Addie

You know you're an LCSC member when you talk about mets...and everyone else thinks you're talking baseball!

Oooh, fun one, Ann!! I'm gonna go with the name I'd picked for my second son...had he been a girl....that NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY else liked. I loved it. Aubrey! In fact, Aubrey Mairghread. Mairghread is Gaelic for Margaret...and my mother's name was Margaret. It's pronounced (far as I know) "Mare-gred". Some mouthful of name, huh? It....uh....probably suits me, with the big mouth....ya think?

Now, THAT ONC is a doc who knows how to hold a pork chop...eh? What's with these pulmonary docs saying there's nothing more to be done? Sheesh. What would she know about chemo or other txs? Tell Beth we miss her and her humor. Tell her you got your Mojo back and I've rediscovered my Addietude and Beth better find her...her.....you know....whadda we call that thing?.....oh shoot.....I'VE GOT IT....it's her Bumor!! (Beth + humor = Bumor! ) We could use a little Bumor in the Pub, couldn't we, Cin?

Had both whole blood and platelets, and then back the next day for more blood. Only one time. Platelets were totally tanked.....12K. Hemoglobin was 6.00 and by they time they got me TO transfusion...it had gone down more, to 5.6. Hematocrit was also low...19.5. I did feel better after...more energetic. The next day, maybe...not immediately. But then I tend to be high energy most of the time ...but as I told you before Jen, the nurse reran my blood thinking the machine had made a mistake. She said with platelets only at 12K and hemoglobin that low, I should have been face down on the floor. Yet I walked in under my own steam. They made me go upstairs for the transfusions in a wheelchair, though! I walked out when I was done!

Well, I better get my pork chop back because I won't be doing any more drinking any time soon. Except at Cin's Pub! I have to tell you first...I'm back on track, mentally. The CT techs know me by now...and I told her my worries and after she scanned me she came back in the room and said, "I think your liver looks just fine! Of course I don't have any old scans to compare to...but it looks fine!" It was like a 1,000 lbs. lifted off me. In actual fact...this was at 1:45...and by the time I saw Cooper, he had the prelim. report in his hands. My liver is stable. No specific info yet...but NO growth or NEW tumors. Huge relief. As for the brain tumors...we will radiate. Cooper says "It works. We know it works. So we use that first!" If I were ever to need more tx for brain tumors, Temodar will be an option...but it doesn't always work and radiation invariably does. As he pointed out too, my brain mets are all pretty small. He seems confident rad. will wipe them out...AND I stay on the Topotecan for my liver mets...because, "It's still working!" Thanks to all of you for the prayers and support. I just know it helps. I was a mess this morning compared to how I normally deal with this stuff...and now I'm fine....but for the fact that I have to go on Dilantin to make sure I don't seizure and I cannot drink and it's recommended I don't drive for now. My onc is also putting me on Decadron...8 mgs daily. So I will stop my prednisone and hope the Decadron pills treat me as well as the infusions. The 'roids really don't bother me much. They make me talk a lot...but I was head of my class in the "talks too much department" long before steroids! Anyway, Cin's got her Mojo back and I've rediscovered my Addietude....so watch out at the pub tonight, cuz the lime slices and celery sticks will be flying for sure!

I have a CT of my chest, abdomen and pelvis today at 1:15 and then a 2:30 appointment with my onc to see what the game plan will be. I called in this morning and asked one of the gals in my onc's office to call up to CT and ask for a "wet reading" which means an immediate, initial impression called in to my onc. What is likely to be needed to take care of my brain mets won't do a d*mn thing for my liver tumors...so my onc is going to have to get creative, I guess, depending on what the CT shows. If there is progression in the liver or elsewhere in my gut...this ain't going to be easy. Hardly slept last night. Me, with Addietude. I'm like a bug on a hot skillet. Had to take a Zofran this morning as I'm literally sick to my stomach from nerves. I didn't do this all weekend. Held myself together until about 1:30 in the morning today. Have been awake ever since and of course, had to quit eating and drinking at 8:30 or so....for the CT. A ginger ale would settle my tummy some...but gotta wait till after the scan. I ask you all for good thoughts. For nothing going on in my liver or elsewhere in my gut. For a good game plan for the brain mets that - while I know it will render me fully hairless again - I hope it won't do any worse than that. Deep breath. I can do this and be okay. There will be a good plan. I can do this. P.S. Anybody wanna hold my pork chop for me, for the next 2-3 hours?

I promise I won't do it. Nope. Not gonna. Even though it's terribly tempting. Should I? No. Can't. It might offend someone. And it's just a joke....I don't mean to offend. Better keep quiet. I cannot stop myself. It's just begging for a comment. Oh, save me....here I go....... ....so you wanna tell us again, Cindy, why you couldn't understand the phone message? Your doctor is from where? What good news Cindi! So this was a virus, not a met? Pour me one, darlin' and I'll hoist it in your honor! Don't forget to let us know what the doc has to say on Tuesday...that is, however much of it you're able to interpret! (A disclaimer...I mean no disrespect to ANY ethnic group. Just trying to inject a little light humor here....and it's proof of how much I trust you guys that I do so. I figure you know me well enough by now to know I mean no harm or disrespect. Besides, my Polish friend Lucy would give me one upside the head if I besmirched her ethnic background! )

One light bloody mary, two light transfusions with vanilla vodka. I might not have done my liver much good today...but I managed to get to tonight with a minimum of tears and even a couple of laughs. I have "at least a dozen" brain mets. But the largest is only 1 cm., which is the good news. The MRI machine is only a month old...state of the art...and highly sensitive. It showed up 2 mm. mets. I had a chat with my rad. onc, since my onc is out of town and so is my primary. Rad onc says I can still have some brain radiation...and he will call my onc first thing Monday morning to figure out a game plan. I see the onc Monday afternoon after my chest/ab./pelvic CT. The other option that is most likely is Temodar but I don't know at this point whether I'll also continue on the Topotecan. Temodar comes in pill form. Original developed for brain cancer, I think...but works on mets too. I've sort of got my mental state on hold right now. Leapfrogging again. I'll worry when I have no other options. But I can mentally put off the worst of this till Monday when I find out the game plan. I keep telling myself...I FEEL good. Okay, sure, I had a little headache today...but sheesh, it's probably a pure tension headache, wouldn't you think? Can't drive anymore though. At least my rad onc highly recommends against it in case I seizure. Geez, I drove myself to chemo Monday and Tuesday of this week. I so appreciate all your good thoughts, wishes, prayers and positive thoughts. I'm gonna just keep putting one foot ahead of the other.

Thanks a lot, Rich....I'm off to read now.

Suki's getting lobster? In the hospital? You can bet no hospital dietician ever came up with that idea...eh? Good thoughts headed her way. The lobster will go a long way towards making a hospital birthday more palatable, don't you think? Lobster, some good company and an early release. Tell Suki I said to feel LOTS better soon.

My search function isn't working at the moment...and I'm not in a frame of mind to dink around to fix it...so I apologize for taking the easy way out here, but does anyone have any info on Temodar? Been on it? It's one option being looked at for me for my brain mets. Guess it goes to the brain unlike a lot of other chemo drugs. Temodar is given in pill form, I think. Any info is appreciated! Thanks. P.S. I've got a dozen or so mets...but all are smallish. Largest one is 1 cm.

Peggy... My thoughts are with you, dear one. Wishing you strength and all the comforts that may exist during such a terrible time. I hope it helps to know how much you are loved and valued right here.

You're looking for your Mojo...and I'm looking for mo' vodka! Cin...we just have to hang tough, I guess. More roadblocks...more obstacles...more treatment. But we're still here and have some fight left in us, eh? Sending good thoughts your way, which I know you'll reciprocate. I'm not ready to buckle yet and I know you aren't either.

Things are what they are. I thought about not posting...but I posted a question in Ask The Experts, so it's just a matter of time till someone see that. I have brain mets. Several. In the cerebellum and on both sides of my brain. Don't have an actual count nor do I know how large they are. All the doc saw was the preliminary report. My onc is away...so it was his newest partner that gave me the word and I could tell he was very uncomfortable having to pass on this news. I tried to comfort HIM by saying I do better knowing...than not knowing. It's 11: in the morning and when I told my hubby, he poured us both a bloody mary. Mine has hardly any alcohol in it...but either way, what's the diff? Seemed like the best thing to do at the moment. I'm hoping to get a call back from my radiation oncologist. Even my PCP is out of town for the weekend and I'd like to talk to someone who can give me a little info on options. Any of you out there who had PCI and then later had brain mets....what treatment options were you given? I understand that there is an oral chemo that gets up into the brain...and that is one option for me. Another obstacle to try to get beyond. Wouldn't mind catching a little break or breather between treatments...you know....but like I said, what is...is. Now I just have to hope that my CT on Monday of the chest/abd./pelvis doesn't result in equally bad news.....eh? Sorry to throw another wrench in what was supposed to be a month of good news....but trust me, this wasn't my idea.

I have to wonder too, why your med. team didn't suggest the standing MRI , but I'm very glad you found out about it, Jen. You can do this. The pain should diminish pretty fast with the radiation....and it's very good news that the tumor didn't invade and was held steady by the topo. Remember, TOPOTECAN WORKS!! Thinking of you sweetie...and knowing you'll be feeling better very soon.

E.... I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter...and also that you are still in such pain. I'm out the door soon for an MRI...but had to drop in to say I'm sending your family my very best wishes and vibes for answers, resolutions, fixes to all that needs fixing!! Stay strong...as I know you can and will...and know you have the collective backing of everyone here to provide a little wind 'neath your wings, for as long as you need it! More later...

Takes a wee bit to absorb this sort of news, I know Jim. But your attitude has been stellar all the way through...so absorb it, you will...and then you'll go forward. When I get bogged down mentally...I say I "leapfrog" the negatives or the fears and focus on the positive. I figure you'll do the same! I hope you tolerate the chemo well and that it zaps the little sucker into oblivion....cuz we don't need no d*mn cancer mucking with your fishing time, now, do we? Sending nothing but good thoughts your way, Jim. Let us know how it goes.

No OR staff has probably had so many laughs in years! Betcha Beck had 'em chuckling all the way through the procedure. Hope you're sitting up this morning Becky, enjoying the first of many, many bowls of green jello and dry toast. We expect to hear all about it later! Missing you, sweetie...and sincerely hoping all went well and that you'll be home soon, feeling chipper. Love you.....

Bless you, Lisa. I've been working up a good "mad" myself lately and if I knew where to direct it, I would chew off an ear or two expounding on the topic! What with Jennings' death and now Dana Reeves dx...the light is shining brightly on lung cancer. I saw on CNN today that there is a special running on cancer on Sunday night at 8:00. I plan to watch. We'll see how much attention is paid to l.c. There were 2-3 articles in our local paper (lovingly called the Fish Wrap because generally that's about all it's good for, is wrapping fish ) today, on Jennings and lung cancer and cancer in general. Strike while the iron is hot, I say. The focus is on us right now...so making a good noise might help. I might fire off an email to two to abcnews.com and even People mag. Thanks for the thought, Lisa. You rock!

Armed with Ambien and later, Ativan....I found that Tylenol PM worked pretty good for me. I asked my onc which of the three was better to use...and of course he said the Tylenol as it's not habit forming. Well, now Tylenol is out with something called Simply Sleep. It has no pain reliever in it like the Tylenol PM does...and most of the time all I wanted to do was sleep....I had no pain. My problem is that I'm on a low dose of prednisone which has me up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom and when I come back to bed....I cannot fall back to sleep. Simply Sleep has solved that problem! It says you can take two pills...but one is all I need. I recommend you try it. If it works for Ken...so much the better if he doesn't have to take anything stronger OR more addictive, eh? Hope it works for him.....

Joanie... See the card in my avatar? Can you read it? I'll hold your pork chop for you! You go pour the wine and haul out the chocolates, ok?

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/200 ... OE=LIFISVA She's a strong woman. My best wishes are with her to beat this.

USA Today had this: http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/200 ... OE=LIFISVA

I caught this too, Tina. My son's girl called me to tell me to turn on CNN. Perhaps Jennings' death will bring some needed attention to l.c. I just hope, now that he's gone his family might feel less need to guard privacy and might be more open about the kind of l.c. Peter had...thereby shining a light on this disease...or KEEPING the light shining on it. Lung cancer needs more research money....we all know that. And losing Peter Jennings might ultimately help that happen. But oh, am I going to miss seeing him nightly, in my den, telling me what is going on in the world.

Can I substitute caramel filled Hershey's kisses and caramel filled mini Milky Ways for hot dogs? Aw hell, what do I mean CAN I....I already HAVE!! So okay...my blood sugar was up a teensy bit but even the nurse said it was a negligible amount. Yes, life is short. Sometimes I eat dessert first...and sometimes I ONLY eat dessert for dinner. I figure without hair, who the heck cares what I weigh, cuz I can't sing and I ain't gonna win the Miss America pageant anyway!! Somebody pass me dog, will ya...and go heavy on the chocolate sauce?