dahknee

I've felt completely lost without you and Judy. Get well soon, I don't know how to post without you'all, LOL. Hurry back and best of luck with this weather season. Donny

Hello all, time for me to air about some good news for a change. Friday afternoon when I was through playing at the opening of the Relay for Life I was asked to do a TV interview for a local station because I was the only performer who was also a survivor. So i was given a few minutes to talk about my story, my treatment, my prognosis and to sing a little song. The on-air person also wants me to come on next month for her morning show and talk a little more in depth about my story. I'm very honored and happy that there may be a little bit of good that comes out of this, aside from the fact that I am going to be a healthy, productive citizen once again as soon as I recover from the treatment. LOL. I just need to try to keep myself in the positive, I've been very negative lately and I don't want to stay there anymore. Hope everyone is having the best day they can. Hopefully Heidi is on a safe trip home and will be back with us soon. Donny

I guess I'd been thinking I was the only one not too happy with the Alimta. Monday is my last treatment though and I'm really looking forward to it being done. That SOB that you spoke of Ned is really kickin my butt. I used to be on 1 litre of oxygen, now it's 3 to 4. I can't walk upstairs without it. I can't play guitar without it anymore. I am just tied to the dang bottle 24/7. I cough and feel nauseous, last night I sat with a can in myt lap for over an hour just waiting to throw up, I didn't but I think I would have felt better if I did. I couldn't get to sleep till midnight then I didn't get up till 1:30 this afternoon. I don't have any energy for anything. I'm just thankful it's almost over for me and I'm praying for my fellows here who are all suffering too. Like was said, there is stregth in numbers. Lets get through it together. Donny

So sorry your not having a wonderful time Heidi, I do hope you are safe though. Take care of yourself. Ann, I was at a fundraiser a few years ago that had a raffle auction. The raffle items weren't extravagant but alot of fun items and the winner had a choice of keeping it or auctioning it off, then the club got half of the auction proceeds and it went very well and they made quite alot of money. Good luck. Donny

Well I've tried the Vicks on the feet, been on Prednisone for months, Mucinex, cough liquid, cough drops, the only relief I'm getting at all is hydrocodone and then it is very short lived. I've been coughing so long now that my ribs hurt all the time and my hips are even starting to hurt.

A while back i met a gal in Jackson, Wyoming from New York City. She was 35 and had never been out of the city, central park was the only nature she had ever seen. She landed in Jackson and from the airport you can see the grand Tetons and called her mother and told her you gotta come see this. her mother had never been out of the city either and neither had ever driven a car. What culture shock she was in.

Funny you should mention it, pops in law set the poles last weekend and I just have to add the lines. Wife and i both have great memories of the childhood clothesline and decided to put one up.

I love seeing the pride in your posts about where you live. That's how I feel about my home. This weekend is Deer creek days festival in a little town 15 minutes from here and it's their 100 yr anniversary, all kinds of fun things planned. My lungs are so bad that i can't go do it but I still feel pride that there is so much to be done. Think I'll just rest today, go to church tomorrow and hopefully feel a bit better by Monday. Have a whole weekend everyone, parts of it will be great. Donny

You know, I've been reading this thread and thinking about it since I chimed in yesterday and today my life has been everywhere from a 1 to an 8. I really think just about everyday goes like that for me. I can't stay perpetually happy, sad, mad, whatever. I just am too human I think. So to that end I say, have a whole day part of it is bound to be great. (((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGGSS))))))))))))))))))))

I'm with you Randy, I think we need a group hug. Everyone has so many more problems than me I think I'll be an 8 and try to be helpful instead. (((((((((((((((LCSC))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Just because I'm so sick all of time right now I guess maybe 5. Most of the time I'm very happy but I'd just love to be able to breathe so I could do more.

Wow Ned, I'm jealous. I started playing guitar by ear at age 9 and at about age 30 I decided to take lessons and learn how to do what I was doing right. My instructor dropped me after one lesson and said it would take 20 years to break all of my bad habits so he could start teaching me, LOL. It's ok, I still enjoy playing and had a great time playing tonight and had good input so I guess I can't complain. I also love chamber music and string quartets well actually all sorts of music except all of the disrespectful negative lyrics of modern hip hop / rap / etc. Anyway I'd love to have been there too Ned. Donny

Well Ann, George Costanza also thought it was a great name. LOL I read that my lucky number is 38299107786554839930299 so I watch for it everywhere but it never seems to turn up. Maybe I'm just not lucky at all.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha kinda funny laughing so hard takes my breath away, but it feels good anyway.

Hey Dana, congrats on the near 16, 22 1/2 for me so far. Have you read any books by Robert Aspirin, he has a series called the myth series, like mythnomers and mythconceptions, little myth marker. They are all about creatures who travel from dimension to dimension and are alot of puns and funny fiction. Fairly short easy reads but entertaining. Donny

Wonderful weather here in the cowboy state. 40s this morning might make 70 this afternoon, slight chance of rain and scattered thundershowers. I love this kinda weather. Just hope it's clear tonight from 7 till 8, I'm playing music at the local farmers market. Really a good time and this year is a bumper crop so gotta go early and shop for some fresh produce. Donny

Hi as my sign on says my name is Donny. Be 56 in a couple weeks and I feel I am the most blessed person alive. Diagnosed with NSCLC in 1/08 because I was in a lot of pain and went to the emergency room thinking I was having a stroke. Terrible pain in my shoulder, neck, head and down my arm. No idea what the pain was but due to my blood pressure and some heart history they took a routine exray, voila, spot on my lung. I figger God must have wanted to get my attention. I been married 3 times now and have a wonderful new wife named Mary, Aug. 29th is our 1 yr anniversary, yep she married me even with half of one lung ripped out. A few weeks ago was labeled NED. Been playing guitar since I was nine yrs old and have been told i am rather good but i really have a hard time with accepting it cause I always compare myself to people who are able to do more. Started smoking about the time I started playing guitar and was pretty much a chain smoker for 30 yrs or so. Also drank like a fish and did drugs like I grew up in the 60s, (I did). 1987 I wanted to die cuz I had ruined my life so completely. Quit drinking and using drugs and , Voila, life slowly got better. Haven't started either again yet. Also decided at that time to quit smoking, and began serious attempts at quitting, finally stopped that in 1999 what a monkee to try to shake. During my years of trying to quit smoking I tried everything, was hypnotized, joined smokers anonymous, did the patch, Zyban. smoke arrest, cold turkey, took up playing harmonica, started chewing gum, regular and nicotine, chewed toothpicks, finally tried the nicotine inhaler and figgered out my biggest addiction was putting it in my mouth and going through the motions. Was smoking 3 packs a day when I stopped and all of a sudden it was easy. Sorry to rant so long, I knew I shouldn't start posting this cuz I tend to build pianos when asked where middle C is. Anyway this is me in a nutshell and I do mean nutshell.

Since I quit stealing I buy all that I send now. Actually it varies every year but I will buy usually ten or more. I hate that they have gotten so expensive just to fill someones trash can with. I just tell myself it's always the thought that counts. People that i care about deserve to at least feel like I was thinking of them. Whenever possible though I like to make special cards or notes on the computer.

Cheese Whiz Judy, no doubt that would scare the bejeesus out of me. I still think everything that goes on is basically rooted in the chemo/cancer somehow. Our bodie have a heck of a time adjusting to the poisons being run through us. Course the alternative is so much worse what choice do we have. Take care of you judy and thank God hubby is not a freaker-outter. I know I feel blessed everyday for the caring and understanding I have in my life from my family, friends, docs, etc. Have a whole day, part of it will be wonderful. Donny P.S. another sunny day in Wyo too. We get 50s in the early AM and 90s in the PM, it makes for a complete day weatherwise.

I've been reading this post since it appeared and have said nothing but, my employer has been gracious enough to carry me on insurance even though I've hardly been able to work in the last year. Now our insurance company is getting ready to cut and run because they can't compete financially with free government insurance that is being promised and my employer is going to be taxed more for already providing health care to all of his employees. Since Obama Binlyin was elected our unemployment statewide is almost doubled. I don't see one thing that he is doing for our country now except to create a deficit that our great grandchildren won't even be able to pay for. Yet people still seem to be saying he's doing a good job,, Where? for al queda, for communisim for Iran, North Korea? I just don't see any good coming out of all of these great plans at all. I am on the verge of losing my insurance that has so far paid for 95% of my care so that I can start paying for it all myself. He's full of sh

Yay Barb, I'm just starting to taper off the dreadnisone too but not experiencing anything wierd,, Yet. About 8 or 9 years ago I was put on Effexor for depression and I had a wierd smell hallucination that lasted until I was off of it. I just think the human body can do and conjur up alot of wierdness. I guess we all are unique and have our own sets of side effects to life. By the way Barb is your lung inflammation all cleared up? Mine still seems to be very bad but the doc just wants to get me off the pred and I have to say I agree, it doesn't seem to help much with the breathing issues anyway but my head has sure gotten round. Just wierd stuff. Donny

What do we? I been lurking occasionally. Not too much to report, had carbo/alimta cocktail on Monday been feeling rather lethargic. Still coughing my fool head off. I only have one more treatment then it's just wait and see. Yayyy. Keep wondering why so many folks that post here are in the southeast, but I'm beginning to think living in Florida might cause lung cancer. When my dad ran away from home he ended up in Florida and died of self induced lead poisoning. Makes me not wanna go to Florida. Dunno. Have a great day ya'll.

Hi Cynthia, I too was diagnosed 1b and a candidate for surgery. I had my upper right lobe removed 3/08 and there were a couple of problems while in the hospital so I stayed for 2 weeks but was released with no evidence of disease so chemo was not recommended. I did have another occurance in October 08 and began chemo and radiation then and am now going through another round of chemo, but last week I was given the no evidence of disease determination again and may be a fortunate one who never has it return. I didn't have the VATS procedure and was in pain for a while but all well worth it in my opinion. Congratulations on stopping smoking, that is the hardest thing I ever had to do but have been smoke free for ten years now so I know it can be done. The amazing thing to me was to see in the exrays after the surgery how quickly the middle lobe begins to fill the void left in our chests to give us back a large amount of the breating capacity we had before the lobectomy. Keep your spirits up and stay in touch here. There are alot of wonderful and knowledgeable and experienced folks here that are alll willing to help or just to lend an ear... Good luck and see you around the boards.

Wow Ned, summertime looks good on you two.

WoooHooooo neighbor, I'm dancing with you and for you. GOD is good.