[Thoracentesis and Brain MRI]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to Lungevity but not to Lung cancer I have been fighting the beast for 3 years now. I just spent a couple days in the hospital (ICU) for what they thought might be pneumonia as I had it earlier in January and when they looked at the x-ray on Friday I was told it was much worse - anyway I was admitted and put in to ICU because I had Neutropenia, my WBC was 2.5 - I find this kind of strange because I have never had a problem with my WBC until the last time I had pneumonia, when I had my first chemo treatment after I was recovered and they did my blood work the first time my WBC was low and that was the first time it was low since I've been on Taxotere and I've had 14 treatments. I stay pretty tired most of the time because I take Percocet for pain - with the pneumonia I ad a lot of back and chest pain - right after the pneumonia I developed pleurisy which is a lot more painful than pneumonia - I thought I was getting better and then it seemed to be starting all over again only worse - I just called my oncologist instead of going back to the ER again and she told me I could take up to 12 Percocet if necessary, but if I got worse or had a fever to go to the ER - since Percocet has

Tylenol it kind of mask the fever so I had to be careful about that too Anyway it seemed to be getting better, but then my back just seem to keep hurting and I was running out of Percocet so I had to call for a refill so my oncologist again suggested I may need to go to the ER if I really felt worse because they really need to do a chest x-ray to see what is going on - well my friend talked me in to going to the ER and I was shocked when they told me the I was worse than the first time I came in and they were going to keep me - now I had fluid in both lungs plus my WBC was so low.

They put me in ICU because if they put me in a regular room I had to share a room and there would be more germs and just harder to control and at first it looked like I was going to be spending the weekend and Monday and Tuesday in the Hospital - fortunately as I was talking to the pulmonologist he realized that I could go home and come back. Originally they were going to to the Thoracentesis on Saturday, but none of the lab people work on the weekend so it would just sit there until Monday and he wanted it to be fresh when they look at it, plus since my WBC was so low I was at a very high risk for infection - so he decided to have me wait until Tuesday - give me a chance to recover a little WBC wise - they gave me a lot of antibiotics during my stay and then the lab people would be in to take care of my sample he was taking out - He may be draining my lungs I am not sure just how much fluid he is going to take out right now - I know if I have been extremely uncomfortable he would have drained them on Saturday. What he and my oncologist are afraid of is that I will have cancer cells in the fluid that is going to be drained off. I guess this is possible as the cancer seems to be spreading.

I have another Brain MRI scheduled at a different hospital - I got to a military hospital for my care but have been referred to a civilian doctor who is a neurosurgeon, he recommended another MRI that takes smaller slices and then gamma knife surgery - He just wants to make sure that what he saw on the first MRI is all there is - if there is more cancer - I may need WBR - I am hoping for gamma knife - My MRI is scheduled for Monday 16 Feb and then I have an appointment with him right after the MRI to discuss the results and what we will be doing.

I am not really worried about the tests, I don't worry one way or the other God will take care of me - I have great faith, I have been blessed with a lot of peace and feel the presence of the Lord with me - I know to some that may not be much comfort but to me it is everything.

God's peace and love - Pamee

[Hi Everyone]

Thanks Donna,

I think it is going to be worthwhile.

Pamee

[Hi Everyone]

I am new to this board, but not to Lung cancer - I have been battling the beast for 3 years - but just can upon this board - I am not sure why I haven't found it before - I donate to this foundation regularly but just guess I didn't go into the website far enough. Anyway, my name is Pamee, I am 49 years old, divorced, a never smoker who has adenocarcinoma with BAC Stage IV. My cancer was found when I was deployed to Qatar with the Air Force Reserves - I had a chronic cough that just would not go away - so they just decided to do a chest x-ray as a last ditch effort - and low and behold - I had something there - the next day I was sent to Doha for a CT scan where they determined that I had 6 tumors in my lungs - I was medevaced to Landstuhl Germany the next day - my first hope was that it was a fungus in my lungs and I was sent back to my home base after a week - but after several tests and 2 months, thinking I had ovarian, kidney and liver cancer - it sounded good to only have lung cancer - of course that was before I knew my lung cancer was terminal - boy you learn a lot fast. I was told I only had 12-18 months - that is another thing I learned - I don't let anyone put an expiration date on me because God didn't put one on me anywhere so I am not going to let anyone here on earth start! I have been treated with 6 rounds of carboplatin/gemzar, 18 months of Tarceva, 3 rounds of Alimta and now I am presently on Taxotere and have had 14 treatments which I will stay with as long as my cancer stays stable. I just recently had a brain MRI and had a lesion that is suspicious so I have an appointment with a Neurosurgeon this Thursday 5 Feb, I will be happy to see what he thinks this is and if it is something to be concerned about. I do not worry about anything I leave it all in the hands of God - He has brought me this far and I feel very blessed- so I figure why mess with a good thing. I look forward to meeting everyone.

Pamee