TheresaKB

Rachel, Nothing much to offer but prayers. Brain mets are very much beatable as proven by a lot of brave people here in this board. In the meantime have fun camping in Oregon. Oregon is my favorite place to camp. We've camped at Fort Stevens and Honeyman a few years ago and will be going back to Honeyman this summer. Hang tight! You'll be in my prayers. Theresa

Hi Norme, Outstanding! Here's praying for many more days like today for you and Buddy. Theresa

To Sam's family, Please accept my most sincere condolences. May the Grace of the Lord give you strength in these trying time. Goodbye Sam, you will be greatly missed. Theresa

Hi Carmen, I will be saying a special prayer for you tonight. Be strong. Theresa

Andrea, I will be praying for you and for your Mom. Theresa

Hi Norme, Praying for you and Buddy. Theresa

Hello, Welcome! I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. I am glad though that you have found this site. I think one way of doing it is to just let your Dad explore this site. A lot of the people here like myself were lurkers for a while until they decided to come out and share their experiences. This is not only such a warm, wonderful and supportive site but also is filled with a lot of information for your Dad to read and learn from and find comfort and inspiration in even if he decided to just lurk around. Once again, welcome and rest assured that you, your Dad and your family will be included in my prayers. Theresa

Hi Jason, I am so sorry for you loss. Please accept my sincere condolences. I hope that time and the wonderful memories of your Dad will help ease your pain. Your friend, Theresa

Hi Jay, I have never responded to any of your posts before but I have followed and read your story. I admire you for your bravery and fighting spirit. I also can feel your anguish right now. As I am sure you probably already know, having lung cancer is like going on the fastest and most topsy-turvy rollercoaster ride there ever is. Through all of that ride I would like to let you know that I will be rooting for you and praying for you to have the strength to carry on and fight this da** disease. Meanwhile, live your life to the fullest. You most certainly deserve it. Praying for miracles. Theresa

I am so very sorry. I will be praying for his soul and also for you and your kids. He was a great man.

My Dad had a cough for a very long time. My Moms' oncologist (Mom was undergoing breast cancer treatment at that time) suggested that he get x-rays to rule out cancer. He had x-rays done in March 2002 that turned up negative. He also had pains in his hips and shoulder blades at that time that his regular doctor attributed to arthritis. He was given vioxx. My Mom had heart surgery June of 2002 and was in ICU for 6 weeks. During that time my Dad's pains intensified. But he never complained and we were also pre-occupied with my Mom who had severe complications with her heart surgery to notice anything wrong with my Dad. My Dad took care of my Mom the whole time she was in the hospital. Two days after my Mom came home, my Dad suffered a major stroke. A few days later he was diagnosed with lung cancer, NSCLC, stage IV and inoperable. He had extensive mets to the bones (hips, ribs, shoulders, etc) and the brain. He stayed in the hospital for 5 weeks until finally we decided to bring him home under hospice care. He passed away four days later while my Mom, my sister and myself were holding his hands and telling him how much we love him.

Hi Norme, Welcome! So glad to see you back! I am very sorry about Buddy. I do hope and pray that he has a speedy and easy recovery from the surgery. Hopefully being at home will help. I do not have anything to offer but prayers. I hope and pray that the two of you will have the most cherished time together for as long as time permits it. You have been an exemplary wife to Buddy. Please take time to rest also and take care of yourself. Praying for miracles, Theresa

Hello Sally, Prayers coming your and your brother's way. Theresa

Hello, I don't have anything to offer but prayers for you. I also think that you should not push your surgery for later. The sooner you get this da__ thing out of you, the better. Be strong, prayers are coming your way. Theresa

I am so sorry for your loss. I am sending special prayers for your Mom, you and your family.

I am going to say a special prayer for you tonight. Keep fighting!

Sam, Good for you!! I am very happy to hear of your good news! Theresa

Hi Sam, Prayers heading your way. Theresa

My God, this just breaks my heart. I've been looking out for her posts the past days and had been wondering about her. She'll be included in my prayers. I will miss her. My thoughts and condolences to her family. Eternal Rest grant unto her O Lord, And let Your perpetual Light shine upon her. May Ada Waddell and the Souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in Peace. AMEN.

Special prayers going your way. Theresa

Hi shellie, I've missed your posts and I will surely miss them when you're gone. You are a wonderful daughter. Theresa

Hi Connie, Just would like to let you know that I will be praying for your quick recovery. I always look forward to your post. Your humor and great positive attitude serve as inspiration to a lot of people. Get well soon! Theresa

Hello, I am sorry to hear about your Mom. Did you try UCSF? UCSF is in the top ten or twenty in the country with cancer research and treatment. Also you can try Stanford Medical Center. Call the oncology department and ask for the New Patient Coordinator. They are pretty fast at getting back with you if you leave a message. Good luck and I will add your Mom to my prayers. T.

Hi, I live in the San Jose area and my Dad's oncologist recommended Stanford Medical Center for my Dad to get a second opinion and maybe Iressa. Unfortunately my Dad never did make it to his appointment. Here's the number to call: New Patient Coordinator (Oncology Clinic): (650) 723-7471 You will probably get a voice mail but they call back within 24 hours. I saw an article about the best hospitals for cancer patients in the US and UCSF is ranked much higher than Stanford. Anyway, my Dad's Oncologist was Dr. Raymond Lee of San Jose Regional Center. He is also my Mom's oncologist. We like him, he is very nice and compassionate. Good luck!

Hello, I have been a lurker for a while. I would just like to share with you my Mom's experience with the vent and trache. She had open-heart surgery in June and was on the vent for 2 weeks. She just did not seem to want to be weaned off it. She would get panic attacks, shortness of breaths, etc. The doctors talked us into putting on a trache on her. They said that this might be better because she would be more mobile and can communicate more with us and also it would lessen the possibility of infections. My sister who is a nurse agreed with them. She also said it is easier to wean a person from the trache than from the vent. My Mom was on the trache for 2 weeks more, but when she started getting ready to be weaned off it, she went by leaps and bounds. One day she was off the trache for 2 hours (huffing and puffing) and then the next day, 12 hours. There were some setbacks but one day she just stayed off the trache for 24 hours and was never on it ever again. She was sent home a couple of days after that. It seems like the person just needs