chani

My dads cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. My dad is pretty stubborn though and has not been interested in anything that I have given him to check out over the last year up until now. The radio frequency abulation is something he has just mentioned that he would like to check out, but I don't know when he plans to do this. I just keep looking for him and to stay ahead of the game. I have recieved lots of information from people on this board and I keep all websites and information. I give most of it to my dad too so he has it all at his house. I try not to overload him with discussions about it unless he shows an interest. Thank you for the new information and comments!! Chani

Hi Donna, I've been posting here for a couple months. Maybe taking the chance to see if someone out there knows anything using this board is in someway disrespectful. It is not meant that way at all. I know everyone here has lung cancer. For the last year I have searched under skin cancers, the head and neck because it spread to his neck. I search everywhere but let me tell you...I cannot find his kind of cancer anywhere and one of the reasons is it is easily curable when caught early and most times it is. I search and learn as much as I can from any site or board because sometimes someone will say something or use certain words pertaining to cancer in general that I did not know existed and then I put those words into google and find out what they mean...from there I search more and more. I'm very aware that my dads cancer is not lung cancer but sometimes people just lurk in boards and never post and if there is a chance that someone with metastatic skin cancer to the lung is lurking just to learn too I thought it was worth the chance to post just to see. Anything is worth the chance for me to ask because I just never know what I might find. I do not confuse the two--lung cancer and metastatic skin cancer to the lung. I've learned a tremendous amount about all kinds of cancers as I went and go on my way searching to learn whatever I can. This can only benifit me if someday myself or anyone else in my family gets cancer. I have a sister with breast cancer too, and one with a pre cancer of the cervix. I started out researching totally blind with hardly any real information about my dads cancer and I was frantic too, but from the months of research I have learned that it seems like there are more facets to cancer then there are grains of sand. I will never have conversations with anyone in boards causing any confusion. I read post here but don't post that often. People are kind here and there are many supporters like me. Chani

Hello... I want to ask if anyone out there who posts, or anyone who just reads without posting has or knows anything about metastatic skin cancer to the lung. I post to many boards but I have yet to find anyone who has this type of cancer. This is the type of cancer that my father has and I continue to search for someone who has this type also. Thank you, Chani

Hello Cookieman...I have not been here on this board that long. I'm a supporter of a father and sister with cancer, and I come here for support and to learn It's a difficult journey cancer is. I have learned that if I take the view of an olympic speed skater during the ruff times I can make it, and I can support those suffering from it in the right ways. Speed skaters glide and glide, and then they pump hard around the corners,... so this is what I do too. When things get really tuff I pump as hard as I can , and then I glide when things are going okay..good, or great!! I push to win the race by doing my darndest not to let cancer have the lead. Sleep well, Chani

Hello everyone, Such wonderful nice kind words you all have written. I planned on writing each of you back individually but instead I thought I'd give you a little piece of what helps relax my mind when I sit at my computer, when my eyes are tired from research. I don't know if you will think this is anything big but one day I was looking for skin care products for my dad when he was going through radiation. I was searching on any skin care site that might have something to help sooth his skin and I ran across this website...it's not the products that I found here that I liked but it was the calming music that this site has. And the suttle visuals. Click on the name Ernolaslo in the right hand bottom corner and the visuals change. Then at the left of the name Ernolazlo is a small moving sound icon I guess it would be called. It moves with the music sounds, click on that and the music changes. This is nothing big but sometimes I just close my eyes and meditate for a little while to the music or just watch the visual because of thier calming affect. Sure helps the mind relax...hope you enjoy... http://www.ernolazlo.com Enjoy... Chani

Hello.... Every year my dad has given all his girls Valentines... he has again this year too...but the biggest Valentine we could have recieved from him is his news ast night that his ct scan shows that his turmors have shrunk. The biggest two of 2.5 cm have shrunk 1.5cm and the other three smaller tumors show shinkage too....YAHOO, I said to him when he called. I said "dad, in the cancer world out there that I belong to as a supporter...we celebrate this kind of news in a big way.." He just chuckled. If I was there now, with him, I'd bye huge balloons It's such a nice bit of good news for him for a change....we're fighting for another Valentines Day where we share candy and cards with each other...I'm sooo happy... Have a great day of Love today... Chani

Erin, I have made this kind of mistake before also....I understand how this feels. Chani

Your welcome...I know that you can get the Biotene products at Walmart. There is also a gum and a dry mouth ointment, saliva enhancer. If you don't see the gum or ointment on the shelves with the mouthwash, ask the pharmacist and they will either have it behind the counter or they can order it for you. Chani

Ej, I don't know if this will help at all but I have learned from a head and neck board how to use biotene mouth wash mixing it 1/4 mouth wash 3/4 water and put it in a mini spray bottle. This can be used to spray in a sore throat and it can help relieve the uncomfortable feeling a little. I Wish I would have been able to tell you a lot earlier. I hope it helps your mother. Biotene product seems to be the best over the counter mouth product that stinks the least a very sensative mouth. Have your mom test it on the tip of her tounge first if she wants to try it... Chani

Candee and anyone else.... My dad is on Parapaltin (carboplantin) and Taxol (paclitaxel.) He also just recieved the Nulasta long lasting WBC booster. Three days after his chemo and this shot he got so sick that my mother stayed up to watch over him because he was throwing up so much. Is there any partucular drug that helped most with your feeling sick or getting sick. This was his third chemo treatment. He has done pretty well so far so he's thinking it could be the side affects from the Nulasta. I'm going to call an 800 number for Nulasta and ask them what side affects to expect. I thought I'd do this for my dad because he just got a new computer and is having difficulty getting in to learning it. I realize now with my dad and my sister when talking to them....one hour they feel great the next they don't. If they don't take it easy like they should they get hit pretty hard and become exhausted almost instantaneously. We all live in different states too which makes it very difficult. Kellee, my sister still needs to send me all of her information....test results, medications, her records so to speak. I just research....so I better know what they are dealing with. Mostly the research is for myself. Anyway... Thanks Chani

Hi Donna G, I like this webstie...chemocare. Thanks for posting it. Chani

Thanks Shirley..... Any information helps....when it comes to cancer, anything that I learn about, and research about, that may help, does help.... Chani

What is Iressa I'll look it up on the internet too... Thanks, Chani

Thank you, David C.... Ever since I've laid eyes on the hat....I've wanted to say, quoting Billy Crystal...."You look marvelous" Good night, and sleep well, Chani

Beautiful family Howard.....I'll get my picture up this weekend... Have a great day!! Chani

TBone, I did just call my dad like I said I was going to....I said "hey pops, how are you...then I said "I just called to tell you that I love you"...and he lauphed and said "that is nice of you"...then he goes "what the occation" and I said "no occation just wanted to say I love you"...and he said..."well, I just got flowers from Kellee"....lol....I tell ya..this family is as tight as a knot and we all think the same way.... also he said that on Oprah today they are talking about cancer...so I let him go so he could watch that...don't ask me why I'm spilling my guts to you but I'am and I can tell that you and your family are the kind of people who are warm and accepting of people like me who talk too much... I saw your wifes post but have not said hello...so tell your wife hello..... Okay....I need to get my butt back to re arranging a room... Have a great day!! Chani

TBone, I just read your post.....and you mentioned about not crying enouph and how you now know that it's a great thing....I've cried through my post to Amy....One thing I have learned since the beginning is every human being has the same pain...we may deal with it in differnt ways but pain is pain, and like you said..crying helps....a lot. I cry sometimes so hard I grit my teeth...and then I say to myself.."you could break your teeth off doing that you dummy"...and I make my own self lauph....Oh...I'm so glad for message boards where we can share so much and learn so much from each other... My cying is over for today.....maybe I'll give my pops a call and see how he's feeling... Thanks for expressing how tears can help. Chani

Dear Amy, I read your post this morning and have not been able to get you out of my mind. I want to offer you a shoulder but I don't know what is right or even if there is a right way. You are going through something that I have not been through before. I'am where you have been though, and that is having to watch an ill father...and going through the stages of acceptance of the illness. There is an album by Sara MClacklan called Surfacing. I don't even know what the songs are saying but they reveal to me every emotion that I have felt so far, and I play this album when I need to just cry, and I cry through the whole thing, especially song number five. And my tears come from a place within me that I have never known before. I fill in the meaning in the songs that fit me. Shedding lots of tears helps me and then I get up and do as my dad has taught me...."Keep going kid, you can do it." "when you fall it's gonna hurt but get right back up there and go for it." So I cry deeply and then I get up and go until I need to cry again. I wrote a letter to a sister one day because she told me that she just wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost her dad. She said she knew that she was going to just be a mess for the rest of her life. So, I wrote her a letter in the form of a story about our back packing trips in Wyoming...I went back to my three sisters, me and my father in the mountains. Every summer we backpacked all summer long. The story started from the time he fitted us every year with hiking boots at JC Penny's all the way through crossing a huge river with heavy packs on our backs. He taught us all there is to know about survival, about choices and how to walk up the rivers edge a bit to see if our choices were better there....he carried our water cup from the bottom of his pack....and we followed our daddy's fishing pole moving in the trees ahead of us and we never lost our way...and he waited for us if one got too far behind. We scooted across this big river by way of huge fallen trees, and with white rapids beneath us, and our jeans wet from the fast water...but we followed his lead and we never fell in. I told my sister Karen: "Karen, our daddy is now leading us to the biggest river of all, and he knows that he has taught how to cross it, so Karen, this is the biggest river ever, and we're gonna have to do alone...but each move we make, he has taught us how to do it....so search inside and remember what he told us...we'll make it acoss and from above he will be smiling the biggest smile as he watches us scoot across this big river. And he'll be saying "ya did girls" So, Amy, your daddy taught you how to survive and how to cross this big river....sometimes you have to scoot and then stop to cry for a bit before you can scoot a little more...but your gonna make it across this big river because everything you need to know about how to do it he has taught you. Chani

Becky, I love what you said... Chani

Hi Amy, I'm new to this board too. The kind of pain felt from losing a father I have not experienced. But, because my dad is sick I sometimes wonder how I will find the strength to endure this pain it if I do lose him. I don't really feel there are words to describe this kind of emotion. Sending heart shaped tissues for you. Chani

Bob, I'm a supporter of two family members with cancer...and I'm ready to high tail it out of Kansas... Three times right...kick my heals three times... lets try that again...three times..kick, kick and kick... I've heard "three times a charm".... Kick, kick, kick...oh heck, I think I'll just go fishing too.... Thanks for a lauph and a half. Chani

Hi, You are right about the worries.... I guess my dad has recieved a new long lasting wbc booster called Nulasta. Have you heard of this? maybe because it is long lasting this may help prevent some of those things that cause chemo treatments to have to be put off. At least I hope this is it's benefit..... Chani

Hi, This is not an option for my father. Radio Frequency site. http://www.rfalung.com/ Hope this helps, Chani

Yes, you are right....I've never had one but sure should considering the lung issues in my family. Sarcoidosis being one of them. Like you, I also use the process of elimination as to what to believe in or what not to believe in within each website. Chani

Mo and Rich, Thank you....My mind is eased. You enabled my walk today...with my snowdog, to be a better adventure than if would have been had I not read your replies before we took out the door. I also called my mom and dad and read to them your posts. I had a nice little talk with two young kids that stopped me wanting to pet the snow dog. Everybody loves this Siberian snow dog, and belileve me, she knows it and flaunts herself. We walked together for about a mile talking about our pets and just "things" then we parted ways. One wants to be a Vet and the other a surgen. Wow, I thought....how wonderful to have little people so focused. My heart has been enriched today!! Thank you, thank you!! Chani