stand4hope

Cheryl, Congratulations on stable and for finishing the trial! You are quite a fighter! Prayers for success for the next one as well! Love, Peggy

Hy Kyle and WELCOME! GREAT COMMENT! I LOVED THAT! We had a LC news link posted here recently by someone, and that particular website had a link to an lc forum. Out of curiousity, I followed the link and was SHOCKED, absolutely SHOCKED at the advice that was given. The owner of the site was giving the most dreadful responses to people I've ever heard. Said things like "That's just the way it is. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about it." My mouth dropped open I was so shocked at such discouraging words. SO GLAD YOU FOUND THIS SITE! These people are so hopeful and optimistic, that when someone is ready to quit fighting, we blast them with more ammunition and encouragement and they are usually ready to get out there and try something else. It's great here. JUST GREAT! Once again, a great big WELCOME to you, and God bless, Peggy

Hi Wanda and WELCOME! Ry is correct, this is a very scary time, but I'm glad you found us early on. It's scary for all of us, but we've found it's a LOT easier to get through it if we have each other to share our fears, good news, bad news and laughter. We have many long-term survivors here and I hope you will grow to love them, trust them and rely on them as I have. God bless you, Peggy

Good advice, Di! Becky, I agree with Frank. We all get depressed at times. Me, too! Just out of the blue I will feel depressed and just generally have "Who cares!" or "Why do I bother?" attitude. I don't know where it comes from or why, but just boom and it's there. I usually just try to tell myself that this will pass and just go with it, and it does pass. I know you are dealing with some heavy issues right now, which would be enough to depress any of us. On top of all that, there is the stress of the holidays and getting everything done, so your feelings are ok. Just flow with it and hammer away. Just don't slip and hit hubby by mistake! LOL! Love, Peggy

YIPPEE! Ok, start cookin' the cheesecake, and tell hubby to put on the brown sugar chicken special because I'm comin' for dinner. Just don't tell Ry! Love, Peggy P.S. I sure hope you find your underwear by the time I get there!

WOOHOO JIM!!!!!! I can't remember exactly what your post said when you had to start all this up again, but I do remember that it was very scary. This great news just made my day! I am SO excited for you. Love, Peggy

Oh my, Joyce. You are entitled to whine. Whine away all you want. I saw your post under Ask the Experts and was going to send you a PM, but since you posted here, I'll "talk" here instead. I am so sorry that Steve is having to deal with this. I can't imagine not being able to read. It seems like everything I do all day long involves reading. That would be quite an adjustment to make. BUT, on the up side, it sounds like they will be able to do something to fix it! AMEN!!! Please give Steve a big hug for me and tell him HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Love, Peggy

Di: Lots of prayers for a smooth-free time getting the PCI. I have a strong feeling that you will get through it just fine. Alice: HI AND WELCOME!! Please come and post more often. Good luck with your PCI treatments tomorrow, too! Love, Peggy

Hi Deruo, I sure hope they don't plan to do radiation to the chest and brain at the same time. If they do, RUN to a different doctor. I'm sure they are planning to do one after the other. PCI is different that WBR, but they did my husband's WBR first because that is where he was symptomatic. Since I don't see any mention of brain mets in your mom's profile, I'm assuming the brain radiation is PCI, which is preventive. I don't know which they will do first. Other SCLC patients, or oncodoc, can better answer that question. But, I wanted you to know that I will be praying for your mom. Love, Peggy

Hi Christine and WELCOME! I agree with all the other posts above me. Don listed several of the potential chemos that aren't as harsh. My husband is Stage IV and has cancer in many places, but Iressa (a pill taken by mouth once a day) has kept him stable since June. It doesn't work for everybody, but it has worked for many others on this board - some for well over a year. If the Iressa ever fails (hopefully never), but if it does, on our last visit the onc said he would try Alimta. It's supposed to be as effective as Taxotere, but not nearly as bad side effects. In fact, a couple of people on here have reported they had no side effects at all. It's pretty new on the market, but is starting to be used by many. Prayers are being said for your mom, Christine. We're all in this together and we're here to help in any way that we can. God bless, Peggy

Gosh, brilliant minds just think alike, huh? I, too, was just thinking about you yesterday. I noticed you haven't posted much and wondered how Bob was doing. I'm glad you reported in and sooooo glad the pain his better. Those radiation treatments are a God-send for that horrible pain. I know how much it helped my husband with his shoulder pain. He literally walked around with his arm tight to his side and holding it close. He would wince with pain even to get up out of the chair - and that was with steady Percocet and ibuprofen. The radiation took 7 or 8 treatments before he felt relief, but he has been pretty much pain free ever since (just a few twinges here and there). So glad he's better and glad they both get a chance to rest. Love, Peggy

Cheryl, My first comment was going to be the same thing Theresa said. Gossip is always cruel, but unfortunately not illegal. That's probably a good thing, otherwise I would have ended up in jail a long time ago. Truth is also a defense to any type of slander or defamation, and proving real damages is next to impossible. All that being said, I think Laura gave you some pretty sound advice. Maybe it would help you get through this if you thought of how you would advice the children in your care to react to viscious attacks by their little friends, or better yet, since you're a Christian, to ask "What Would Jesus Do?" Some time ago, a friend taught me a response to say to someone who feeds you with the bad news, or gossip that hurts you. Here are a couple of examples: "Well, that's odd, I really like ________. I'm so surpirsed to hear that he/she feels that way." Another one (if you don't like the person - lol): "Gosh, I'm sorry to hear that. _________ is a good person and a hard worker. I didn't know he/she felt that way about me." Two things can happen with this type response. First, it takes away some of the desire for revenge, and second, if it gets back to the person spreading the gossip, it heaps hot coals on their head and they are usually convicted of their gossip. There is a verse that talks about that in the Bible, and I will be happy to look it up for you if you like. In addition, again knowing you are a devout Christian, I have a favorite Bible verse that helps me to get through things like this: Romans 8 : 28 "All things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose." Please note it says ALL things. Not some things, but ALL things - even bad things. Also, I have a quote stuck on my wall at work that has helped me and many others to get through difficult times: "Everything works out right in the end. If things are not working right, it isn't the end yet." Michael C Muhammad Love, Peggy

Congratulations, Ry! That is the neatest story. We adopted our son, too. He was seven weeks old, and today he is 27. There's nothing like it is there? Other than those times when I think it's the stupidest thing we ever did (LOL!), I would go back and do it all over again and love every minute of it! Congratulations! You got to celebrate an anniversary birthday (her birth into your family) AND her 13th birthday just four months ago. How cool! Love, Peggy

I don't know if there is an established limit, but we were told it definitely could be repeated if the tumors began to grow again, but WBR could never be repeated. Peggy

I'm not sure what to say to this TAnn. I don't think I've heard of this happening before. I do know that when my husband got his 6-week MRI after WBR, they said it was standard to do this MRI, but that the tumors really wouldn't look much different because it took more time to get a clear reading of the actual shrinkage. I do know that I cried right there on the spot when they showed us the pictures because they looked exactly the same to me. In your case, I don't understand there being "growth". That just doesn't make sense at all. Hopefully MD Anderson will have a different spin on the results. I'm sure you are really upset, and I understand that you are sick and tired of all this. Give yourself a day or two to work through it mentally, and I bet you will be ready to attack this once again. All my love, Peggy

Becky, I'm thinking I missed the seriousness of your post about how bad things are for you right now. Looks like I zeroed in on the "black magic, happy dancin', and voo doo doll" words. I would never intentionally make light of a bad situation, so I hope no one got the wrong idea. (But, I do thank Nina for demanding that the pins be taken out! ) I replied on another post in the past few days that I just don't know why bad things come in bunches, but they do. All the efforts to try to look on the bright side are difficult if not impossible when it's all falling apart. I know. I really have been there. I remember a long time ago when we didn't have enough money to pay our bills or to even buy oil to heat our house. Any comments that "money isn't everything" fell on deaf ears. No, money ISN'T everything, but it's one of the closest things to being in hell that I ever recall going through in my life. No roses, children smiling, scripture quotes or anything could take away my fear at that time. I don't know all your bad things, but for you to even mention it, I'm sure it's like my dad would have said: "Bad Bad!" All my hugs and prayers to you! I think you know that I love you with all my heart, and I will be praying for you and your family to have a very Merry Christmas and for better days ahead. Love, Peggy

Not sure I agree about the negative energy, Beck, but we've certainly had some bad news. As a matter of fact, I see positive energy in response to the bad news. I like that! That's a good thing. In any case, I'm all for dancin', but it's got to be to music of the 60s, sumthin' like this: Twist and Shout, Twist and Shout. Come on, come on, come on, come on baby now Come on baby, Work it on out! Work it on out! Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it baby now . . . . Good night all! Peggy

Why do things seem to come in bunches? Prayers for peace and trust coming your way, Lisa! These are God's favorite things to give and see. Prayers, too, that all is well with your mom. Your family will be ok. If they are looking at you as an example, I KNOW they will be ok. ((((((((((((LISA))))))))))))))))) Love, Peggy

You ARE one heck of a woman. With all the bad news, you still gave your dad hope. It doesn't get much better than that. I know how that decadron works. Now he will probably eat you out of house and home. Better stock up! LOL! Oh, yeah, and he will also keep you up talking all night. I'm impressed with how fast they got the WBR mask made and the treatments scheduled. I believe those are GOOD signs. Angie, I care! Hang in there! Love, Peggy

Ok. I've got to admit (sorry girls) that my vote (posted this morning) was for the guys. I didn't vote that way, though, because the guys had the "funniest" jokes, because, honestly, I don't read very many of them. I voted for the guys because Frank worked so hard at it this month. It seemed like every time I logged on and went to "View Posts Since Last Visit", I had to get past 4 or 5 of Frank's new jokes! Hey, anybody that puts in that much effort needs to win once in a while, whether their jokes are good or not! Peggy P.S. To be perfectly honest, everyone of course knows that my-my-my one joke (yeah, I post one about every 3 months) was the funniest one for the whole month! Yuck! Yuck!

Elaine, I don't know about you, but these guys sure made ME laugh - hope you did, too! Love, Peggy

I guess it doesn't really matter what we think. Only your dad can answer that question. From what I've read on this board, most of the time, the patient knows when he/she has had enough. From your other comment that "he wants to continue", it sure sounds pretty clear to me .... which leads me to your second question: I don't see Iressa anywhere in your profile, and that might be a wonderful option. Also, if he just has the one brain met, stereotactic radiation (i.e., gamma knife, Novalis, etc.) might be an option. If his current onc isn't willing to try other things, and your dad does "want to continue", then I would quickly ask your dad if he would be willing to get a second opinion. Just my thoughts based on your post. Sending my prayers and hope for a great future for your dad. Love, Peggy

Elaine, I'm not sure about what you have to drink, but I know with the abdomen my husband had to drink something an hour before. I just don't know what or how much. In his case, the liver is always scanned with the chest CT, whether he gets the abdomen scanned or not, so I'm sure they got your liver. I think the adrenals always show up, too, on the chest CT, but I don't know how extensive. Maybe the doctor ordered a more thorough type of exam for the adrenals. I don't know - I'm just pulling things out of the air here. I'm trying to think of anything except they "saw something", which I know is what you are thinking. And, you know what? Even if they did "see something", I'm glad to hear they are being thorough and went back in to check it out. I don't drink, but if you do, now would be a good time to have one. LOL! Love, Peggy

Tears here, too!!! It's so hard to be thankful when it's all coming apart, isn't it? But this we can and must do. I think it's the only key to survival. I love everyone on this board, and I am THANKFUL to have met all of you. I THANK GOD that He gave each and every one of you life and the desire to come here and be a friend. More tears. . . . . . . Love, Peggy

Angie, I forgot to mention that he also had some short term memory loss and confusion, kind of slow to respond, but this only last for a few weeks after WBR. Love, Peggy