GayleMarie

Thank you sooooo much. I appreciate your thoughts, your prayers, your kind words. I will continue to read your posts and reply if I think I can offer... Much love from me, Gayle

Thank you sooooo much. I appreciate your thoughts, your prayers, your kind words. I will continue to read your posts and reply if I think I can offer... Much love from me, Gayle

We buried my mother day. It was a beautiful service. We will miss her soooo much. We played Natalie Merchant's "Beloved Wife" at her funeral. She and my father were married 52 years. She would have NOT liked her hair and they way they did her wig. I would much rather her have had her little fuzz that had grown back. It was so cute. She said she looked like Eddie Munster cuz it was so dark and her widows peak haha... Even in the hospital she was so sweet, to all the nurses she called them honey. They said they wished they could have known her before she was so sick. I love her and miss her for all my life. Gayle

Hey Nell, I just lost my mother to squamous cell lung cancer at noon yesterday. The doctor told her she was stable in May. How could she have been?? She had pain in her legs. One especially. She also had pain in her groin area and thought she had pulled something. It was the cancer all along. She broke her femar (sp) on monday by simply putting weight on it. We were trying to get her from the car to the wheel chair. I couldnt believe it. Please, please dont take chances. I wish we had known. I wish the doctor would have warned us about bone pain and what it would mean. We would never have transported her around on such weak bones. After the x-ray in the hospital they told us the other leg was about to break. What a horrible disease. Gayle

Hey All, Thanks so much for your posts. All of you are so kind and so helpful in offering suggestions. I wish I had been on here more and read more about bone mets. My mother passed away at noon yesterday. The break in her leg that she sustained on Monday was too much to overcome. Her lungs filled up and she declined pretty rapidly. I loved her so. She was so good in the hospital. Said her pain was a 9. Then later it was a 6. The morphine worked It must have been so bad They told us her cancer was in her pelvic area, her other leg. She had a lump on the back of her head. Her arm hurt because she said "she pulled something". I knew it was the cancer. My heart is breaking because I wanted to say so much to her. The morphine made her different, she knew us but it was not the same. I will miss her terribly. Here is to all the caregivers. We fly by the seat of our pants sometimes. We do our best. The disease is a horrible thing. There is no right or wrong way to deal with this. I admire you all for your strength because it takes so very much. Much love, Gayle

Hey All, Thanks so much for your posts. All of you are so kind and so helpful in offering suggestions. I wish I had been on here more and read more about bone mets. My mother passed away at noon yesterday. The break in her leg that she sustained on Monday was too much to overcome. Her lungs filled up and she declined pretty rapidly. I loved her so. She was so good in the hospital. Said her pain was a 9. Then later it was a 6. The morphine worked It must have been so bad They told us her cancer was in her pelvic area, her other leg. She had a lump on the back of her head. Her arm hurt because she said "she pulled something". I knew it was the cancer. My heart is breaking because I wanted to say so much to her. The morphine made her different, she knew us but it was not the same. I will miss her terribly. Here is to all the caregivers. We fly by the seat of our pants sometimes. We do our best. The disease is a horrible thing. There is no right or wrong way to deal with this. I admire you all for your strength because it takes so very much. Much love, Gayle

Hey All, Thanks so much for your posts. All of you are so kind and so helpful in offering suggestions. Ven, thank you for your pm. I really, really, wish I had been on here more and read more about bone mets, zometa. My mother passed away at noon yesterday. The break in her leg that she sustained on Monday was too much to overcome. Her lungs filled up and she declined pretty rapidly. I loved her so. She was so good in the hospital. Said her pain was a 9. Then later it was a 6. The morphine worked It must have been so bad They told us her cancer was in her pelvic area, her other leg. She had a lump on the back of her head. Her arm hurt because she said "she pulled something". I knew it was the cancer. My heart is breaking because I wanted to say so much to her. The morphine made her different, she knew us but it was not the same. I will miss her terribly. Here is to all the caregivers. We fly by the seat of our pants sometimes. We do our best. The disease is a horrible thing. There is no right or wrong way to deal with this. I admire you all for your strength because it takes so very much. Much love, Gayle

You guys are the best. I wish I had asked more questions. The onc never knew she had bone mets and the last time we visited him HE asked HER if she had had a PET scan... I thought, you dont know??? I am so disappointed in all of it, why didnt I ask more questions? why didnt we get the pain checked out earlier? I read these posts, I should have known. I thought the onc would do something if there was anything to be done. I just dont want anyone else to make that mistake. It may be too late for the Zometa but i will ask. Since she broke her leg they have told us she has cancer in her pelvic area, lesions in her other leg and that it is at risk to break also, and her shoulder is too sore to move. She has a lump the size of an egg on the back of her head. They never gave us an option for radiation anywhere and I never knew why? He told us she was stable for the last two of her visits!!? How could she have been? I just dont understand. She is in very serious condition and they told us 4 weeks. I am heartbroken, we all are. I think of all of you and read your entries. Don, Karen, Dee, John, Connie B, Thanks for taking the time to reply and wish us best... I wish the best for all of you and your loved ones. This is a horrible disease. Gayle

Hey all, My mother is in the hospital with a broken fibula. It was horrible. We were trying to get her from the car to the wheelchair after her oncologist visit. I had know idea we were moving her around on such weak bones. They said the fibula in her other leg is in jeopardy to break. We opted not to have surgery as she had 60% chance of coming off the table. They would have had to put steel rods in both legs. Her arm is sore and says she pulled it. She did not. We know now. It is the cancer. The doctor never said be careful of transporting her. I guess we were so naive. She barely knows who we are with all the morphine and is going to be moved to the skilled nursing floor today. My heart is breaking. All I want to say is be so careful in moving your loved one on these weak bones. If they are painful they are at risk to break. I dont know what the answer is but thinking of you all every day... Gayle

Ven, My mother is in the hospital with a broken fibula. It was horrible. We were trying to get her from the car to the wheelchair after her oncologist visit. I had know idea we were moving her around on such weak bones. They said the fibula in her other leg is in jeopardy to break. We opted not to have surgery as she had 60% chance of coming off the table. She barely knows who we are with all the morphine and is going to be moved to the skilled nursing floor today. My heart is breaking. All I want to say is be so careful in moving your loved one on these weak bones. I dont know what the answer is but thinking of you all... Gayle

Peg, Hope Bill is doing ok at home. I know it must be hard to guess what is best, or where is best. There was a couple of times I thought my mom should be in the hospital but she just didnt want to go and I worry that later on there may not be a choice Hope you have a good Easter and thinking of you, Bill and everyone on the board Gayle

I really dont have any answers for you. My father will be 80 in June and he is not the one with cancer but I can tell you in the past few months I have really noticed his shortness of breath. He is really slowing down and this is NOT my father. He is such a healthy man. My mother, 76, is the one with lc and she has been through the chemos Taxol/Carbo and Taxatere (one round). Now she is currently doing very well on Iressa. The others proved too much for her. But I can tell you ever since her diagnosis in October 2003 I have seen so many ups and downs in her health. Sorry I dont have more answers for you. Thinking of you, Gayle

MO, It IS hard to quit. I quit 11 years ago and you know what? I dont have a desire to ever smoke again. That is the truth. You have gotten through it kid and we are PROUD of you!! Gayle

Paddy, You two have a great time. It is so important to get away. I hope you enjoy it very much! Gayle

My Mom has probably made that comment a thousand times. I feel so weak. I think it is a combination of the cancer and the chemo. Gotta be frustrating. Gayle

Andrea, I can so relate to this. I smoked for 10 years and it scares the heck out of me. My mom has cancer, so I will too... I know this is irrational thinking but the cough I have had lately is bothering me. I would almost feel stupid go to into the doctor and say "I need a chest x-ray cuz my mom has lung cancer, four of my uncles died of cancer, my aunt died of cancer, and I have a cough". In fact I have been checking it to see if there is blood in it (not). I feel silly. So my dear, I know just what you are talking about and you are not alone!! What was that name for us?? haha Gayle

I am so very sorry. I feel for you and all of your family. Gayle

Leslie, I am so sorry about your loss. Thinking about you at this very difficult time. Gayle

I am so very sorry for your loss. Thinking of you. Gayle

Thanks guys. I am glad to hear something else may be out there. Mom is doing so well on the Iressa I am very hopeful. The article is helpful. Take care, thinking of you both! Gayle

I have a question about Iressa. My mom has been on it after the taxol/carbo treatments didnt work for her and a bad reaction to Taxotere. What is it about Iressa that makes doctors use it last or after others fail? Is it the cost, the effectiveness, or maybe the fact that you have the least side affects? I guess I should ask the doctor but dont know when I will actually see him again with my Mom. Also, is there any really good Iressa websites out there? Also, is there anything left to try after the Iressa if it doesnt work?? Mom is doing very well on it but I am sooooo scared it's not working for her as the taxol/carbo didnt Any help is appreciated! Gayle

What a wonderful group of people! Thanks again for ALL of your welcomes, I feel better today because of them. I took Mom to get her new hair today! She looks great! : Hugs to all of you! Gayle

Thanks for the welcome! Gayle

Hi, My name is Gayle I just wanted to say Hello to everyone. I guess I am a caregiver as my mother is the one with lung cancer I still cant believe this is happening. I wanted to say I have learned so much already from these posts, it is heaven sent! I just watched the tribute and cried. But what a nice gift to those we have lost. The picture I put up is of my mom and dad, before we found out she had lung cancer and before she lost her beautiful hair. That is her natural color and she never ever colored it!! They are both just about the sweetest people you would ever meet. A couple of hard working farmers that worked all their lives and worked hard. To all of you, I want you to know I think of you all, I read your stories and I feel for each and every one of you. And often reading about the young people on here that have this horrible disease it just breaks my heart. I will need this site I know, because I am so scared of what is to come. Gayle

Becky, Take your time, take a rest and enjoy! You deserve a break and it is soooo important sometimes. We will all be here when you get back!! Gayle