TAnn
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Posts posted by TAnn
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Lisa,
I am so sorry for you and Tariq. May you be able to find peace knowing that Ahmed is no longer suffering from this terrible disease and is able to take care of you and Tariq from above. My thoughts and prayers will be with you.
TAnn
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Cindi,
I am so happy to hear that you like your new pulmonologist. I know the tests are not going to be fun, but you have the right attitude and are willing to do the work in order to get better! I know you are breathing a sigh of relief right now that she pays so much attention to all the details.
Isn't it amazing how our attitude can change with the right docs and support around us?
Let us know how everything turns out. I'll be thinking about you.
TAnn
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Sharyn,
I am so sorry for the loss of your wonderful dad. I am glad you have found peace. You were a lucky family to have each other.
TAnn
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Bo,
I was given Decadron the day before, the day of and the day after receiving Taxotere. I had no problems with it since it was just for those 3 days. I was then put on it while undergoing whole brain radiation for about a month and really did not like them. My face puffed up, I was hungry alot, couldn't sleep, my mind would not stop working and my son says I was "mean".
Hope I never have to go back on them, however I probably will since I have brain mets.
Good luck with yours,
TAnn
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Today I had to put my 15 year old lhasa apso, Caesar, to sleep. He had cancer too and really started to get bad in the last couple of days. I knew this day was coming, but my heart is broken. I am so sad. I held his face as they gave him the shot so that I would be the last person he saw. He was such a good dog. We got him when my son was 4 years old, he just turned 19!
Taking one day at a time now, seems like the only news I get is bad lately. Hoping for a turn of luck soon.....
Thanks for listening.
TAnn
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Peggy,
Boy do I know how you feel. Please know that your husband is in my thoughts and prayers and hoping so bad that you just don't know your "stuff"! Friday will be here before you know it, try to think of anything but that MRI......YEAH RIGHT!!!! I'll be thinking of you this week and just think, I have to wait until January 5th for my update!
TAnn
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Heather,
I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family at this most difficult time.
TAnn
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Dr. Joe,
Thank you so much for your story of hope. I will keep a positive thought that my MRI was just too soon to be able to tell what is ultimately going on.
As far as your patient is concerned, he needs to kick that wife "to the curb!"
I really appreciate your input and hope to have better results on Jan. 5th.
TAnn
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Beth,
It sounds like Tarceva has the same side effects as Iressa. Iressa makes my skin very dry, especially around my mid-section. I have been experiencing much more of a rash since going back on it since wbr and the diarreah is worse too. I was wondering if Tarceva's side effects would be different. Sounds like they aren't too different after all.
As far as the yeast infection, haven't heard of that side effect w/either Tarceva or Iressa. At least you know what to be aware of so you can attack it early. Give the Tarceva a good try, the rash may come and go, as well as the "loose stools!" In the meantime, eat all the cheese you want!!!!!
TAnn
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I was wondering how common it is to have growth (even if only slight) and progression for very small 2-4mm brain mets after receiving wbr. I was told I have 6 brain mets and I completed my wbr on Oct. 15th. My follow up MRI showed slight growth and progression in the lesions.
Is this unusual, or do you see it happen. I thought since they were so small to begin with, they would be gone after wbr. Thanks for any insight.
TAnn
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My doc called today to say that the neurology department reviewed my scans and have decided that the "numerous" lesions are just too small to do anything with right now. For some reason I couldn't pin him down to an exact number of tumors, originally we were told 6 brain mets. The stereotactic team says since there are so many and they are so small they would have no way to target any specific one unless there was evidence of one causing a problem or new symptom.
So for now, I will repeat my brain MRI first week of January and we will see if anything has changed. Honestly, I'm glad to not have any procedures done over the holidays. I'm just going to relax and not think about it for a while......
TAnn
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Sharyn,
My prayers are with you and your mom & dad right now. May God wrap his arms around you all and give you comfort during this very difficult time.
TAnn
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That is such wonderful news!!!! You both must be thrilled. Sometimes the torture is worth the results!!!!
TAnn
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Cyndy,
I am so sorry to hear about this set back for Tim. I know he must feel terrible with the pain. I agree w/Don, only Tim can decide if he is strong enough for chemo. I've heard good things about Alitma. 30 minute IV drip and very few side effects and good results as well. Maybe this will be an option. I will pray that you both get the strength you will need to battle this next hurdle. I hope that Tim's pain gets better w/the morphine. Don't forget about a laxative, morphine can cause the "pipes" to not work and that is a whole other terrible issue!
TAnn
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Joyce,
I am so sorry that Steve is experiencing this. You are in my prayers. I never knew this could be a side effect from radiation, thanks for the warning. I am hopeful that the swelling is causing most of Steve's problems and that they will be able to do the laser procedure. He must be so frustrated. Happy Belated Birthday to you Steve.
TAnn
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Jim,
I am so happy for your news! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! I know how excited you must be and your doc too! You are right, never give up. I hope your time off (are you done w/chemo?) is restful and enjoyable.
TAnn
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Cheryl,
Obviously your co-worker doesn't have enough work to do! Maybe she needs more added to her case load........
It was nice of your former supervisor to call and let you know what is going on. Like you said, what goes around comes around. Unfortunately, you don't have the support of your boss and I doubt he would tell you the truth if you confronted him. It was good that you got your little "jab" in, she now may see you have more friends than she thought and choose her words more wisely in the future.Try to rise above this pettiness and like the others said, go to work and do your job. The rest isn't worth the worry. Keep your chin up!
TAnn
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Margaret,
I haven't had any experience with the pnuemonia, but for the pleural effusions, I always could tell when it was coming back. First of all I had more pain when I took a breath, noticable increase in shortness of breath and I could actually "feel" it accumulating. It felt like a "glug" in my side. Crazy, but true. Like Cheryl said, I had a Denver Catheter put in for about 5 1/2 weeks and have not had reaccumulation since.
Hope this helps. Sorry your husband is going through this.
TAnn
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Beth,
You don't know how much your support means to me. Please rejoice in your fantastic news and know that I am rejoicing with you. The support of this community amazes me and also comforts me. Santa came early to your house, and I couldn't be happier. If anything, this lets me know that WBR DOES work for some of us and I am so glad it worked for Bill.
TAnn
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Joyce,
I agree with Becky. One of the first things I thought of while reading your post was Iressa. I think I remember reading about eye problems (serious) with Iressa. Go to their website, I think I saw this under their side effects section. I know how scary this must be for you both. What does the doctor propose to do? Please know you and your husband are in my prayers.
TAnn
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Angie,
I am so dismayed to hear the news on your dad. I now understand why when they talk about someone with cancer they always say "so & so is BATTLING cancer". Isn't that the truth. It is always a new battle, never a moment's rest. Please know that you and your dad are in my prayers and hope that the WBR works.
TAnn
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I don't think I was clear in my post that I am currently (and always have been) being treated at MD Anderson. In fact, it seems I'm making the rounds to all the different departments. I'll be seeing the brain/neurologist probably next week and hope to get some questions answered then. (It is probably right around the corner from my thoracic oncologist otherwise known as my primary care oncologist)
TAnn
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Hey all,
I just heard from my doctor regarding my first brain MRI since completing WBR on Oct. 15th. First of all let me say that I saw my doctor on Wednesday to get the results of the MRI and chest CT. He did not have the written report for the MRI, but did tell me that the chest CT is stable. The numberous nodules in the left lung are stable and the primary tumor in the right lung is stable, no new growths. That being said, he calls me today and tells me the report on the brain shows growth and progression.....
How is this possible? I really thought that since they were so small that they would have disappeared! How can they zap you 10 times and have nothing work? You can probably tell I'm upset, but the good news is that they are all still very small and not causing any side effects. However, it's hard to look at the "good side" right now. My doctor is referring me to the brain and neurological dept. at MD Anderson for a consult. He thinks they may want to do stereotactic on 1 or 2 that may be in a problem area.
I'm really worn out and really don't feel like going through more procedures......
TAnn
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Hi Angie,
I was told when they found my 6 brain mets that the only type of treatment for this many tumors was WBR. I believe less than 4 and they can do stereotactic or Gamma Knife. The feeling is that if there are more than 4 mets there are probably more cancer cells floating around up there that haven't formed tumors yet, so they get all of them with WBR.
My main side effect has been fatigue. It has actually gotten worse the further out from radiation I get. The dr. said it is probably a combination of the wbr effects and the Iressa. I go to sleep at night at 9:00, sleep all night until about 9:00 am, and I can go until about noon and I need a nap, which sometimes lasts 2-3 hours and then I'm pretty much "toast" the rest of the evening. Also lost my hair, have occassional headaches and my ears ring constantly.
I guess I don't make it too appealing, do I? I'm sure your dad will do just fine. The good news is that the actual radiation only lasts 1 minute, 30 seconds on each side of the head!
TAnn
It was nice of your former supervisor to call and let you know what is going on. Like you said, what goes around comes around. Unfortunately, you don't have the support of your boss and I doubt he would tell you the truth if you confronted him. It was good that you got your little "jab" in, she now may see you have more friends than she thought and choose her words more wisely in the future.
Bob is not doing well..
in GENERAL
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Nell,
Sounds like you have had a terrible couple of days! First of all I really hope that Bob gets to the doctor to discover what is causing the new pain. Enduring constant severe pain can definately cause you to feel horrible. Hopefully they will get this under control and he will start to perk up.
As for you, OUCH! Sounds like you really took a tumble. We don't have that problem with the ice here in Houston. We think we have to declare a state of emergency if the temp gets to 32! Anyway, take it easy for a while and stay off that ice! Hope you start to feel better soon and can enjoy the holidays.
TAnn