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eric byrne

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  1. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Mally in Cancerversary   
    Good Morning Everyone,
    Today, October 14th is Cliff Richards 75th birthday,many happy returns to him.Also it is seven years to the day I was diagnosed with lung cancer,despite my GP only giving me two years maximum,I am still here,yeah,so stick that in your pipe Mr GP.
  2. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from LaurenH in Fridays Air   
    Good Evening Everyone,
    Its been a wee while since my last post,I am just sitting idly at home enjoying some relaxing time to myself, Liz has gone off to bed early feeling a bit tired.I thought I would share with you whats going on in my side of the pond.Well first off I put my home up for sale about two weeks ago,it was sold within one week,I got quite a bit more than its current market value,surprisingly so,I think its partially to do with its location,Cairnhill is regarded locally as the posh part of Airdrie,not that for one minute anyone that knows me would regard me as posh,is'nt that right Katie?.
    My daughter Jennifer continues well in her pregnancy,she is due around the 17th of October,we know its going to be a boy,Iam so looking forward to welcoming a new member of our family into the world.Jennifer will be starting her maternity leave from school in couple of weeks.I am planning a holiday in Spain at the end of September we will spend some of our time there looking at property for sale.Our Scottish summer is drawing to a close think we got about 10 sunny days from last May,which even for Scotland was extremely poor,so a wee house in Spain will augment my sunshine exposure.
    I have been following lightly. I may add the Presidential Campaign being run in the USA,seems its all a bit neck and neck at the moment,not that I am over enamoured with the choice of candidates you have on offer.It was by coincidence I was dxd with LC at the time he was elected  in Nov 2008, I never thought for one minute I would live long enough to to see how his administration would pan out.I am so blessed I even got to see him serving two terms,which I think on reflection,he is going to be a hard act to follow.
    Time for bed,goodnight everyone.
  3. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from LaurenH in Diagnosed with small cell lung cancer   
    Good Morning Glenn,
    Just to add to the previous comments,my friend Robert Lowe was diagnosed with SCLC in 1991 given initally two months to live,had his chemo treatments,a severe form which required him to be hospitalised during its administration,on more than one occassion his family was called to his bedside,since his doctors did'nt think he would see the next day.Well to everyones astonishment Robert went on to make a full recovery. Robert about ten years later was then dxd with NSCLC,had surgery and chemo,again made a full recovery, He became the UKs longest survivor of both types of lung cancer (20 years).A couple of years ago Robert was dxd with both stomach and throat cancers,Robert being determined to beat these too,asked for surgery to erradicate these cancers ,due to the reduced capacity of his lungs he failed the lung function test prior to having surgery.Still refused to be beaten,he asked his Doc for more time for him to work on his fitness and diet to have a retest of his lung function.Well he had his retest,he was clocked at a 36% improvement on his previous test,enough to allow surgery to go ahead.His surgery involved two teams,one on his stomach and one on his throat.His surgeries were completely successful,in fact he became instantly a celeb in the medical profession,doctors came to visit him from other hospitals just to chat with him,he gained the nickname Lasarus.During his recovery whilst in his hospital ward,his son phoned me to tell me he had entered Roberts ward at visiting time to find Robert dressing himself,he felt great and thought he would just discharge himself.It took his son a bit of time to persuade Robert to get back to bed and wait for the Doctors to decide when he could be discharged.Sadly Robert took a chest infection that even he did'nt have the strength to fight off.It was my pleasure to give a eulogy on Robert at his funeral.I met Robert initally at the end of my LC treatments when I was still feeling a bit low,concerned about my future survivability,well Robert just picked me up no end gave me the confidence I can beat this desease and here I am nearly 8 years later enjoying a life my Doc originally gave me two years max.Best wishes Glenn that your treatments allow you the success I have experienced. 
  4. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Tom Galli in Diagnosed with small cell lung cancer   
    Good Morning Glenn,
    Just to add to the previous comments,my friend Robert Lowe was diagnosed with SCLC in 1991 given initally two months to live,had his chemo treatments,a severe form which required him to be hospitalised during its administration,on more than one occassion his family was called to his bedside,since his doctors did'nt think he would see the next day.Well to everyones astonishment Robert went on to make a full recovery. Robert about ten years later was then dxd with NSCLC,had surgery and chemo,again made a full recovery, He became the UKs longest survivor of both types of lung cancer (20 years).A couple of years ago Robert was dxd with both stomach and throat cancers,Robert being determined to beat these too,asked for surgery to erradicate these cancers ,due to the reduced capacity of his lungs he failed the lung function test prior to having surgery.Still refused to be beaten,he asked his Doc for more time for him to work on his fitness and diet to have a retest of his lung function.Well he had his retest,he was clocked at a 36% improvement on his previous test,enough to allow surgery to go ahead.His surgery involved two teams,one on his stomach and one on his throat.His surgeries were completely successful,in fact he became instantly a celeb in the medical profession,doctors came to visit him from other hospitals just to chat with him,he gained the nickname Lasarus.During his recovery whilst in his hospital ward,his son phoned me to tell me he had entered Roberts ward at visiting time to find Robert dressing himself,he felt great and thought he would just discharge himself.It took his son a bit of time to persuade Robert to get back to bed and wait for the Doctors to decide when he could be discharged.Sadly Robert took a chest infection that even he did'nt have the strength to fight off.It was my pleasure to give a eulogy on Robert at his funeral.I met Robert initally at the end of my LC treatments when I was still feeling a bit low,concerned about my future survivability,well Robert just picked me up no end gave me the confidence I can beat this desease and here I am nearly 8 years later enjoying a life my Doc originally gave me two years max.Best wishes Glenn that your treatments allow you the success I have experienced. 
  5. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Cheryncp123 in Eight years NED coming up soon!   
    You are so right,sharing such a success story does give everyone a boost,congratulations on your 8 years.My buddy Robert Lowe,was dxd with SCLC in1993,NSCLC in 2007,now aged 72,has more zest for life than people half his age.He is now the UKs longest surviving duel LC patient,this is now his 19th year of survival.Lets all do a Robert,what do you think?.
  6. Like
    eric byrne reacted to Tom Galli in One more question...   
    Yankeegirl,
     
    My diagnosis was Stage III A or B (uncertainty due to size of tumor) Squamous cell NSCLC - exactly the same as your diagnosis.  I was diagnosed on February 4, 2004 and have lived and enjoyed life for more than 12 years.  My survival projection matched yours and most importantly, if I can live so can you.
     
    The link below my post will give all the details but all that is necessary to say, at this juncture, is I'm alive.
     
    Stay the course.
     
    Tom 
  7. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from chris47 in INTRODUCE YOURSELF   
    Hi Chris,
                 Welcome to LCSC,congratulations on your survivorship,this brings such hope to many others here,as we say here in Scotland "Lang may yer lum reek"
  8. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from bjacksontex in Stage 2a lung cancer   
    Hi Bart,
               Like you I was dxd as Stage 2 lung cancer (NSCLC),that was in Oct 2008.My treatment plan was for what is called Neo Adjuvant Chemotherapy 4 cycles after two I was given a CT to discover the effect on my tumour which was in the airway of my upper right lung.Well,my feedback from my oncologist was that he had never seen such shrinkage in a tumour before after only two cycles,which meant I was a prime candidate for surgery which would follow in January 2009.I did have the further two cycles of chemo at my surgeons insistance.My chemo was a cocktail of Cistplatin and Vinorebine.Prior to my receiving the chemo Iworried about its possible side effects,nausea,hair falling out etc,I need'nt have worried I sailed through the lot without any discomfort at all,oh,except a wee bout of constipation,which i could have avoide if I heeded my docs warnings about drinking plenty of fluids during chemo administration.Surgery followed in January,well I am a Scot,but certainly not a Braveheart,I did worry that the surgery would be extremely painful,leave me a breathless invalid,it might not work and my cancer would return soon after.Well again nothing close to my fears became a reality,I sailed through the surgery,with little discomfort,breatthless invalid? no way,OK I will never be able to climb Mt Everest,but I can get around fine.Climbing hills and stairs,I just have to take it easy.I had 6 monthly check ups for 5 years,my last one a couple of years ago my Doc tells me all my tests have come back clear.He then adds,you know Eric,we do have success with lung cancer and are certainly one,I would go as far to say with confidence,you are Cured,no go away,I dont expect to see you again,we shook hands and parted friends.
         I and now just short of 8 years a survivor,I wish you every success  Bart that I have experienced.
  9. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from bjacksontex in Knock knock...   
    Sorry Tom,I first appeared onstage in my high schools production of HMS Pinafore,I played the lead role as Raith Rackstraw I was aged 14,I was later at 16 appearing in a amateur operatic production about Vasco Di Gama( actually in the Kings Theatre)when our group was visited by Sir Alexander Gibson of Scottish Opera he came into our dressing room after the show,and invited some of us to join the biggest production that Scottish Opera has ever staged then and since of Boris Godinof.I got the part of a green guard,basically I wandered about the stage with a whip, beating up the cast of peasants,it was great fun,but goodness that opera went on for hours.Following that experience,I joined my local am-dram group called the Airdrie and Coatbridge Amateur Opera Society and appeared in many musicals,such as Call Me Madam,Hello Dolly,42nd Sreet,Fiddler on the Roof and Carbaret.I have a good tenor voice which I do enjoy showing off from time to time.
         What one was my fib? actually it was catching a 14Ib salmon,all lakes in Scotland are called Lochs with the exception of one which is actually called Lake of Montieth.For some reason unknown to myself Lochnaggar is not a loch at all,but a mountain???,so catching a salmon on a mountain would be well nigh impossible.
  10. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from bjacksontex in Cancerversary   
    Good Morning Everyone,
    Today, October 14th is Cliff Richards 75th birthday,many happy returns to him.Also it is seven years to the day I was diagnosed with lung cancer,despite my GP only giving me two years maximum,I am still here,yeah,so stick that in your pipe Mr GP.
  11. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Tom Galli in Cancerversary   
    Good Morning Everyone,
    Today, October 14th is Cliff Richards 75th birthday,many happy returns to him.Also it is seven years to the day I was diagnosed with lung cancer,despite my GP only giving me two years maximum,I am still here,yeah,so stick that in your pipe Mr GP.
  12. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from CindyA in Photographs of Scotland   
    Ooops pressed send before attaching the link - sorry. 
     
                                                                                   https://www.facebook.com/visitscotland/photos/a.10150089191481468.311767.334250391467/10153080334916468/?type=3&theater
     
     
     
                  
  13. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from CindyA in Knock knock...   
    Hi Tom,I guess you dont like cooking.
     I have actually used this before ,my descriptions are a bit more lengthy sorry.
     
    I have appeared onstage in Glasgow's Kings Theatre in a Scottish Opera production.
    I have caught a 14lb salmon on Loch Nagar.
    I have shared a pint with Sir Richard Attenborough in a wee Glasgow pub
  14. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from bjacksontex in Stage 4 NSCLC   
    Hi Lisa,Thank you for your reply.T o give you a wee bit more encouragement,I would like to share with you something that happened to me following the completion of my treatments in January 2009.I was off work recuperating from my surgery (upper right lobectomy),bored out of my head, home alone worrying about the "what ifs" ie what if the surgery is'nt a complete success, and what if the cancer returns? how will I cope?.These fears and a few others I have since forgotten whizzed around my over active brain,boy do I have such an imaginative brain.Anyway,I decided to look around for lung cancer survivors who are still around following the completion of their treatments.I first tried online,I was'nt very successful,mostly stats of the 5 years survival projections on lung cancer patients,not very encouraging at all.One day I picked up a popular evening paper in Glasgow called the Evening Times,and I chanced on a article about a guy called Robert Lowe who was starting up a lung cancer support group along with a LC nurse called Penny Downer,well I had a quiet chuckle to myself over the irony of a LC support group founded by a Lowe and Downer.However I read on,this Robert was dxd with SCLC in 1993 his doctor projected he had approx 2 months to live.Undeterred,Robert pleaded his case to have the best possible treatments that would give him a fighting chance of life.Robert was offered a extreme form of chemo that would require him to hopitalised for the duration of its administration,during which time he endured such an ordeal with the chemo his medical team had called his family to his bedside on more than one occassion as they believed he would not see the next day.To the astonishment of his medical team,Robert began to respond to his treatments and went on to make a full recovery.He soon returned to the normal life he had prior to his dx.In 2007 Robert was now dxd with NSCLC,again he went though his treatments and made a complete recovery.I was completely enthralled by his experience,I just had to meet up with him,and I did,I joined his LC support group in Stobhill Hospital.
           My meeting with Robert uncovered further pleasures for me,I discovered he was born and brought up in the same district of Glasgow as myself,we went to the same schools,despite Robert being 10 years my senior,we even shared many of the same teachers.The anecdotes we shared of our past lives,brought us such fun and laughter,lung cancer thoughts just left my mind.I like to say the elephant in the room has now got so small,I cannot even find the little blighter now.Robert became the UKs longest surviving duel LC patient (SCLC and NSCLC) he survived for just short of 20 years.
             I soon returned to my senior lecturer post in a College of Further Education in Glasgow.I entered my classroom that first day,my 3rd year students were being taught by a stand in colleague of mine,one of the students who first saw my entrance,smiled at me and enquired if I was just in for a visit.No, I replied,I am back to my task of teaching this class,just at that moment the students gave me such a round of applause,I can still hear it today.Still can bring a lump to my throat.
       Bye for now. 
  15. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from lginther in Mom was just diagnosed and so glad I found this site   
    Hi Dana,
    Welcome to LCSC,I am really sorry to read of your Mums diagnosis.Firstly, my GP made a unsolicited comment to me,that I had only 2 years left following all my treatments.Well here I am 5 years later,having my final check up last Tuesday,with my oncologist telling me,he had every confidence that I was now cured,that he did'nt expect to see me again,so go away,we shook hands and we parted.
    Going to back 5 years to that initial period of just being diagnosed,these dark days,where I felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel,I really despaired that I would never be able to cope with the cancer journey ahead of me,the proposed treatments that my multi-diciplinary medical team had planned for me,it was 4 cycles of chemotherapy,in order to shrink the tumour in my upper right lung,which if successful it would make my cancer operable to proceed to having a upper right lobectomy.
    Well I am a natural born worrier,I worried about the chemotherapy making me violently sick,my hair falling out,the surgery would be extremely painful and leave me a breathless invalid.Those and I am sure so many other worries were conjured up by my overactive brain.I am pleased to share with you for all my worries,nothing ever came even close to my imaginings,I sailed through the chemo and the surgery with ease,well post surgery my wound site was a bit achey for a while,but certainly painful would have been an exaggeration.
    Post treatments,I spent some time looking for lung cancer survivors who against the odds had beaten off their cancers and were now enjoying their lives.One day I opened up a Glasgow evening newspaper to read an article about a lung cancer survivor called Robert Lowe starting up a lung cancer support group in a local hospital to me,with a lung nurse Penny Downer,well I thought what a pair of auspicious names to set up a lung cancer support group- Lowe and Downer?.Well as i read on,Robert was first dxd with SCLC and given only two months to live,he so wanted to live and asked his Docs to give him treatments that offered his best chance to beat his cancer.He was given a stong regime of chemo that required him to be hospitalised during its administation period.It was so severe on his body that his family were called to his bedside on more than one occassion,since his docs did'nt think he would see the next day.Well,Robert recovered,to his doctors amazement.That was in 1993,then in 2007,Robert is dxd now with NSCLC,has his treatments goes onto live until 2013,he died cancer free,the lung cancer never returned.
    What I have illustrated are two examples of people who have faced a poor prognosis but were successful in their fight with lung cancer.There are many more of such persons as you will discover from the other buddies on this wonderful site.Being here you can share your anxieties,ask questions of others here who will be only too glad to support you and share with you their experiences.
    About you,supporting your Mum through this difficult time can be so rewarding for not only you but your Mum too,it is a difficult road and you should be cognizent of your own emotional and physical needs,meetings with doctors,appointments etc can really wear one down,so make sure you are having support too from family and friends,don't be slow in asking for help from your friends when you need it.Your Mum needs you at her side,you can best help her by being well yourself.
    I am here if you need someone to share with anytime,I will respond ASAP.There are many other here will support you also-you are not alone.
    Please pass onto your Mum my best wishes and that her proposed treatments go well.
    Bye for now.
  16. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from lginther in waiting in limbo   
    Good Evening Lezlie,
    Well it is here in Scotland,welcome to LCSC,sorry to hear of your dx.Congratulations on the success of your treatments,I do support your attitude,the cancer is gone for keeps.This Oct sees my 6th year of survivorship following my neo-adjuvant chemo and upper right lobectomy 2008/9.I have since no further treatments other than my 5 years of six monthly check ups,my last was in Feb this year,my Doc said after my check up,there was no evidence of any cancer cells in my body and that he had every confidence to say that I am cured,now go away-I dont expect to see you again,we shook hands and exchanged best wishes to each other.
    I would love to stay and chat a little longer,but,I have to open my outdoor lawn bowling club at 6pm,so if I leave now,I will make it on time,looking forward to sharing more posts with you,bye for now.
  17. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from BigBrowne in waiting in limbo   
    Good Afternoon Leslie,
    I hope today sees some further improvements in your health,also wish your oncologist finds ways to boost your energy levels and eliminates the dizzy spells you have been suffering from.I can appreciate how you are feeling post dx,it took me some time to re-adjust to my dx,however,I did come to terms with it,mainly through the passage of time and the support of friends.
    In my own situation,initally,I found getting a good nights sleep a problem,my mind was on continual over drive dreaming up all sorts of negative scenarios,no light at the end of the tunnel sort of things.I did refer myself to my GP who prescribed for me some sleeping pills and anti-depressants.I kinda figured this situation is not about being macho or Braveheart,its a natural reaction to a serious condition,I would have taken anything that would enable me to stabilise my thought patterns.There were some feelings within myself, that taking these pills would become addictive,but I need'nt have worried,they were only a short term fix as it turned out.
    I belong to a lung cancer support group,which I have found to be very beneficial,do you have any in your area?,if so,why dont you go along for one of their meetings,you may also find it a worthwhile experience,a chance to meet new friends who share your condition.Incidentally,many of the new lung cancer survivor friends I have met in person and online,are also stage 4,all doing really well,one in particular Sheila I pick up en-route to the LC support group meeting is in her seventh year of survivorship.Sheila lives alone,a real character,I was telling her of my 7 week journey through the USA,seems I impressed her of how friendly the natives were,she then books up for a three centred holiday in the US, Washington DC,New York and Boston,by the way she travelled on her own,not bad for a woman in her seventies.Sheila is having the time of her life,spending a lot of her time travelling about,she dos'nt mind spending the relatives inheritance money,good for her.
    Time to go,dogs are ready for their walk around Drumpellier Park,its a lovely day here today,apparently our weather is to take a sudden change tomorrow, low pressure coming in from the north leaving us here feeling colder and wetter it seems,oh well never mind ,make hay when the sun shines,think you will be enjoying lots of sun where you live in California?.
    Best Wishes.
  18. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Deedle1 in NEWLY DIAGNOSED WITH SCLC   
    Good Morning Earl.
    Welcome to LCSC,so pleased to make your aquaintance.I arrived here some time ago,looking for new friends who shared my lung cancer dx,what a blessing that turned out to be.I had arrived at a time when I was struggling with coping with my cancer,not physically more mentally,how can I shake off this feeling that I had no future? this cancer is going to kill me and in the not too distant future.My posting here regularly, getting to know so many new friends helped me to realise that I can be a survivor and once again began to return to being the person I was prior to my cancer dx,ie,happy optomistic,enjoying life to the full.I think with the passage of time and the support of family and friends ,we can all cope with what ever life can throw at us.
    I found a new friend at the outset of my cancer journey,who was ten years my senior and was dxd with SCLC in 1993,he was given just 2 months to live by his Doc,Robert Lowe was'nt going to lie down to that threat,he asked for and got the strongest form of chemo that would give him a fighting chance of life.Such was his chemo regime,that was hospitalised throughout its administration,in fact he was so ill at the time,his family was called to his bedside on more than one occassion,since his Docs did'nt think he would see the next day.Remarkably,the tide began to turn for Robert,he began to make progress in recovery,he returned to full health.Then some years later Robert was dxd with NSCLC,again he had his then made a full recovery.Robert and I were both born and brought up in the same District in Glasgow,we went to the same schools,despite Robert being ten years my senior,we even shared many of the same teachers,what fun we had with our trips down memory lane sharing anecdotes of our respective life experiences.Robert Lowe set up a a lung cancer support group with a lung nurse called Penny Downer,Robert invited me to join.My thoughts were,Lowe and Downer,not very auspicious names for a support group?of course I joined up,I was and still is great fun to me to attend the group meeting.Sadly Robert passed away earlier this year,he had surgery to remove a tumour from his stomach and throat,these tumours were not related in the slightest to lung cancer,the operation he had was totally successful,however later he took a chest infection that his weakened body could not overcome,despite him fighting it all the way.Robert died cancer free.He had become the UKs longest surviving duel lung cancer patient-20 years.
    It is my intention to follow in Roberts footsteps and survive 20 or even more years,if Robert can do it,why not all of us?.My very best wishes to you for the complete success of your treatments.
  19. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from ginnyva in Left upper lobe adenocarcinoma Stage 1A   
    Hi Ginny,
                   Welcome to LCSC,always a pleasure to meet up with new friends here.I wish you every success with your treatments,I was dxd with NSCLC (squamous) with local lymph node involvement in Oct 2008,I was given neo-adjuvant chemo to shrink the tumour in the airway to my upper right lung which if successful would allow me to have surgery to have the tumour removed.Well it worked so well that I had a upper right lobectomy in January 2009 and have received no further treatments since.
           I had the last of my 6 monthly check ups last Feb,my oncologist told me all my results were completely clear,he added,that he could  say with confidence that I was cured,now go away,I dont expect to see you again,we shook hands and parted as friends.
           Today nearly seven years later,I am fully enjoying the life I had as prior to my dx,all my anxieties about re-occurance have melted away like April snow as the poets would say.
           I have since my dx met up with many long term survivors of lung cancer,one in particular was dxd with SCLC and some years later with NSCLC my friend Robert sadly passed away a couple of years  ago cancer free,having survived 20 years.There is hope for us all,I am certainly going to follow in Roberts footsteps.
  20. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from ginnyva in Eleven Plus Years NED   
    Hi Tom,
                 Thank you for sharing such an insightful post of your cancer journey,I really enjoyed reading every word,we have much in common with regard to funding and research for more effective treatments.Congratulations on surviving 11 years,heres to many,many more.I live in Scotland and spend much of my time banging the drum in raising awareness of lung cancer issues.I have had lots of success,appearing on radio progs,newspapers and magazines,I even got to make a speech on my cancer journey to the MSPs in the Scottish Assembly.The fight goes on,I am confident there is a brighter future for everyone who is effected in some way by the blight of lung cancer.
        Best Wishes.
  21. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from LSU Girls Rock in Fred and Friends   
    Good Morning Sylvia,
                                      Welcome to LCSC,phew,you have certainly been through the mill,what a story.Sorry to hear of all your BF problems,I think most of us here have also had their ups and downs.
         Your BFs multi-disciplinary medical team have now got to the stage of collating all the different strands of reports and evidence,they will now put to-gether an individual treatment plan that will provide the best outcomes for your BF.I have to go back nearly seven years to that point in time when I was going through the trauma of appointments,waiting for test results and what will happen next as my treatment plan is put into effect.I am a natural born worrier and certainly despite being a Scot,not a Braveheart,I worried about the chemo,will my hair all fall out?will it make me nauseaous,surgery - will it be excrutiatingly painful and leave me a breathless invalid?,what if all this dos'nt work?.these and I am sure a myriad of other worries filled my overactive brain.
         I cannot promise you that my experience would have been as for everyone,but I really sailed through the lot,my hair did'nt fall out,I did'nt get nauseaous,to say my surgery was painful would be a complete exaggeration,more an ache for a couple of weeks which inperceptively just faded away.Well here I am 7 years later,enjoying life to the full.
            A saying that gave me food for thought at the time was "Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair,it gives you something to do but it dos'nt get you anywhere".I know its difficult,but I found that as time passed and my treatments were completed,my anxieties began to subside.
        Please pass onto your BF my kindest regards,look after yourself too,dont be shy in asking friends and family for support when you need it.Please do keep us informed how things are progressing,we are here you support you,so you should never feel you are alone.
       Best Wishes. 
  22. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Tom Galli in Eleven Plus Years NED   
    Hi Tom,
                 Thank you for sharing such an insightful post of your cancer journey,I really enjoyed reading every word,we have much in common with regard to funding and research for more effective treatments.Congratulations on surviving 11 years,heres to many,many more.I live in Scotland and spend much of my time banging the drum in raising awareness of lung cancer issues.I have had lots of success,appearing on radio progs,newspapers and magazines,I even got to make a speech on my cancer journey to the MSPs in the Scottish Assembly.The fight goes on,I am confident there is a brighter future for everyone who is effected in some way by the blight of lung cancer.
        Best Wishes.
  23. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from diane flynn in Mom was just diagnosed and so glad I found this site   
    Hi Dana,
    Welcome to LCSC,I am really sorry to read of your Mums diagnosis.Firstly, my GP made a unsolicited comment to me,that I had only 2 years left following all my treatments.Well here I am 5 years later,having my final check up last Tuesday,with my oncologist telling me,he had every confidence that I was now cured,that he did'nt expect to see me again,so go away,we shook hands and we parted.
    Going to back 5 years to that initial period of just being diagnosed,these dark days,where I felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel,I really despaired that I would never be able to cope with the cancer journey ahead of me,the proposed treatments that my multi-diciplinary medical team had planned for me,it was 4 cycles of chemotherapy,in order to shrink the tumour in my upper right lung,which if successful it would make my cancer operable to proceed to having a upper right lobectomy.
    Well I am a natural born worrier,I worried about the chemotherapy making me violently sick,my hair falling out,the surgery would be extremely painful and leave me a breathless invalid.Those and I am sure so many other worries were conjured up by my overactive brain.I am pleased to share with you for all my worries,nothing ever came even close to my imaginings,I sailed through the chemo and the surgery with ease,well post surgery my wound site was a bit achey for a while,but certainly painful would have been an exaggeration.
    Post treatments,I spent some time looking for lung cancer survivors who against the odds had beaten off their cancers and were now enjoying their lives.One day I opened up a Glasgow evening newspaper to read an article about a lung cancer survivor called Robert Lowe starting up a lung cancer support group in a local hospital to me,with a lung nurse Penny Downer,well I thought what a pair of auspicious names to set up a lung cancer support group- Lowe and Downer?.Well as i read on,Robert was first dxd with SCLC and given only two months to live,he so wanted to live and asked his Docs to give him treatments that offered his best chance to beat his cancer.He was given a stong regime of chemo that required him to be hospitalised during its administation period.It was so severe on his body that his family were called to his bedside on more than one occassion,since his docs did'nt think he would see the next day.Well,Robert recovered,to his doctors amazement.That was in 1993,then in 2007,Robert is dxd now with NSCLC,has his treatments goes onto live until 2013,he died cancer free,the lung cancer never returned.
    What I have illustrated are two examples of people who have faced a poor prognosis but were successful in their fight with lung cancer.There are many more of such persons as you will discover from the other buddies on this wonderful site.Being here you can share your anxieties,ask questions of others here who will be only too glad to support you and share with you their experiences.
    About you,supporting your Mum through this difficult time can be so rewarding for not only you but your Mum too,it is a difficult road and you should be cognizent of your own emotional and physical needs,meetings with doctors,appointments etc can really wear one down,so make sure you are having support too from family and friends,don't be slow in asking for help from your friends when you need it.Your Mum needs you at her side,you can best help her by being well yourself.
    I am here if you need someone to share with anytime,I will respond ASAP.There are many other here will support you also-you are not alone.
    Please pass onto your Mum my best wishes and that her proposed treatments go well.
    Bye for now.
  24. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from CindyA in Fridays Air   
    Good Afternoon Everyone,
                                               I do hope you are all keeping well,I have just dropped by my house to check out my mail and any online messages.Lovely day here in Scotland,temps around 7 degrees celcius,not sure what that means in English,somewhere around late 40s F I guess,so its not quite spring like yet,however the days are lengthening.
          Not long back from my holidays on the Canaries Island of Gran Canaria,we went to another of the groups Island called Tenerife last October,that island was just lovely,Gran Canaria is just a little down market from Tenerife,least Playa de Ingles resort was,we did discover a little Spanish coastal town on the other side of the island called Mogan,it was really beautiful,the architecture was very typically Spanish,each house frontage was just dripping with colourful displays of exotic flowers.I think I could well spend the winter months there,plenty of sun and temps in the 70s,oh well keep doing the lottery.
           I am still working at doing my lung cancer advocate work,I was invited to attend the 3rd anniversary celebrations of the Scottish governments campaign of Detect Cancer Early,this event was held in Edinburgh,it was fun,we had some interesting speakers giving a update on the progress that has been made with the campaign,lots of positives in responses from the Scottish population getting to their GPs for check ups for lung,prostate,bowel and breast cancers,so the campaign is justifying the monies thats being spent on it.
          I have been interviewed for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation magazines Spring edition,they want my daughter and I to appear on the front cover no less,so I have a photo shoot tomorrow,the photographer lives in Blairgowrie in Perthshire,so she is not local,its a very beautiful part of Scotland,she suggested doing a outdoor photoshoot,weather permitting,forecast for my neck of the woods tomorrow is persistant rain,we shall see.
           I am part of a group called cancer buddies network,who are all survivors of a wide range of cancers,we chat online,we have met up in the past before,so another meet up is overdue,we are in the first steps of arranging a visit to Dublin in the Spring or Early Summer,this should be fun,you are all invited.
           Must dash,I have to get back to Newmains (Liz'es house) to take her two dogs out for their walkies,I have left them in the kitchen,whilst I slipped out to my yoga class and my wee visit home,just hoping they have been good and not left me a mess to clean up.
         Bye for now. 
  25. Like
    eric byrne got a reaction from Kberns in Thursdays Air   
    Good Morning Everyone,
                                            Lovely sunny  blue skies here in Airdrie this morning,temps hovering around freezing,however,Saturday sees me jetting off to the Canaries for a week,I am escaping the Scottish winter by visiting Gran Canaria with Liz.It would be just lovely to find a apartment to buy there and skip out Scottish winters in a more permanent basis,maybe my Lottery ticket will come up this week LOL.
        I have just dropped Liz off at Airdrie Station,she is off to a meeting with her employers in Edinburgh today,meanwhile I am off to Glasgow to meet up with my gym buddies for our weekly lunch date in the Admiral Pub,one of the highlights of my week,I really enjoy the banter,good humour and sorting out all the ills in the world,gosh if we could only rule the world,what a better place it would be for everyone LOL.
           I hope you are all doing well and enjoying life,bye for now.
          
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