stand4hope

Carolyn, I am so sorry to hear of this very great loss. I don't think I had seen your posts in a while, so I didn't know that Jim was having a hard time. Again, I am so sorry for your loss. Please extend my condolences to your family. Love, Peggy

Nope! You just can't go and that's all there is to it. We need you here, so you just can't go. Hall pass or no hall pass. Doesn't matter. Since I'm the one that gives selective permissions, that's my final decision. Have a good time, Fay, wherever you are going. Love, Peggy

Cheryl, I don't think I could even consider driving that far for the get-together, but if anything changes between now and then and I can make it, I'll do my best. I'm THRILLED to see that you are feeling well enough to plan a party!! Love, Peggy

Hi Carrie and WELCOME! Wow! I see that in July your scans showed no signs of cancer. That is OUTSTANDING! I'm so glad you joined this site, and we will be looking forward to hearing more from you in the future. God bless you, Peggy

Hi Sean and WELCOME! I am sorry that I missed your post until now. I was wondering if there was a reason why they have not used radiation on your dad's primary tumor. As far as the weight loss, my husband is down about 50 lbs since dx. Well, actually 15 before diagnosis and the rest after diagnosis. His appetite is back, but nearly as much as it was before. He eats good meals and snacks a little, but seems to get full a lot quicker so isn't really eating like he used to. He's really doing very well, but I think he's much too thin. I would like to see him put back on at least 20 lbs. Keep us posted about your dad and once again, welcome! God bless you, Peggy

Hi Ginny, I love to see your posts. You are such a dear, sweet lady, and I think of you so often. I'm glad you have a lot of family to spend time with you and to talk to. Hopefully, that will help to get you through this very sad time. Don't forget that we are all here, too. Don't worry about what you post, either. I really, really think that a lot of the healing comes from just being able to "get it out." This is a place where you can really get it out. It's just healthy to type it out, type hard, type fast and just let the grief flow if you feel you need to. I think it's very cleansing. We want to say it to others who are with us, but we just know we can't. You know you can always do it here if you ever need to. God bless you, Ginny, Peggy

Beth, I sent you a PM, but I want you to know that even though I'm not the one that has to get the treatments, I understand exactly how you feel. It's very scary to get all of these treatments and you have come to the right place to express your fears and concerns. Nobody wants to go - not ever. Please ignore the mean-spirited response you got above. This is the RIGHT place to vent, rant, express your fears, concerns, yell, scream, whine or complain. GO FOR IT!! By the way, many people on here have done just fine with Taxotere. Unfortunately, I can't tell you that my husband was one of them, but there have been several that said it didn't give them too much trouble, except maybe fatigue and low counts. You'll be ok, and besides you have all of us pulling for you (well, almost) Love, Peggy

Paddy, Thank God he got it done today! I know you said he's weak, but has it helped his breathing? Also, did he get to come home, or did they keep him? I'm also glad the doctor agreed to wait a while before doing the colonoscopy. I think that was a very wise decision you made. Write soon, Love, Peggy

Kate, I have read your post several times and tried to put myself in the same position. I think that if it were me, and my husband had that problem with his face that continued to get worse and you continued to try to get someone's attention - and didn't, that I would change doctors, or at least get a second opinion. I gave this a lot of thought because you said you feel the doctor is competent (and that's worth a lot of extra points), but still, I think this was quite serious and should have been treated as such. I like Andrea's idea about asking around and getting a second opinion. Best of luck, Peggy

Kelly, Again, I am sorry for this great loss. I know how much you will miss your mom, and I'm sending you all my prayers and love to help you get through this sad time. I just signed your mom's guest book. Love, Peggy

YIPPEE!!! Go, Teach, Go! I am so excited for you Cindy, and VERY glad that Tom's colonoscopy was ok. Now, we'll just have to pray that the other tests come out ok. I hope your daughter is still at home and things are calmer with that. Is Tom excited about your job? Way to go!!! Love, Peggy

Karen, I keep reading this thread every day and don't post because I don't think you should buy it. I know I'm in the minority, but that's ok. I finally just decided to say it, anyway. Don't ask me why, my gut just says you shouldn't do it. My husband and I have had to suffer too much in the past for things we bought we thought would bring us great joy only to have the newness wear off very quickly and still stuck with payments were that were difficult to pay and made us miserable. There have been some exceptions to this, like my husband's motorcycle and this computer and all the accessories to go with both, so I guess you have to go with your own gut, but I had to throw in my two cents. Good luck with your decision. Love, Peggy

Nancy, Try as hard as you can to not read too much into the preliminary report. Waiting until Tuesday is hard. My prayers are with you. Love, Peggy

Elaine, It's so sweet of you to post when things are hard right now. You, your mom and your family are in my prayers. Love, Peggy

So glad to hear more good news from you, Don. New clothes, renewed subscriptions, less pain . . . it doesn't get much better than that. We love to hear good news! Love, Peggy

Hi Ben, It is very common for chemo and radiation to cause fatigue like this. It did it to my husband in a big way. He was off work for two months last fall and slept nearly 24/7. He is a very strong man and had absolutely no physical problems, other than headaches, prior to treatment. The treatments just drained him. After a couple of months, the onc put him on a low dose of decadron to "kick start" him and it worked. As far as the hair is concerned, we were told that his hair WOULD fall out from the WBR, and it did - about the 8th treatment, and as far as I know, I think most everyone loses their hair from WBR. Perhaps your mom was getting a lower dose of radiation. Also, I don't think that hair always falls out from chemo, but I could be wrong about that. I hope your mom gets to feeling better soon, but please tell your family that this kind of fatigue is normal. Unfortunately, chemo is poison, and therefore, it kills some good things while it kills the cancer. The good news is that it almost always gets a lot better. God bless you, Peggy

Has anybody heard from Addie? She hasn't posted for a week, which is unusual. Love, Peggy

Hi Lisa and WELCOME. You and your husband have really been down a rough road. My husband is Stage IV NSCLC w/mets to brain, bones and liver, has a pericardial effusion and pleural effusion. He was started on Iressa the first part of June and is doing really well. We weren't given a lot of hope that it would help, however, he works every day, worked out in the yard for several hours today, and then we went out for dinner. He's planning a motorcylce trip next week (although I think he's a little wobbly about really going through with it, so we'll see). He gets new scans in a couple of weeks, and since he's doing so well, we are hoping to hear good news. I pray the Iressa will work as well for Ahmed. God bless you, Peggy

Patut, I'm sorry you are having to deal with new growth. I can't give you any info on the specific locations of the mets, but we have experienced a stable lung with new growth in other places, including the liver, and it feels very discouraging and frightening at first. However, this too, gets better. We are amazing humans. We got knocked on our butts when we get this kind of news, but within a week a two, we have adjusted and are fighting again. Please keep us posted on the treatment plan. God bless you, Peggy

That all sounds like it was pretty scary, Kel. I'm glad that the prognosis is a positive one, though. You've had quite a week. I hope you will be able to relax and enjoy the holiday weekend. God bless you, Peggy

Nina, You made me laugh. I tried to figure out a way to make it work, but sigh, there just isn't any way to make 55 work either. I do remember when our son was 7. His birthday is 4/7/77, so we had a lot of fun with him on his 7th birthday about this. I can just hear him bragging when he reaches 77. Too bad his birthday wasn't in July. Tee Hee. Peggy

Denise, I was so very sorry to hear about your mom. You were so attentive to her and took such good care of her that I know God is beaming with pride. You will miss your mom, as I miss mine, but you will forever be grateful that you were able to spend that last week with her. I spent the last week or so with my mom in the hospital (day and night) and I will treasure the memories for the rest of my life. May God wrap His loving arms around you and all of your family and friends and hold you up as you make your way through this difficult time. Love, Peggy

MJB, Since these symptoms suddenly appeared so long after radiation (6 weeks), I would definitely call it to the attention of the doctor. Peggy

Aggie, Thank you for posting about Ray. I am so glad to hear that everything went so well. We all care very much about your brother and you and all of his family. Thanks again. Peggy

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Faith! Happy Birthday to you! Love, Peggy P.S. Connie, Ry: What's a "golden" birthday?