathies to you on Buddy's passing. I had my Mom's funeral yesterday, so I know what you are going through. You are such a strong and special lady to take care of Buddy and love him through this. God will bless you for that. I pray God will give you peace and strength to get through the coming days. His word says he is near the weak and brokenhearted. He will get you through this. God Bless you, Norme. Lyn Whitlock

There was a good one hour program on our local Public Broadcasting Network last night titled something like "Cure for Cancer". It was pretty good. It showed how a couple of doctors had isolated a gene that causes breast cancer in families and they can test for it now. Also showed how a new drug called Gleevec has helped a man with Chronic Leukemia live for years on it (and other people, too). It showed how it literally took years of research to identify the breast cancer gene and they are trying to identify genetic markers for other forms of cancer. It was pretty interesting. Lyn

Hi Shelly, I understand your position completely. I took care of my Mom in my home for three months before she went into a Nursing home. My father was already there, so it was a little easier because she went with him and they share a room. She was not as bad off as your father, though (now she is). I think what your feeling is normal. I don't think I could take care of my parents in my home with my husband and two children and work full-time. All Nursing homes are not that bad. The one my parents are in is wonderful and they take very good care of them. They are only 5 minutes away so I can visit often. The nurses hug the patients (and me) and cry along with me. Don't feel guilty for your feelings. They are normal. You have a life, too, and a family to take care. I thank God for good nursing home care. It is a Godsend. Ask people about your local nursing homes or call and talk the social worker at the facility. You probably can go check them out, too. Remember you are not a trained nurse or doctor but you are caring for someone who is critically ill. Take care... Lyn

Hi Soccermom, One thing to be aware of is Small Cell Lung Cancer grows VERY QUICKLY. My Mom's tumor doubled in size in three weeks and filled her lung. I was not aware of this at the time or would have pushed for quicker tests. I would try to get her a quicker appointment with the oncologist. I got one in a week. After you see the oncologist, they will probably order bone and cat scans before treatment, so this will take time also. In my Mom's case, radiation was not started till after scans. The radiology oncologist said they could have started radiation before scans, since SCLC grows so quickly. When you're learning along the way, though, you don't question the doctors. Hope this helps some and will give you some ideas for questions for the oncologist. Try to get things moving as quickly as possible. Good luck with your Mom. Lyn

Hi Jen, My Mom is also prone to panic attacks and anxiety/depression. She had been off all her meds for these for about a year and a half, but when she was diagnosed with the cancer, I could see the axiety/depression return, so I asked the doc to prescribe her Xanax again and it helped. Xanax is for anxiety. Lyn

Oh Norme, I am right there with you. My mother has exhibited these same symptoms since her diagnosis, getting progressively worse. She has been on no pain meds at all. I think it's the damn cancer. I don't think the doctors know everything this cancer effects. What about the effects on the nervous system that wouldn't show up? My mother had been exhibiting short term memory loss beginning two year's before her diagnosis. I think there's a lot more to this cancer than the doctors know. God bless you & Buddy, Norme. Hang in there. I know how tough it is. My Mom is not doing well at all either. Lyn

My Mom's onc said that Carboplatin & Cisplatin are basically the same, but the Carboplatin is a little easier on the system with less side effects. Maybe they use it in older people or people with other medical issues. He did in my Mom's case. Lyn

Hi Crystal, I'm so sorry about your MIL. My heart goes out to you. I know a few people I work with lost their loved ones to cancer and it seems that the cancer of the liver can really take people more quickly than other forms. One girl's sister was gone within a week or two of them finding it in her liver. It had recurred from previous breast cancer. The onc told me small cell grows very rapidly, too. My mother's tumor doubled in three weeks and filled her whole lung! Thank God it is shrinking and we caught her's fairly early. Hang in there and lean on God. God bless, Lyn

Thank you, Katie & Ann for sharing your experiences with the rest of us. I'm sure the words were not easy for you to write and relive. It is helpful to hear of others experiences and what to expect. God bless you both & hope 2004 is a better year for you. Lyn

Hi Laurie, Thanks for the welcome. My Mom has limited stage SCLC. Limited to left lung only. Her onc said she cannot take the Carbo/VP16 anymore. It is too toxic for her. I thought she was going to die from the chemo. She probably would have without IV fluids. She has been out of the hospital since 12/11/03. She is continuing radiation to her lung tumor which has shrunk dramatically which is good news. It filled her whole lung and now they say it is small. The plan is to finish the radiation and if the cancer starts to grow again we can explore other options. My Mom is 68 years old but she looks like she's 88. My father and she are both in a Nursing Home which takes very good care of them, but I take her to all her radiation & doctor's appointments. It is very hard on me. I work full-time plus have a husband and 2 teenagers. I take one day at a time and do the best I can and pray a lot. Take care and God bless, Lyn

Hi guys, My Mom has SCLC, too, and it sucks big time. I can't get happy for hardly anything, let alone New Year's. I don't think I've been really happy since I found out on 10/19/03. Especially when the survival rate for small cell is not good. I hope 2004 is better for all of us!!! Lyn

Rosie, you can also do a search on Amazon.com for the kind of book you are looking for and it will give you some ideas of books out there. I would also like to say that this board has helped me a lot so far in dealing with my mother's illness and treatments. Reading about everyone else's experiences and advice is very therapeutic to me. THANK YOU ALL!!!

Hi, I know Maureen Solomon wrote a book about Cancer. She is a Christian & is a cancer survivor. I think it is titled something like Nutrition- the Cancer Answer. Lyn