Elaine
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Posts posted by Elaine
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Shar
It's good to hear from you! And mostly good news, too! I wonder where on earth you got that TB? Any ideas? Glad you are home and hope they can resolve your ailments soon!
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Larry
I must have missed this. I am sorry that my congratulations are coming late, but I mean them with all my heart. I also bet going back to work is good therapy! I am so happy for you both! You must be a good caregiver.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Katie
I dont think anyone implied that you or Rick were not using the money for the upkeep of the site. Everyone knows that. And no one thinks the two of you should have to do EVERYTHING. Maybe there is a n accountant on the board who could do this for you. I have said it before: there are many of us with many skills, so let us help. Some of us don't have a lot of money but we can still DO things. I can write grants. I can and do write letters. I have worked in advocacy and can help guide people in that regard. I did work many years ago as a accounts reveivable manager, but I no longer have the skills or the patience for that kind of work, but I bet there is someone who here who does--Curtis??? among others.
Katie maybe someday a ton of money will fall on us--so then we need to have a plan....
love and pls don't jump on me ANYONE because I feel like crap and I wrote this with all the love in my heart....
elaine
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mistake
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Sending prayers.
Also David, I know what you mean--you sound scared that the Dr has told your wife something that he nor she has not told you. The only way to know if that is the case or not would be to tell your Dr that you don't want anything kept from you. You as the patient need to be told of ALL of the risks of every procedure and medicine etc. I thought that was standard care, but apparently I am wrong. I know some people don't want to know, but I thought it was the law that patients be informed of all risks.
It's hard to trust under these circimstances. However, I also know that family does tend to overreact. I hope you get a full nights rest.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Thanks Cat for finding that other legislation about November--. I agree. I have written several times since my DX.
One thing people need to remember, that I posted on the activism forum--is that you when you write you need to be specific about exactly what you want the congressperson to do. You also need to tie your letter into your PERSONAL story. These people get letters of rheteric by the hundreds and possibly thousands daily. Rheteric, alone, will not catch their attention.
You don't have to write your whole Bio- or anything. But you must be clear about what you want and why it is important to PEOPLE, using your personal connection to show that.
I have some close ties with Dashchle, but I dont live in South Dakota any longer. I have written him and he has replied. I will write him again about the November Awarenes Month.
As far as helping Cat, personally, letters to her own Congress people are the way to go. It is highly unlikely that she can be helped personally by anyone other than her own representatives. However, if there is legislation that could help her then by all means, all reps can help.
love and fortitude
elaine
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The current legislation is for support mainly for cancer survivors. Unfortunatley, as many of us know, there are too few lung cancer survivors. However, we also need to urge support of that legislation, too, as we DO have survivors!!!!
Ps. I mean survivors to mean as the legislation means--people who survive 5 years past DX. or the end of treatment. I know how we define survivor here.
elaine
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Oh Cat, I don't think you should think positve thoughts so that you won't bring any of us down--but for you, yourself. Don't stay away, especially when you need our strength.
I hope you are resting.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Cat
Pls, Cat, try to focus on the positive. I know I can't always do it. But pls try to think of the good things--that much of your tumor is dead (maybe all of it!), You are taking lots of supplements and thus far you have no mets, you are strong-willed and strong-minded, you are kind, you are talented, you are loved. ....and there is a long, long list of things you CAN do.
love and fortitude
elaine
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David
Losing a pet is so hard. So sorry.
elaine
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This web page by a clinic in the Bahamas explains the treatment clearly for those of us who are a little less scientifically prone.
The web site also talks about the cost etc. It is a commercial site, so keep that in mind.
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Welcome Home! Hope Alex enjoyed the flight and I am glad the two of you had this special time together.
love
elaine
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I am so sorry to hear that you are going through a really really tough time.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Shirley
Doing my two left foot dancing!
elaine
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Cat
Are you on SSI or SSD? My fear is since the DX changed, he is going to use that as his "Excuse"--but we all know his real reasons.
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Maybe time to write some more to your representatives.
I am so sorry that you are facing so much. Stage III is not an automatic grounds for disability,(from what I was told) so you might even need to talk to a lawyer. Usually Stage III is approved, however. If you can't afford an attorney, try legal aid.
So sorry you have to go through this.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Terry
I hope your husband is able to fight off the remains of the infection soon.
It sounds like you have an HMO by the way your Doctor is talking. Pls do not let what he says stop you. YOu must can file an appeal. Call the HMO. Tell them that most ALL insurance companies pay for In-Home Nursing care. Contact your Senators and Reps--tell them you are going to do that. Contact the press. Do whatever you can do to get the care YOU and YOUR HUSBAND need and deserve--and pay for, by the way. Get the scans that you need to see what is going on so that treatment can be directed in an adequate way.
HMO's depend on people being silent about their decisions. Don't wait. They have people working on the week-end so you can call them now.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Cindy
I sure will say prayers. There are many things it could be--and even if it is the Beast--it more than likely has been caught early. I know you have so much on your mind, so I will also pray that you are able to wait peacefully--or else find somone who can see him earlier.
I have heard that going in through the ER is sometimes a way to be seen earlier.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Bo
Sounds like good news to me! By the way, what supplement are you taking?
Elaine
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ViVI and all the sisters:
We owe thanks to you for showing us all that a family can come together regardless of differences to help a loved one, not to mention all the love and support you offered so many of us.
I also chose the Dylan song, "Forever Young"--not many people know it and it is so beautiful and has such a dual meaning under the circumstance. I listened to it yesterday again and had a nice good cry. I had forgotten about the Jackson Browne song, so some more tears. But the tears were good tears, so don't worry.
I just want to say again thank you all and take care of all of Terry's kids, including yourselves.
love and fortitude
elaine
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Thank you for posting your uplifting story. May God continue to bless you.
elaine
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Girlfriends
in HOPE
Sorry, it's long but so much truth to it that I thought I would share it anyway instead of just sending it to the new girlfriends I have made here on the board.
A young wife sat on a porch on a hot summer afternoon, drinking iced
tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about
marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.
"Don't forget your girlfriends," she advised, swirling the tea leaves
to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you'll have, you are still going to need girlfriends.
Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them. And remember that girlfriends are not only your friends, but your sisters, your daughters, and other relatives too. You'll need other women. Women always do."
"What a funny piece of advice," the young woman thought. "Haven't I
just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a
married woman, for goodness' sake, a grown-up, not a young girl who needs girlfriends. Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all
I need to make my life worthwhile."
But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her girlfriends
and made more each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,
she gradually came to understand that her mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, girlfriends are the mainstays of her life. After 50 years of living in this world, here is what I know about girlfriends:
>>Girlfriends bring you casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you
need help.
Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it; sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually honest.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start the laughter.
Girlfriends pull you out of jams.
Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships.
Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack, and help you move.
Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get married or have a baby.
Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and when the hard times
come.
Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat, and
gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate.
Girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend.
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart. Girlfriends listen when your parents' >>minds and bodies fail.
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you loved dies.
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.
Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go.
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out
and kill what makes you unhappy.
Times passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up.
Marriages fail. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs
come and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Men don't call when
they say they will. But girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley, and you have to walk it
foryourself, your girlfriends will be on the valley's rim, cheering you
on,praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and
waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you. Or come in and carry you out.
My daughter, sister, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, nieces, cousins,
extended family, and friends bless my life. The world wouldn't be the
same without them, and neither would I. When we began this adventure
called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows
that lay ahead, nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Every day,we need each other still.
It's back and I need your input
in GENERAL
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Bonnie
So, so glad to hear from you! I was worried about all three of you! Happy to hear that your daughter's nodule was benign. It's good your kids are rallying behind you but I know you are the primary caregiver and that takes a lot!
Bonnie, I really can't advise you what to do. It's up to you, after consulting with the Drs. You have tried that chemo before and you know what your individual side effects were and the benefits. There may be other chemos to try--maybe some gentler ones.
Also are you on oxygen, now? If so, be sure to ask how the chemo will effect your breathing.
As far as me--I am beginning to slow down some. I try to get some things done earlier in the day because I am beginning to wear down--and my legs are getting weak. Humidity bothers my breathing stamina, too.
Again, welcome back! Pls keep me posted. I also hope your husband can get some improvement. Love to him, too.
love and fortitude
elaine