MayFrog

Dolly, please accept my sincerest condolences on your loss. Mary

Awesome news, Rich Keep it up!! Mary

Congrats, Becky!!...and here's to 2000 more!! Mary

Thanks, Peggy, for posting this. Jane is always in my thoughts, and I sincerely hope she finds the peace of minds she needs and deserves. If you hear from her, please pass along my good wishes for her...... Thanks again, Mary

Welcome, Melanie! So glad you found us, and so sorry you had to. I, too, have 4 kids (although only 2 are home right now) and I know how frustrating it can be to have your life turned upside down. Going from working and taking care of the kids & house, etc,. etc., to "doing nothing" as you recuperate can be sooooo frustrating, even depressing. You ARE on the mend, things WILL get better....you've received wonderful advice here. Please keep us posted, looking forward to seeing you often. best wishes, Mary

Welcome, Wendy glad you found us, but sorry you had the need to.....hang in there, and keep us posted. Mary

So glad you're home!! I reacted the same way when I first started losing my hair....I swear, I spent an entire evening just pulling out hair and putting it in big piles....I was totally amazed by it!! The next day, I had my husband shave my head...the kids thought we were out of our minds, but we all had a good laugh. Mine's just started to grow back, so now I have to live up to a promise I made: My husband shaves his head bald regularly, so I told the kids we were going to have our picture taken together (and both of us were going to take out our dentures) and use them as Christmas cards.......I don't know about sending them out, but we DO have a date with the camera tomorrow!! I just hope my son can stop laughing long enough to get at least one pic that's in focus!!.....then again, maybe blurry would be better! Best wishes, and hope your recovery continues........ Mary

So very sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad.....he will be missed. My thoughts go out to you and your family..... Mary

Renee, My heart goes out to you for the loss of Scott. I'm so glad you've found comfort in the fact that he was home, he was peaceful and he was with his family. You'll be in my prayers. Mary

Angie, So sorry you're at such a low point right now. All I can do is send prayers and good thoughts your way.....lots of 'em!! Mary

Shawn, So very sorry to hear of the loss of your mom; Sending prayers your way to give you strength during the coming days, weeks, and months....... Mary

Wishing you a successful trip.....all my best wishes, Mary

Oh, Cat....so glad you're not among the missing anymore but, dam*, i hate to hear that air of hopelessness in your post. You've been such a compassionate friend to so many on this board....i've always looked forward to your posts: they're unique and quirky and filled with spirit!! I hope that spirit finds you again....you deserve to be on the receiving end of it for a change......my best thoughts are going out to you, and I hope you don't stay away too long...... Wishing you find the peace you deserve, Mary

Hi Laura Ann and Welcome! So sorry you and your mom have to deal with this; but glad you found this site. Any time you feel the need to ask a question, rant, vent or just say "hi".....feel free. We're all in this together.... Best wishes to you, Mary

Hi Nana...and welcome! I recently finished 18 weeks of chemo, and I know my sleep schedule was really out of whack for a while......i'd sleep more during my chemo weeks, and then be up all night in between; I'm just now returning to a normal schedule. I worked as an LPN for 15 yrs.....had recently moved into the Real Estate field (3 yrs ago). I had worked on an oncology floor of a chronic hospital a while ago, and most recently had worked in a nursing home setting where CA was pretty common in the history of my clients. I find good and bad sides to having the (albeit limited) knowledge that I have. It's an advantage to be able to read and understand the medical "lingo" and "shorthand" that's tossed about; but it's also kinda scary when I can recognize the seriousness of certain symptoms, procedures, etc.....i tend to read more into things than most, I guess. I understand what you mean about accepting help from others....so many times I am tempted to flush my own IV and change my IV bags when one goes dry.... But, I let my oncology nurses do their thing; it just helps that I can talk to them in their "language" (besides, I have no real experience with administering chemo, which I know you must....that must be kinda hard on you). One thing I do stress to my Onc is having him tell me new developments in "english---lay person's terms".....sometimes when I'm worried or stressed, it's a lot easier to understand than having all that medical jargon thrown at me. I'm an excellent caregiver to others, but when it comes to ME, I dunno....I tend to block some things out, especially at first....I need time to come to grips with my situation, then I'm ok. Hope your treatment goes well, and hope to hear from you again......best wishes to you, Mary

Hi All, I watched a news story last night here in Boston that I thought might interest any of you battling Mesothelioma. It pertains to a young girl (she was diagnosed at 29) and the experimental surgery she had that might possible save her life. Here's the link: [/url]http://www.thebostonchannel.com/asseenon/3733242/detail.html My best to you all, Mary

Angie, My heart goes out to you and your family during this most difficult time. Haldol (haloperidol) is an anti-psychotic which can work wonders to "control" behavioral issues, but it is a heavy duty drug and needs to be carefully monitored; your dad needs to keep his blood levels of this drug stable to have it do any good--changes/drops is levels can cause worsening of his psych symptoms. If it does work well while you are able to get your dad to take it, maybe having it given IM (in a shot) might be a more stable way of making sure he gets his correct dosage. Just a thought. Hope things improve for all of you, Mary

Elaine, You are so right....this disease is just soooo sneaky, causes so much stress wondering if "nothing" is "something". I'm hoping your "nothing" is "nothing"........ Can't help too much except to say that an awful lot of nerves meet at the wrist, and sometimes if you are putting pressure on your wrist (like at the mousepad) the wrong way, it can cause tingling and/or twitching of the hand. Hope that's all it is, but if you're really worried, you know enough that getting it checked out is really the best thing to put your mind at ease. Thinking of ya, Mary

BORING is GOOD!! Good luck today!! mary

When signs in a foreign country are in English, any combination of words is possible. The following are real-life examples: AT A TOKYO BAR: "Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts" AT A BUDAPEST ZOO: "Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty" AT A BUDAPEST HOTEL: "All rooms not denounced by twelve o'clock will be paid for twicely" IN A HONG KONG SUPERMARKET: "For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service" AT A NORWEGIAN COCKTAIL LOUNGE: "Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar" IN A TAILOR SHOP IN RHODES: "Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict order" A LAUNDRY IN ROME: "Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time" IN A CZECH TOURIST AGENCY: "Take one of our horse-driven city tours--we guarantee no miscarriages" ON A VIENNESE RESTAURANT MENU: "Fried milk, children sandwiches, roast cattle and boiled sheep" IN A SWISS MOUNTAIN INN: "Special Today--no ice cream" A DOCTOR'S OFFICE IN ROME: "Specialist in women and other diseases" IN A MOSCOW HOTEL ROOM: "If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it" AT A VIENNA HOTEL: "In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter" AT A HONG KONG DENTIST: "Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists" AT A SWEDISH FURRIER: "Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin" gotta love it!! Mary

CONGRATULATIONS!! WELL DONE!! Mary

Guinness is also full of iron.....plus you get the added fringe benefit of a little buzz Mary

Marge, My heart goes out to you and your sis....and your entire family. Double whammy doesn't even begin to describe what you must be going through. Will keep you all in my thoughts......and, please.....vent and ramble any time you want!!!! Mary

Hi Deb, So sorry you had to experience such a lack of empathy on the part of that surgeon. Makes me so d**n mad when I hear of things like that.....absolutely no excuse. Hopefully, you'll get a good medical oncologist, and that this Dr of alternative medicine can give your mom the support she needs. Keep us posted, Mary

Welcome, Marion Seems like you've been through the mill lately.....so glad the Iressa is working.....hope to see you often. Mary