MJ

curtis, i'm sorry to hear that you are hitting such a rough patch...i too cannot presume to really know how you are feeling, but i just wanted to let you know that i'm thinking about you and katie. i'm sorry that your classmates haven't really been the support that you need. some people often get so wrapped up in their own lives that they are oblivious (or rather choose to be ignorant) to everyone elses' cries for help. having people that you are counting on disappoint you really hurts, and i really feel for you on that. what are you studying right now in school? if you really think that a break would be good, don't be afraid to take it. you can always go back and finish. i'm sure katie is picking up on your sense of frustration/sadness/loneliness. kids are really good at doing that. i really hope that you two are keeping the lines of communication wide open. she needs you as much as you need her. that's a pretty strong and special commitment, and relying on each other can only help you through all of this. i'm so sorry that i don't have any real answers to give you...i just wish that i could've called when you really needed that phone to ring. my thoughts and prayers are with you and katie through this post though. and i'm sure many others on the board feel the same way. God bless, mj

Special Live Radio Show about Lung Cancer Sunday, October 24 1-3 pm PT (4-6pm ET) The Group Room®, the nationally syndicated radio call-in cancer talk show, will air a special live broadcast from CHEST 2004, the 70th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), in Seattle, WA. ACCP published Diagnosis and Management of Lung Cancer: Evidence-Based Guidelines, as a supplement to their medical journal CHEST, in January 2003 (volume 123). Guidelines. (A second edition is in progress.) The show will focus on lung cancer prevention, diagnosis, as well as recent advances in research and treatment. To email a question during the broadcast, please send it to: info@vitaloptions.org. To participate on the broadcast, please call 800-GRP-ROOM 800-477-7666 Joining host Selma Schimmel, will be: W. Michael Alberts, MD, FCCP; Chair of the Guidelines Panel; Chief Medical Officer and Professor of Oncology and Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida ; Associate Center Director, Clinical Affairs, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; President Elect-designate, American College of Chest Physicians Gerard Silvestri, MD, MS, FCCP; Associate Professor Of Medicine, Medical University Of South Carolina, Charleston, SC; Editor of the chapter on noninvasive staging in both the first and second editions of the Guidelines; and also on the writing committees of both the screening chapter, and the invasive staging chapter M. Patricia Rivera, MD, FCCP; Assistant Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of Pulmonary/CCM; Co-Director, Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program Co-Director, Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; Editor of the chapter on diagnosis in the first edition of the Guidelines, chapter editor of Initial Evaluation & Diagnosis in the second edition Walter Scott, MD, FCCP; Member and Attending Physician, Section of Thoracic Oncological Surgery, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Editor of the chapter on Treatment of Stage II NSCLC in the Guidelines; and now chapter editor of Treatment of Stage I and Stage II NSCLC in the second edition Howard (Jack) West, MD, Medical Oncologist, Swedish Cancer Institute, Seattle, Washington The Group Room® can be heard live every Sunday from 1-3pm PT/4-6pm ET and is simulcast live on the Internet and XM Satellite Radio on the ASK! Channel XM 165. The program welcomes the voices, comments, and quesirtons of cancer survivors, family members, cancer advocacy organizations and healthcare professionals. To listen live on the Internet, listen to past shows, or get a list of stations, go to www.vitaloptions.org.

hi everyone, my family could really use some prayers right now...my mom has been home from the hospital for almost two weeks. she is done with her antibiotics, so we are hoping that they kicked the pneumonia/urinary tract infection out of her system. she is on coumadin (blood "thinner"), so a home care nurse has to come and draw blood regularly for tests. but it's been so hard because she has been tapped so many times that her veins just collapse at the sight of a needle. she started having really bad headaches the day before yesterday, so she was put back on dexamethasone (steroid), and she is diabetic (due to the steroids that she received in the hospital). the radiologist/oncologist believe that she'll need more brain radiation because they think the headaches are being caused by edema (she had wbr done about 1 1/2 months ago), but they are hesitant to do more ct/mris right now 'cause she had so many done during her time at the hospital recently (so we also don't know what's going on with the blood clots in her lungs). and they don't want to do any sort of treatment 'til they get those tests, but my mom is so weak right now. my mom has moments when i almost think she doesn't really recognize me...it's like she knows who i am, but she doesn't have the emotional capacity to really show me how she feels. i don't know how to explain...i know that she is really weak physically, but i'm afraid that the wbr really caused some damage. but there are these moments that make me think otherwise. for example, today, we had a new home care nurse, and my mom remembered her name throughout the whole visit (i practically forgot), and she even noticed from afar that the nurse has really long pretty eyelashes. my mom doesn't even have 20/20 vision, but she is pretty meticulous with details. it did surprise me when she complimented the nurse on her eyelashes though. i'm so grateful to God that she is still with us with such a fighting spirit, and we've had so many people coming over to pray with us that it's been amazing. it's just so hard to see her struggling to feed herself among other things 'cause she is such a strong independent lady who has always taken care of everyone else. i have put all my faith in God to get us through this...i guess that is why i keep asking you guys for prayers. i thank you all for your well wishes. they do help tremendously. God bless, mj

prayers for you cat, as always. i'm so glad to "see" you on board. God bless, mj

hi don, yeah for lucie! she is definitely a trooper. i'm so glad to hear the news. God bless, mj

hi pip, great news! i pray that you continue to have even better scans in the future. God bless you, mj p.s. you might want to also post this is the "good news" section if you haven't already. we could always use more good news.

kim, i send my heartfelt condolences. it definitely seems that you mom was a very special person. i pray that you and your father find comfort and understanding. God bless, mj

hi val, i'm so happy to see that your stepdad is doing better. prayers and best wishes for your family. God bless, mj

laurie, prayers for your mom's recovery. my mom was also hospitalized recently for pneumonia and a urinary tract infection (among other things), so i know that this is incredibly difficult for you. your family is in my prayers. God bless, mj

hi, i'm so sorry to hear about your dad. i know that this is so hard for you and your family. if you and your stepmom feel confident in your decision not to tell your father everything yet, then i think it is a good one. i really pray that he is feeling better soon. God bless, mj

oh paddy, i'm so sorry to hear about what's going on. you and david are in my prayers, of course. i think about you both often. i pray that the iressa kicks in soon and helps give david renewed strenght. i remember doc joe mentioning that he had a patient that was really sick at one point but was scuba diving a few months later after starting iressa. i really pray that the iressa has a similar effect in david very soon. God bless, mj

hi minnie, i'm so sorry to hear about everything going on...i'm in a similar situation with my mom in that she too had wbr (about 2 months ago), but she started getting really bad headaches the day before yesterday. the doc put her back on decatron, and he believes that she'll need more radiation to the brain (he hinted at edema, but the docs don't want to do anymore mri/cts for a while 'cause she had so many in the past few weeks). however, she too is too weak to endure any sort of treatment right now due to the multiple infections and pulmonary embolism (she's on coumadin too) that she has been fighting off. she was vomiting too, and nothing they gave her helped either. she was in the hospital for about two weeks, and now she has a home care nurse. it really is so hard. i'm so sorry that i don't have all the answers. your being their for your mom is such a great thing though. i'm not a smoker, but i know that it must be so difficult to try to quit when you are under so much stress. i know that cheryl mentioned free counseling at universities. i took advantage of that during my undergrad years, and it can reall help, so you may want to look into that. also, you may want to talk to someone in the financial aid office at your school to see if payments can be defered somehow. i'm not sure how all of that works though. please let me know if i can be of any help. feel free to pm me at any time. i pray for you and your mother. i know that it's so hard for you both (and for the rest of your family too). God bless, mj

mona1, praying for continued success with your husband's treatments. seems that he has a positive attitude which is definitely a plus. God bless, mj

bailey, i'm so sorry to hear about everything that has gone on in the past year and half. your family has had to endure so much. i know that it must be so frustrating for you right now. i think that you are being really smart by garnering as much info as you can. i pray that you find comfort in her decisions. there is always hope, and i pray that your mother receives a huge dose of it soon. she's very lucky to have you as an advocate. God bless, mj

hi paula, welcome to the board. i'm glad to see that your father is a candidate for surgery. please come "visit" us often and ask any questions you may have. God bless, mj

hi patrice, welcome to the site. i'm glad to hear that you are enduring the treatments well. quitting smoking is definitely something to be proud of. being able to see your grandchildren grow up is definitely a motivating factor. i pray that you have continued success with your treatments. God bless you and your family, mj

hi joe, welcome, and thanks for the link...i'm 26 years old, yet i can remember a lot of that stuff (man, i feel old! ). i used to have a rotary phone that my family rented from the phone company. remember those days? thanks once again for the memories. i pray that you are doing well. God bless, mj

bev, my thoughts and prayers are with you and you mom. God bless, mj

fabian, welcome to the board. all of this is such a shock. we all know. i'm glad to see that you and your mom have a game plan. my prayers and thoughts are with you. please let us know if you have any questions. God bless, mj

shellie, my thoughts are with you and your sister. God bless, mj

hey hebbie, where can you find brown rice syrup? i looked around at my local whole foods but couldn't find it (i found date sugar though). thanks, mj

cindy, congratulations! i know that everyday is a battle for you against those darn things, but you are certainly winning! i say that you use that "saved" money to treat yourself to something really special. keep it up! God bless, mj

hi everyone, i just recently learned that a wonderful mother/wife just passed away from nsclc this past week. i don't want to name names because i don't know if the family is ready to speak out yet. i just wanted to ask if everyone could say a prayer for this "anonymous" family. they have been wonderful to me throughout the past few months, and i don't know the right words to say. thank you all. God bless, mj p.s. to the family members - i'm thinking of you and praying for you everyday. you have been my source of inspiration and hope, and i'm entirely grateful to have had the pleasure of "meeting" you. please know that you are in my thoughts. i hope to speak to you soon.

oops, link doesn't work. here's the article: Dr. Mercola's Comment: All those great numbers and facts might lead you to believe sucralose is a pretty safe product, but nothing could be further from the truth. Animal research has shown that sucralose can cause many problems such as: Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40 percent shrinkage) Enlarged liver and kidneys Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus Increased cecal weight Reduced growth rate Decreased red blood cell count Hyperplasia of the pelvis Extension of the pregnancy period Aborted pregnancy Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights Diarrhea If you think using Splenda is worth risking your health, than go ahead and use it. Just keep this in mind: Nearly every month we receive a report from someone who has had an adverse effect from Splenda. The fact is, many people are uneducated about the reverse effect this product can have on your health and body and find out only after they experience a negative reaction. If dramatically reducing your intake of sweet, whether it is sugar or alternative sweeteners like Splenda, feels close to "impossible" for you, I strongly urge you to read my bestselling TOTAL HEALTH Cookbook and Program (which has a special offer now!) It presents my entire dietary program that has helped many tens of thousands of patients, and one of the key reasons this book has received such widespread critical acclaim is its strong focus on eliminating unhealthy dietary cravings and addictions like "sweet addiction" through natural solutions like metabolic typing and much more. For further information on Splenda you can review my Splenda toxicity page and read through the many testimonials people have sent in about this product.

i didn't know where to post this, but i thought someone would find it interesting if he/she uses spenda as a substitute for sugar: http://64.4.26.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang ... sary%2ehtm