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Hi Hebbie, my mother and MIL both have what is called Degenerative Disk Disease in their spines. A quick search on the internet gives this: "For most people with low back pain, an injury doesn't just happen. Instead, over the years, the stress your back has been subjected to begins to take its toll. The repeated sprains and strains and overuse add up and cause a slow degeneration of the disks of the spine." That is probably what your dr. is referring to. Good luck. Sounds like yours is mild and nothing to worry about.

Hello there, I just wanted to let you know that of course I listen to Lopez every morning on my way to work. Please tell him another listener is praying for him. I missed the Preakness, but I hope all went well.

My grandmother was very thirsty from taking the anti-inflammatory Decadron.

Hi, my grandmother had a metal plate in her head from a car accident many years ago. She did get radiation for her brain tumor but not WBR. Sorry, though, I don't know what kinds of precautions they took because of it. Good luck. -Dee

I am so sorry to hear of your mom's lung cancer. Watching our loved ones suffer through this is so painful. I don't really have any other suggestions than what others posted here. I agree that Lasix works well for swelling - at least it did for my grandmother. And somebody else mentioned Hospice - is that an available option where you are? As far as the breathing goes, my grandmother had terrible breathing difficulties, even with an oxygen mask delivering 100% pure oxygen into her lungs, so every 4-6 hours, she would also receive an albuterol (sp?) breathing treatment. At one point they even administered morphine into her oxygen mask to try to relieve some of her breathing difficulties. Those things helped her a little bit. Hugs to you. -Dee

Hello, I know I am coming in late on this too and you already have lots of responses. I just wanted to give my experiences. I lost 2 grandmothers within 2 years to LC. Both had brain mets. Both had terminal agitation at the end and in my opinion that was the real suffering on their parts. The one I lost recently suffered no pain whatsoever throughout her cancer, at least none she ever complained about. She even broke her hip and had surgery a few days before she died and complained about nothing. The terminal agitation, however, was hard for her. She kept saying she couldn't take it anymore, and she fidgeted constantly, and kept trying to get out of the bed. The meds they administered didn't seem to do much and she had about 4 days of really bad agitation. It was heartbreaking for us. What I am trying to say is that in this woman, who had these large tumors, the only suffering I ever saw was the terminal agitation. It was bad. If you were able to relieve that kind of suffering in your mother through medication, you did her a good thing.

I am so so sorry to hear that Becky has passed. Her strength and determination were so amazing; I too was utterly shocked to read your post. I am sending hugs and prayers for you, your little girl and your families. -Dee

Your condolences mean so much. I am just in awe at the support that people here offer even to the non-regulars like me. What an amazing group. Thanks again. I do plan on lurking here for a while -- I'm pretty addicted. I'm sending big hugs and prayers everyone's way. -Dee

Hello All, thanks to everyone who responded to my previous posts concerning my grandmother. She passed away Monday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m. My grandmother had adenocarcinoma with brain mets. She had been living in a nursing home for about 7 weeks when she fell and broke her hip. Following her surgery on Mar. 10 for her fractured hip (which she tolerated very well), she developed a blood clot in her lung. Blood thinners successfully dissolved the clot, but her blood then thinned too much. Her doctor said he believed the cancer was in her liver, causing her to metabolize the cumadin too quickly. They then got her blood counts back where they should be. Following all that, she took a seriously downward turn. She had about 4 and a half days of extreme restlessness and agitation and discomfort. Her breathing was so poor that she needed pure oxygen through a mask 24 hours a day. She was retaining tons of fluid. She wasn't eating. They started her on a morphine drip to improve her comfort levels and breathing. She became unresponsive (not from the morphine) around 6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 14. She had the purple mottling on her legs. Her doctor told us she would not live through the night. She did and held on until 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 15. What an unbelievably courageous woman. She had so many people who loved her and I was so close to her, I feel like I've lost a parent. Some things I am thankful for: She was able to be in a private room in the hospital (not that dreaded nursing home) and the nurses all took exceptional care of her and us too, even bringing in 3 beds so we all could spend the night with her Sunday night; My mom and granddad and I all got to tell her it was okay to go to Heaven and to tell her goodbye and that we loved her while she was fully coherent and could understand; I was able to go home Monday morning and pick up my 3-year old son who she adored beyond belief and bring him to the hospital so he could hold his "Meemom's" hand before she passed; and she was not alone when she went. This was a huge worry for all of us since we all live far away from my grandparents and my grandfather really did not want to be alone at the time of her passing. Big hugs are going out to everyone on this board. Thanks for all of your support and prayers. -Dee

Hello, I was wondering if anyone on this board has had a family member with advanced stage LC break a hip? My grandmother that I posted on last week in the topic entitled "nursing homes" fell and broke her hip yesterday. They plan on operating on her today to put 3 pins in. First, I am amazed that they think she is a candidate for surgery. She is so weak and fatigued, she is not able to stand on her own, not even able to stand with assistance--basically you have to use all your strength to hold her up long enough to get her from a chair to the bed. She also is on oxygen for breathing difficulties. She's barely eating. How can someone in her condition withstand the trauma of surgery? Second, how will she be able to heal from this? She has basically been pretty much chair ridden/bed-ridden for the past 6-7 weeks. Once she is post-op, I am assuming that she will be completely bed-ridden, and not able to do physical therapy at all (there have been a couple failed attempts to do physical therapy with her the past few weeks -- she's just too weak). Will she be able to heal from the surgery? What do you guys think? Anybody else been through this? I have visions of her being heavily sedated to keep her from trying to get out of the bed; it was when she was trying to get up to go to the bathroom that she fell. And that was the 3rd time she has fallen in the past 6 weeks. She has mets to the brain and forgets she's supposed to ring for the nurse. By the way, thanks so much for the responses to my nursing homes message. I would like to post more on these boards, and maybe respond to some messages as well, but I usually am at work and don't have a lot of time to post. Thanks again. Dee

Thank you, Mary Ann, Dean, and Elaine. I appreciate your replies. I have been lurking here for about 2 months, and so I feel like I know all of you. I am saying prayers for you guys as well as everyone else on this board. I am amazed at the love, strength, compassion here, and read this board frequently. I am going to see about getting Hospice involved in my grandmother's care at the nursing home this weekend when I go for a visit. MaryAnn, we could be neighbors. I live outside of Annapolis. Hugs to you all.

Hello all, I am a lurker and first time poster to these boards. I have a few questions for anyone who had a loved one pass away in a nursing home. My grandmother is Stage IV NSCLC with brain mets. In January, she had a seizure and was hospitalized. She became very weak and unable to do a lot for herself. Upon her release from the hospital, my grandfather had her transferred to a nursing home, as he is not physically or emotionally able to care for her at home and the rest of the family lives out of state. Her doctor's gave her a couple of months left, and that was six weeks ago. She is now showing some signs that the end may be coming soon, i.e., increased confusion, weakness, not eating, and yesterday, her BP was really low, so we think the end may be near. Here are my questions: How did your loved one's nursing home deal with these things, from an end-of-life comfort care perspective? Did you have hospice involved as well? My main concerns are the physical changes that occur in a dying person, i.e., noisy breathing that can occur (she shares a room with someone), and all of the visitors that are bound to come if she is indeed entering that final stage. I just feel that the nursing home will not give her the privacy that is needed at the end of life, especially since she shares a room. There are no private rooms available, unfortunately. Bringing her home, even under the care of hospice is not an option, my grandfather won't hear of it--we have tried to talk to him. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to make this as comfortable and as dignified as possible for her? Thanks for reading and responding!!!