stand4hope

B--A--L--O--N--E--Y-- WE ARE NOT GOING TO LET YOU GIVE UP. Bean_si, I don't have answers to give you, but others will help you. I just know you can't give up! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't give up. Love, Peggy

Hi Marie and Elaine and WELCOME! I was off the board most of last week so I missed this post. You have come to the right place for answers to questions, support and caring. Marie, it sounds like you are surrounded by a loving family and Elaine mentioned at least TWENTY-ONE reasons for you to fight this beast with everything you've got. :D :D :D That's 21 smiles for your husband, your 6 children and 14 grandchildren. Your six children and everyone on this board will hold you up when you think you're falling down, and cheer you up when you think there's no hope. There is ALWAYS hope. Keep us posted please. ($10 fine payable on demand to Ry for everyone that counted the smiles ) God bless you, Peggy

Ry, It's very frustrating to try different meds and keep getting side effects. I seem to have trouble with pain meds. I've had several surgeries and usually need pain meds. I'm allergic to Percoset, and Vicodin and Codeine make me sick. When I need something stronger than ibuprofen, tylenol or aspirin, I usually get Darvocet prescribed. It's not as strong as the others, but it helps. I'm going to send you a PM. Love, Peggy

Ashley, I'm so very sorry about the loss of your dear father , and I'm sorry I didn't see this post earlier. My prayers are you with. Love, Peggy

Hi Trish, I'm sorry I missed this post and am late in replying to you. Welcome to LCSC! You sound like such a wonderful, loving daughter. I bet your parents are really glad they have you around to help them out. Sounds like your mom normally takes care of a lot of the stuff around the house (paying bills, etc.), and since your dad is going to continue to work, I'm sure they will be happy to have you help as much as you can. Keep us posted on your mom's progress. God bless you, Peggy

Hi Kreed and WELCOME! You have come to the right place for support, caring, information and even laughter. We will all do everything we can to help you and your mom get through the battle. Take care of yourself during the process and post often to let us know how the both of you are doing. God bless you, Peggy

I'm sorry you didn't feel well enough to go, BLT, but I'm glad your husband was able to go. I bet he had a great time. Tell him thanks from all of us for taking all those risks in WWII to allow us to be free people today. God bless you, Peggy

Hey, Mo. I was thinking you were in Ohio, I see you're in Missouri. What you guys are getting now is headed our way.

This first and second round have finally passed through Indy, so we're now bracing for the last round that is supposed to come in about 7:00 or 8:00 tonight. I've had my computer shut down for the past several hours until it all passed, and I'm going to hop in my car and drive to Crawfordsville to check on my dad and then 'git my butt back home' before the evening storms hit. I think they have restarted the race, too. Anyone out there in Louisville? I heard you guys got it TERRIBLE and there was extensive damage in downtown Louisville. I hope all of you in that area are safe. Peggy

Good morning, JoniRobertWilson, You are going to get a LOT of replies to this one. There are a ton of people on here that have lived WAY past the doctor's prognosis. My husband and I have never asked for one and don't want to hear it. Only God knows the answer to that one. Hang on - it's a holiday weekend, so the activity might not be as heavy on here, but you will get all kinds of replies from those who have knocked the heck out of a prognosis. Best of luck to you, Love, Peggy

Welcome back, Nina. I'm glad you had a good time. Peggy

Hi Jane, I don't think there is a lot that you can do to change the situation. It's a common problem, though, and I know it is very frustrating. My mom and dad lived in a little trailer for about 25 years, and as their health began to decline, I started talking to them about moving to an assisted living situation. They never had much money and wouldn't even discuss it and would just say they were staying there because it was "FREE". They were both very competent, so there just wasn't anything I could do about it. They lived about 30 minutes from me. Their decision made it a lot more difficult for me over the years. Mom would have bad spells and I would have to jump in my car and get over there to help out, get her to the hospital, and take care of a variety of things. After my mom died, I couldn't get dad to move either, again, because it didn't cost him anything to stay there. I know that in their hearts their home is their home and it's very difficult to get them to move. I have taken care of my dad for the last five years since mom died. My mom, like your dad, had lung cancer. My dad, like your mom, has severe COPD, and for the past five years I have used my Sundays to buy his groceries, wash his hair, cut his toenails, clean his house, etc. On Jan. 30 of this year, my dad fell and broke several ribs and ended up in the hospital. His condition has declined ever since. Currently he is in a ventilator-equipped skilled nursing home. He is completely bed-ridden, can't do any physical therapy, is on a continuous feed feeding tube, is receiving 100% oxygen, but still is in good spirits most of the time. Looking back on the past five years and looking at the type of care he is getting now in the nursing home, I have no regrets that I had to make that drive. I would do anything to get him out of that nursing home, even if I could get him in our home, which I can't because of the constant care he needs. The nurses, respiratory therapists and aids at the facility are all highly skilled and wonderful ladies, but they have one nurse, one RT and two aids for 35 patients (16 of which are on ventilators). They are running ads every day, but there is such a shortage of nurses and it is such hard work that some nurses quit after a short period of time. I am telling you all this because it might be better that your parents stay right where they are. The 45 min. drive is a burden for you, but it breaks my heart to see my dad in this type of environment. My suggestion would be to put off moving them as long as you can and as long as you can stand it or deal with it. I believe they stay healthier longer when they can stay in their home environment. I know it isn't ideal, but once they get into the assisted living, nursing home situation, I think a lot of our moms and dads, husbands, wives, etc. lose their fighting spirit because they aren't in their own homes. Just my two cents. I know this is a very difficult situation for you - I've been down that road, so send me a PM anytime. Love, Peggy

Hi Ellen, I think I must have missed your introduction earlier - I don't remember posting anyway. Welcome to LCSC! This is an absolutely wonderful group of people that you have made contact with and you will get a lot of answers to your questions here. My husband has not had surgery, so I can't help you with that, but I probably can with the way he is coping. You husband sounds exactly like my husband - doesn't want to talk about it, angry, etc. There is another lady on here who has a similar situation, but I'll let her contact you if she sees this post. I just read your first post where you said I don't know that I would use the word pessimist to describe my husband, but he can be that way. He is very outspoken, strong-minded, strong-willed, self-disciplined and opinionated about things. He would definitely be described as a choleric, while I'm just the opposite - sanguine. We actually are a perfect match, though, because his strengths help me, and my strengths help him. After 36 years, I've just learned when to confront him and when to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes I miss it, but even when I do and what I ask or say makes him angry, it usually turns out that it was the right thing to do. Feel free to PM me at any time, and we can compare notes.Once again, WELCOME. God bless you, Peggy

My dad is a WWII veteran, and my husband is a Vietnam veteran. May God bless all our wonderful veterans, and I pray that all Americans will stop for a moment and realize that the freedoms and blessing that we have are because of the sacrifices of so many. God bless everyone!! Love to all, Peggy

Hi Jen and WELCOME! I don't have answers to your questions, but I do know that it is normal to be scared. It's probably kind of hard to believe right now, but eventually you will get over the shock of the diagnosis and be glad to move to the next step of treatment. I don't know why it is, but it just seems that after a while, it gets more comfortable to talk about it and fight it, especially when you have found this wonderful board of supporters that will cheer you through every step. You can come here when you are up, when you are down, when you need advice, and when you feel like cheering up someone else. It will come in time. Just breathe, breathe, breathe. I've told my son since he was a little boy to relax his shoulders when he's feeling tense - it works every time - you just can't be tense and relax your shoulders at the same time. Try it. Once again, welcome! God bless you, Peggy

That was great, Dean. Thanks for posting it. This one was my favorite: I remember how I felt the first day I walked through the open door on this web site. What a blessing it has been. Love, Peggy

Thank you, Dean. YOU'RE THE BEST!!! Love, Peggy

Hi Kim and WELCOME! I am no help on your surgery question, but I wanted to give you a great big welcome and tell you that you have come to the right place for answers. God bless you, Peggy

Becky, I, too, remembered almost all of them, and especially the song. I never knew all the words but I sure remembered the chorus. Thanks for sharing that! Peggy

Beth, Everything will be ok with the WBR. My husband had WBR because he had so many brain mets, and then a couple months later had Novalis treatment (a fairly new state-of-the-art stereotactic radiosurgery that is done with a new machine called "Novalis" that pinpoints each tumor and gives it a megadose of radiation - other similar procedures are called gamma knife and stereotactic radiosurgery). The doctor is right that there could be areas that cannot be seen. My husband had some confusion and was sometimes slow to respond toward the end and after the WBR and it scared me to death, but after a reasonable time, those things began to disappear and now his mind is as sharp as it ever was. Our onc told us that if serious side effects are going to happen, it is usually years down the road and asked us not to worry about that - so we didn't. I will pray for you and your husband. God bless you, Peggy

Sandy, Praying for a clean scan for you. Ginny: Riding her bike is a very good thing, but bugs snuggled in the teeth - YUCK! PUKE! GROSS! KEEP YOUR FACE SHIELD DOWN, SANDY!!! Love, Peggy

Shirley, That was a beautiful tribute to Randy and the love you shared. Thank you for sharing your deepest feelings with all of us. God loves you!!! Peggy

Mawka, I have chronic back pain and have had most of life, but NOTHING like you described in your posts. I, too, have trouble laying flat on my back for MRI's, but NOTHING like you describe. You can bet your butt that I will never complain again after reading what you have been through. I am so glad you finally got them finished, and I pray that you will get some answers and treatment to relieve you of that horrible pain. God bless you, Peggy

Hi Deidre and WELCOME! I have no knowledge about your diagnosis or treatment, but there are a lot of people here who will jump right in and give you a ton of information. They will probably ask you for a little more information, though, like what treatment options your doctors are proposing, etc. You have come to the right place for help. Everyone here is warm, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable (and also very funny at times). Once again, welcome! God bless you, Peggy

Shelly, I am STILL praying for you girl!! Love, Peggy