Vortex

What my dad, Ronnie, fails to mention in his post is that I, as a volunteer at the Shavathon, was honoured to shave my dad's head in memory of my mom, Pat. Strangely, it was a deeply moving moment for me, and I felt closer to my dad than ever before.

Thanks one and all for the wonderful words of sympathy and encouragement, it is much appreciated. Michelle

My beautiful mom (and Ronnie (ronvrens)'s wife) lost her brave 3 month battle with lung cancer just past midnight this morning. She remained positive right to the end. We miss her terribly already and nothing can fill the huge void left by her. We are comforted by knowing she is no longer suffering and is at peace.

Just a quick update on Pat (my mom and Ronnie's wife)... she was admitted to hospital yesterday for dehydration which was putting the kidneys under some strain. Unfortunately she does also seem to have a bout of influenza. She is doing much better today, though and we remain positive that this is just a minor setback. Michelle

Thanks from the bottom of my heart to each of you for your responses. The weekend started out well. My mom is currently in hospital and she has been for more than a week. She has been receiving blood transfusions because her blood count is very low. Her chest has been drained. Hopefully today the drain will be removed and there is a small chance she may go home, but I am not really holding my breath. When I got to the hospital on Saturday morning she looked great (or at least as great as can be expected under the circumstances) and she was smiling and very happy that I was there. At about midday her oncologist arrived and injected some medicine into her chest that will hopefully sort out the plural effusion (see, I am learning stuff here...). This caused a bit of pain, so they gave her IM morphine as well, which made her sleepy. I spent the whole day with her at the hospital even though she was sleeping. That night she became very nauseaus. Nausea has been plagueing her ever since Chemo started, it never seems to go away. I would almost go so far as to say it has been her most distressing side effect. It is not just for a few days after chemo, it carries on until one or two days before her next chemo starts. Sunday the nausea was still very much present. I never saw her eat anything the whole time I was there. This has really worried me. I have since established that it is indeed Stage IV. My dad is going to email me the chemo she is on as well as the other meds etc. I was blissfully under the impression that lung cancer is lung cancer. I did not know you get different types. I thought chemo was chemo, and I did not know you get different types. The radiation treatment on her spine was a huge success it would seem. My mom is actually pain free as far as her spine is concerned, which is a blessing since the pain in her spine was totally unbearable to the point that she became immobile. She is on oxygen 24/7 and has been for some time now. I spent a lot of time with my dad as well, we spoke at length about our fears and our hopes and what has happened in the last 2 months. He is struggling, that is a given. I knew that from the start. He tries to maintain a cheerful front in front of my mom, but inside he is crying. He is tired and worried, but he was grateful that I was there. Hospice has been great. They have been so supportive with providing some basic tools to make things a bit easier for my mom, such as a wheelchair. Counsellors have also been to visit both my parents. Because of the side effects my mom has suffered following the chemo (extreme nausea, low blood count etc) the oncologist has decided to reduce the strength of the chemo for the next round. That should be towards the end of this week. It was due tomorrow, but my mom is really not well enough to tolerate it. My mother is a strong woman. She is brave. She has endured much more in the last 2 months than I think I could in one lifetime. I am extremely proud of her. What has really touched my heart is the unexpected kindness of people. From nursing staff at the hospital, to fellow church members, to total strangers, the outpouring of kindness, well wishes and practical help has been inspiring and uplifting. But the most inspiring and uplifting thing I have witnessed is my father's love for my mother. There is nothing he will not do for her. I am witnessing true love in motion. Once again, thanks to everyone for the comments posted thus far.

Thanks for your response, Randy Here is what I know The first cancer they found was on some of her vertebrae. They then found cancer in one of her lungs, on her adrenal gland and lymph glands and on her femur. They have done radiation on the bone cancer and she has started chemo, I am not sure what, but it takes 5 hours every 3 weeks. In the last 2 months there has not been a single week that she has not ended up in hospital for some reason or the other. Fluid builds up on her lung that has to be drained, almost weekly. The reason why I am fairly uninvolved is because I live far away from her. My father is very involved in her care, very hands on. He goes with her to her chemo sessions and he takes care of her afterwards. It has made her extremely ill. I am flying out to be with them this weekend, so I will ask all the necessary questions so that I can start my education.

Hi everyone 64 days ago my mother, age 55 years, was diagnosed with lung cancer. As shocking as it may sound, I do not know what type or what stage, but I do know its not stage 1. I realise after reading some posts here that I need an education, Lung Cancer 101. But more than that, it has been really tough to watch the suffering. It looks like I have come to the right place for some support.