stand4hope

Hi Tina, Give Rachel a big hug of congratulations from me, and tell her I said she looks just beautiful. I agree with everyone else, Charlie looks terrific. You're right - he is amazing! Love, Peggy

Oh, Cindi, I really, really hope and pray that you have no mets, that the procedure will help you with your breathing, and you go home feeling a lot better. Love, Peggy

She fought so hard. I'm so sad. Betty, I miss you. Love, Peggy

Hello Mark and WELCOME! We love to hear good news like yours! Please keep it coming! God bless you, Peggy

You bet it is! What wonderful news! That will give your mom something else to look foward to. Congratulations! Love, Peggy

Once again, Charlie, thank you for the update info on how you're doing with Alimta. It's good to hear that it is going well. Have a great weekend! Love, Peggy

Dear Wendy, My heart breaks every time I read of a loss on this website, but it's crushed when I hear that someone has lost a spouse. I can't even imagine how large your pain is. I am so sorry. May God hold you very, very close and hold you up during this difficult time. Love and hugs, Peggy

Dear Cindi, Sorry I'm so late here. You've sure been having a tough time, and I wish I could do something to help. I think that everyone that has reported fluid and had it drained has also reported that they felt soooo much better after it was done. Just think these thoughts: Take it nice and easy, think slow, slow, slow, easy does it, lazy, relax, nap time, oh! nap time again! There's no sense in pushing it to unpack boxes. Just use them for snack tables while you're resting. Love, hugs and prayers - and lots of them! Peggy

Hi Donna, I don't think I've had a chance yet to welcome you to our website. WELCOME!!! My understanding is that PET scans are very accurate at finding cancer (better than 90% accurate), and unless the cancer is very small, it can't hide from a PET scan. However, there is something like a 10% chance of things lighting up that aren't cancer caused by inflammation, scar tissue, etc. These are called "false positives". "False negatives" (showing there is no cancer is rare unless the lesion is very small). Also, it's very hard to pinpoint the exact location of a tumor. A CT scan does a much better job of pinpointing the exact location, size, shape, etc. A PET scan is very good for detecting bone lesions. PET scans aren't normally part of an initial workup. They aren't generally done unless there are symptoms or pain problems outside the area that the chest/abdoment/pelvic CT covers. They are very expensive (approx. $3,500), and some insurance companies don't like to pay for them unless it is "medically necessary". About that liver met, since it is very small and perfectly round, I would "guess" that it is probably ok. I'm not a doctor and certainly not an expert, but I don't think there is anything "perfect" about cancer, including the shape of most tumors. That's why I'm guessing it's probably just a normal spot. This is probably about 3 paragraphs more than what you wanted to know, but I hope it helps. Once again, WELCOME, and I'm glad you found us. Stay close to this board because you will get a lot of encouragement, knowledge, support and laughter. It's a great group of people, and it's a very active board. Love, Peggy

Hi Debi, That was a GREAT story! Thanks for sharing it with us. I'm still waiting for somebody to come up with a cure for the anxiety at scan time. You did a terrific job of remembering your thought processes and putting it on paper. It sure put into words what a terrifying time it is getting scans and waiting for the results. Love and hugs, Peggy

Dear Pat and Brian, I've heard that Cisplatin can be pretty darn tough to get through without a hitch along the way - strong stuff! I'm sorry to hear it's knocked him on his hiney, but glad to hear he's going to get a little break from it. I know they give tons of fluids with it, but I've read others say that they also take several bottles of water to drink while they're getting it, and that helps, too. Maybe he could try that. Also, I can ditto part of your post: My husband's onc has said the same thing. They are amazing guys aren't they? Love, hugs and prayers for both of you! Love, Peggy

Well, I'm a day late, but I've got an extra dollar, so I'll send it to Cindy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATIE!! Love, Peggy

Dear Mary, I am so sorry to read this about your dad. I know how sad you are feeling. I lost my dad last June and it was a very sad time. I am so sorry. How wonderful that your parents were married 48 years!! Your mom is really going to need you, if nothing else just spending time with her when you can. I'm sure it's very hard for her to lose him after so many wonderful years together. May God bless you whole family. Love, Peggy

Oh, Kelsey, I am so sorry. I know this is devastating to you and your whole family. What a fighter your mom was, and what a caring and loving daughter you were to her. May God bless you and hold you close. Love, Peggy

Hi! I don't know anything about Avastin, but wanted to jump in and welcome you to our group. My husband had taxotere/carboplatin the first round and gemzar/navelbine the second. The first set was kind of rough on him, but he made it through it. Everybody has different side effects from different chemo cocktails, so it's hard to say how they will affect you. We just hope and pray that it gets rid of the cancer so you will come back with a NED (No Evidence of Disease) report in the not-too-distant future. Once again, WELCOME! Peggy

Shopping therapy - works for me! I'm so happy to hear that she is better, Andrea. Hugs for both of you! Love, Peggy

Hi Christy, I just feel weak when I hear that people are having so much pain from treatments and from the cancer itself. I wish there was some other way to kill this stuff that isn't as toxic as chemo. I will pray for your mom, Christy, and for you, too. Love, Peggy

Ann, I remember your post about Virginia and that you got a lot of responses. I am sorry to hear that she is gone. It gives me chills to realize how God put you two together and gave you the opportunity to touch this woman's life, and vice versa. God bless you, Ann, and I'm sorry you lost your new friend! Love, Peggy

Add my prayers to the list, too, David. I know how it feels to get this kind of news, and it just stinks. As you know, Gamma Knife has a great history of success, so I'll be looking forward to seeing a report in a month or two that says you are once again empty headed. Take care of yourself and give Karen a hug from me. Love, Peggy

Thank you to the best friends in the world!! I can still encourage all of you, though, because he is still doing well in spite of all that. He's just amazing! He had a very good day today. He worked in the yard for more than 4 hours this morning. He did admit that he overdid it a bit, though, and took it easy the rest of the day. He's eating well and three of us devoured a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner. We'll be ok, and so will all of you. One day at a time. We will have a fighting plan by the end of next week. I had my two days of "getting over the shock", so now I/we can focus on getting on with the fix. Love, Peggy

Dear Bet, I am so sorry. This happened way too fast. May God hold you very, very close during this sad time. Love and hugs, Peggy

Well, we have one out of 3 test results in - the PET scan. You've probably seen my questions about part of it, so I'll give you the results and then let you know how the echocardiogram, CT and onc visit go next week when we get a plan of attack. In the spine, there are 7 lesions, one at T12, T10, T8 (2 separate lesions in T8 ), T2, L5 and S1; the largest is 3 x 2 cm, and the others are all about 1.5 to 2 cm. The right side has a large lesion in the iliac crest, a 2 cm lesion in the femur, and a 1 cm lesion in the pubic bone. The left side has a very large 6 cm. lesion in the iliac crest, extensive uptake in the entire acetabullum, and 2 large lesions in the femur (about 4 cm each). He has three 2 to 3 cm. lesions in the sacrum. There is a 3 cm lesion in the right chest wall, one small one in the "right chest" (whatever that means). There is a 2 cm lesion in the manibrium, and 1 cm. in the left axilla lymph node. The most upsetting is a 4 cm. lesion in the liver that is a new finding. He did have a teeny tiny met there, but it was so tiny 2 mos. ago that it didn't even show uptake on the PET scan, but it did show up on the CT and was probably only about 5 mm. in March. Even with all of that, he still only has mild discomfort in the left hip, the area of the iliac lesion. So, I don't know if they will radiate or wait until it gets worse. In any case, because of the 4 cm liver lesion, we're pretty sure it will mean no more Tarceva, and he will be offered Alimta, which is the only other option available. Like I said, we get the other two tests next week, but he doesn't get his brain scan until July. I don't even want to know what that one has to say. Actually, I don't want to know what any of them have to say anymore. I know you will all get on my back about saying this, but I wasn't going to give you any results. I know that his story has been an inspiration to so many of you, and I just can't even believe that I am now having to come here and tell you that he is having all this progression, going on medical leave, etc. I'm used to telling you all how good things are going and how active he's been, and encouraging you with his good reports. It just breaks my heart to the core to think that this news will discourage ANY OF YOU!!! But, nevertheless, I know we all have to learn to take the good with the bad, so there it is. I wish I could continue to use him as the "good example" to give you all hope, but I'm afraid that hope for him has faded a bit and there's no sense in me trying to hide it. Don't worry - I'm not giving up hope. I really do "stand4hope", so I've got hope. But you want to know what really ticks me off? There is no trace of any cancer at all in his entire left lung, and that's where this whole thing started. They were able to wipe out a 7 cm. tumor and 4 brain mets, but because this sh*@ had gotten into his blood stream . . . oh well. I quit. I've said enough. Good night and love to you all, Peggy

Hi Jana, I'm sorry to hear of your mum's progression. Believe me, I'm dealing with the same thing here, and I know how upsetting it is. I hope I'm not overstepping to ask you this question, but I was wondering if your mum is experiencing pain or symptoms of any kind with the spinal mets. The reason I ask is because my husband has had some actually quite large spinal mets, and several of them, for at least a year now and they haven't given him a problem, so they have left them alone. The reason they do that is because they can only radiate the same area on the spine one time without the risk of damaging the spinal cord. This way they wait to see if they cause problems and don't give the radiation until it's needed. If she's not having pain, I'm wondering if you might think about getting a second opinion before they do the radiation. I'd hate to hear that she has problems in those places a year from now and they can't radiate to relieve her pain. Love, hugs and prayers for you, your mom and Karen, and anybody else in your family that needs them. I know how hard this is hard, and I can feel your heavy heart. Love, Peggy

Well, phooey, Nina! I know you wanted to get this over with so you could know what's going on. How is your pain? Are you going to be able to wait that long? Sending big prayers and even bigger hugs! Love, Peggy

Hi Elonda, and welcome to LCSC. Your mother is very brave and you are obviously a very loving daughter. Ginny is right, the days ahead will be pretty tough, and we are here for you on this site to give you our support and love. Stay close! Love, Peggy