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Michelle, I just think that is plain craziness! Can you believe it? I am sooo freaking out!! Dana

Help!?!?! I just left my appointment with my ONC to discuss my latest CAT. She totally dropped a bomb shell on me. She starts talking about whole brain radiation as a preventative! My first reaction is just "no way", I went through chemo as a preventative. I know that small cell is a very aggressive cancer, but nothing has been showing up on my CATS or MRI's. I'm a year out from my last chemo, I just feel like this is total overkill! The question is: am I being unreasonable? Should I be more open minded to this? I'm finally feeling half way normal, I just can't imagine going through the fatigue, nausea, etc. again. I posted for Dr. West too. I just feel like screaming! Any and all input would be appreciated! Dana

Cynthia, Glad you're doing okay. I had small cell which is pretty aggressive. I had an ULL and the surgeon removed all surrounding lymph nodes, biopsied everything including tissue around the tumor. They found no other cancer. My ONC pretty much beat me over the had to have follow up chemo, which I have completed. I don't know why some ONC do want follow up chemo and some don't, I'm thinking it's the type of cancer. In fact I will see her today and ask her! Dana

Great news! Congratulations! Dana

Breezy (Breathe Easy)

Team Panther (Pant Her)

Joy, Don't give up yet! Just because we've been dx'd with cancer doesn't mean it's going to kill us. You might get hit by a bus tomorrow ! It really just depends on you and the cancer. Some of us respond amazing to the treatments, you could be one of those. Some people on this site live for years and years after a very negative diagnoses, some of us just get plain lucky. I totally and completely understand how you feel, felt that way myself. Just don't throw in the towel yet and if you weren't scared out of your mind something would be wrong with you! Dana

Wow! That's amazing! Cool! Dana

Sorry Mom is hitting a rough patch. Hope the doc's get her straightened back out! Prayers for Mom! Dana

Mash! They fixed people no matter what it took! Dana

Congratulations!!!

((((((EVERYBODY))))))) Dana

Dawn, You have such a great attitude. I have no patients with idiot doctors anymore! Besides people thinking they can catch my cancer, I think what bugs me worse is when they look sooooo sad, like I'm already laid out for my funeral! Thanks for the update! Dana

Joy, Welcome aboard. It was a huge blessing for me to find this site. People understand here. Sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us. Scream, yell, cry, ask questions. We hear you! Dana

Richard, I would get a second opinion. A doc that says, they can cure you right off the bat like that without any treatment to see how your cancer responds, I would be very suspicious. Prayers on the way, Dana

What drives me crazy is people coughing and sneezing all over the place. The office where I work is this guy on the other side of the cubical wall and he sniffs and snorts and coughs and hacks all day long. It gets so bad at times it comes close to kicking in my gag reflex! Yuck! Like the lady sneezing on the donuts! Why can't people use a kleenex or something to cover their coughs and sneezes? It is not only annoying, it's disgusting!!! Dana

Iloprost, a drug routinely used to treat pulmonary hypertension -- high blood pressure in the lungs -- can heal the lungs of ex-smokers, but provides no benefit to those who continue to smoke, Colorado researchers reported today at a San Francisco meeting of the International Assn. for the Study of Lung Cancer. Dr. Robert Keith, a pulmonary medicine specialist at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, and his colleagues performed lung biopsies on 152 people who had smoked at least a pack of cigarettes per day for at least 20 years. Half received oral iloprost and half a placebo. Ex-smokers who received the drug showed "a significant improvement in the signs of lung disease, " Keith reported. Iloprost is a synthetic analog of the naturally occurring chemical prostacylin PGI2. It increases blood flow by dilating the vascular bed of the lungs, and presumably thereby improves healing. Studies in mice have shown that those with high levels of prostacyclin are less likely to contract lung cancer and live longer if they do contract it. The team is now preparing a larger, phase III trial of the drug. Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of men and women. An estimated 219,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year and 159,000 will die from it. -- Thomas H. Maugh II http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster ... okers.html Dana

Anne, I emailed your dog video and got this one back in return! Dana

Too funny! Thanks! Dana

Judy, Glad you made it home. Anne, The only things I can think of is a "kissing booth" or dollar dances. Dana

Jim, Congratulations!!! Dana

Happy Birthday Donna!!!!!! Dana

Congratulations!!

((Lisa)), I'm sorry you are suffering so. I lost my Mom in Feb. earlier this year. I do understand I was and still am a total mama's girl. The only thing I found that helped is time. It has gotten a little better. But every now and then missing my Mom still jumps up and strangles me. Sending prayers your way that you will find peace. Dana

I know how crippling grief can be. I can even understand that it could need to be treated if it is prolonged. But the article made it sound like in six months you should be all better and that just ain't so! Dana