Addie

Okay...we all remember from Science 101 that our fingernails are actually hair, right? (That might be a bit simplified...but bear with me here, okay? ) Okay....so chemo or head radiation makes your hair fall OUT, right? Then tell me why my fingernails are long and strong and in better shape than they've been in a long time!?? Anyone else notice this? I mean, if hair and nails are both comprised of fast growing cells (as is the gastro tract)....and chemo attacks fast growing cells (which includes cancer too)....wouldn't you expect an impact on your nails? I just wondered if anyone else on chemo has noticed that while their hair has taken a hike, they have fingernails like Elvira?

WE want your dad to win the battle too....so all good thoughts and vibes are coming his way. Try to get that PET moved up!!!! And do keep us posted...ok? Thinking of you....

Today, May 10th, marks a year since my original diagnosis!! Somehow it seems worthy of celebration despite not being NED or even done with round two of chemo yet. So focused was I on this date....that I also forgot, a few days ago on May 6th, that that marked a year ago that I quit smoking!! I think the two occasions merit a bag of caramel filled Hershey's kisses - don't you? They are my latest sweets craze. Anyway...nothing really earth-shaking in this particular "anniversary". I'd much rather be posting that today marked a year of being NED....you know? BUT....I'm here, I'm feeling pretty good and there is a blue, cloudless sky today that makes the budding trees in my yard look brilliant green. If ALL ain't right with the world....enough is, that I can smile...eh? OH...bloodcounts taken yesterday are up from my crash on Friday. HGB back to 8.7, which is still low but above the "danger zone". Platelets increased from 12K to 62K. My onc has decided though - that in order to avoid my counts tanking again - to cut me from four days of Topo (at 3 mgs a day =12 mgs total) to THREE days of Top at 3 mgs = 9 mgs total. He assures me this is still a good enough dosage to kick the cancer's butt. Some of you might recall that three cycles of the Topo cleaned out my pancreas completely and reduced the four liver tumors by half...so my concern is wiping out whatever is left. But my onc also wants to avoid the need for more transfusions...which also makes sense. Anyway...maybe Cindi will pour me a virgin Margarita...with just a drizzle of tequila on top...so I can celebrate this day. You think she would?

Sending strength and all good thoughts your way! You'll figure out the details...because you already know what matters most, right? A retired hubby DOES need something to do, though...(trust me, I've got one!! )...so how does Bri feel about cooking? Laundry? Building you a new coffee table? Needlework? (Hey...if Rosie Greer can knit....why not Brian, eh? ) Landscaping? Take a deep breath, Pat...and don't let the details get you down. Prioritize...and things will fall into place. We were on our way to Arizona to live when I was dx'd (which, BTW, was a year ago today!!) and hubby is out there right now, trying to get the darn house finished so we can sell it. We're staying put, despite the fact that we've had enough snowy winters in the past 22 yrs here to last us...well, a lifetime! The priorities??? Remaining near my doctors whom I trust...and near one of our sons, who lives 10 minutes from us now. The rest will fall into place so I try not to worry about things. There will always be lots of support and even a few really good ideas to be found here ...so look at this site as a great resource (I know you already do) and a great place to unload or vent whenever needed! Good thoughts coming your way.....good, getting-the-devil-OUT-of-the-details thoughts!

Shame on me for being late to this NED party...but I am delighted for you, Rachel!! Hope you and NED keep company for a loooooong, long time to come Congrats on the great results...and keep it up!

That's a great big WHEW from here, Jen!! Glad to hear the good news. Now...tell mom not to be fooling around on that new "escalator" all day long....okay? (Seriously...those chair lifts are a boon in some cases. Great idea to put one in!) P.S. I had two units of blood and one of platelets this weekend myself...and didn't even realize how tired I was until they kicked in. I actually scrubbed the kitchen floor yesterday! Glad the cause of mom's symptoms was easy to fix with the transfusions!

That's a great big WHEW from here, Jen!! Glad to hear the good news. Now...tell mom not to be fooling around on that new "escalator" all day long....okay? (Seriously...those chair lifts are a boon in some cases. Great idea to put one in!) P.S. I had two units of blood and one of platelets this weekend myself...and didn't even realize how tired I was until they kicked in. I actually scrubbed the kitchen floor yesterday! Glad the cause of mom's symptoms was easy to fix with the transfusions!

Curtis.... This is about as heart-warming as it gets. Your care of Katie's emotional needs is....well, spectacular. Becky is smiling...I know it. This made ME smile and want to cry at the same time...as it's such a lovely, touching thing you did. Sharing it with others at church makes it all the more beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us, how you celebrated Mother's Day. Hugs to you and Katie.

Lisa...I always knew you were a good woman! Funny aside...and just to clarify for those who've NOT heard me say this before...but my drink of choice (when I drink, and aside from a long time love of Margaritas) is actually called a Transfusion!! At least in the East. Vodka, grape juice, splash of ginger ale. My personal twist on it, is to use vanilla vodka. Out West...it's called a vodka cooler.....but here, a Transfusion. Pretty comical, eh? I look forward to a fully healthy liver when chemo is done....so I can have the kind of transfusion that doesn't require a port! Had a check on bloodwork today and the #'s are coming up just fine. Platelets up from 12 to 62, and HGB up from 5.6 to 8.7 - above the danger level of 8.0. Will go back for another check on Thursday. Oh....and my onc is cutting my chemo from 12 mgs. to 9 mgs., and four days to three days....so this doesn't happen again. He assures me we'll still be giving the cancer a good whack...but won't risk my counts tanking this drastically again. I actually had the energy yesterday to scrub the kitchen floor! On Mother's Day, no less! Told my onc I was like the guy who didn't know he was a drunk till he sobered up!! I didn't know I was out of energy, until I had a surge that had me grabbing the mop...you know? Anyway....I'm doing fine....no more wobbly knees and it's even sorta warm out today! Wishing everyone else a good, sunshiny day!

Congrats to all....and where's my Margarita?? We must always celebrate the good news...even when there is also bad news. Balance, people...balance is achieved by remembering the good in the face of bad....right? Listen to me. Ms. Philosophy...eh? Oh, just shove a half lime in my mouth, refresh my drink and point me to the jukebox. That'll shut me up for a few minutes. Bring on some more good news....we all can always use it, right?

Holding a good thought for you guys, Peg...that this is something other than a met. I'm so glad DH is "letting you" call the doc These guys can be stubborn about stuff like that sometimes, eh? Please let us know what you find out and meanwhile...I'll be vibing for something NON cancer-related and easy to fix.

Frustrating....for sure! Get the second opinion...it'll make you feel better no matter what ultimately happens, I think. Sending you calming vibes and strength...and sending wisdom vibes for any doc involved! Hope you get this all resolved to your satisfaction and comfort. It's hard sometimes...knowing if we are making the right choice...huh? Keep us posted....

Summagun....I've got you by two days and totally FORGOT to celebrate May 6th!! I quit at noon that day, and had my biopsy that evening. Congrats to both of us....eh? I cannot say I've been that tempted to smoke again...but one day a guy sat down next to me in my onc's lobby...and his jacket REEKED of fresh smoke. You know how sometimes smoke on clothing smells yukky? (Most of the time, actually!~ ) Well this guy smelled GREAT!! The only thing I can figure is, he must smoke my old brand for it to smell so good. I enjoyed it. But not so much that I want to smoke again. And my low bloodcounts lately have caused a little bit of sob when I go up and down the stairs. Not fun. Wouldn't ever want to cause more sob by smoking again....you know? Congrats on the victory, Beth....and on sticking with it. I know it's not easy....

Another thought from someone who knows nothing about needing oxygen...but who has had some noticeable sob lately......due to low bloodcounts!! Mainly going up and down the stairs! I huff and puff. Before you presume anything....when was the last time you had a CBC?

I had an interesting weekend, so far. Friday, had an appointment to see my onc to go over results of my last brain MRI. All was well on that score...nothing showed up that wasn't "a normal part of the aging process" and that one little 3 mm. spot from before was smaller, less distinct and "nothing to worry about". I showed up, having had a rather persistent bloody nose that morning that I thought was the coumadin. They ran my bloodwork....and the nurse said she ran it again because she thought the machine had made a mistake. Here goes: Counts as of April 25th and Friday WBCs 23.3 (range used: 4.5 - 10.0) - now 2.5 RBCs 2.59 (range: 4.50 - 5.90) - now 1.95 HGB 8.6 (range: 13.5 - 17.0) - now 6.0 HCT 25.8 (range: 41.0 - 53.0) - now 19.5 Platelets: 491 (range: 150-350) - now 12!!! They were sort of surprised that I wasn't face down on the floor! But other than being a bit tired lately....I haven't felt any different, really! When the hemoglobin drops below 8.0, they generally send you for a transfusion. I had to wait for a chair upstairs on the oncology floor where they do the transfusions...and by the time I got up there....my HGB had dropped further to 5.6. They sent me up in a wheelchair because I'm sure they figured the walk - even to the elevator - was more than I could handle!! Doesn't look good to have people passing out in the halls of a hospital, you know? But heck...I'd walked in on my own steam... Anyway....twelve hours I was there on Friday ...between my onc's office - waiting - and getting the transfusions, and waiting up there. I got blood and platelets and then had to go back yesterday for more blood. But I tolerated it so well that the 2.5 hr. infusion of Saturday morphed into only 1.5 hours. I got sprung early, minimizing the amount of hospital food it was necessary to eat and thereby saving my gut from another gastric disaster like the one that had me up in the middle of the night Friday. Oh...and yesterday morning the cyst/staph infection on my leg that WON'T heal (thanks to chemo and suppressed immunity) started to go into the lymph nodes. My first clue was a thigh with a huge swollen lump on it! I'm now on antibiotics for that. Came home to a huge box on the porch...a new, funky robe from my "cyberteam" of support.....14 friends who are the greatest!! They all decorated a yellow fabric hardhat (remember, the hardhat is one of my symbols of this fight against cancer?)...that one gal then sewed onto a bubblegum pink fleece robe she made. It's SO 1950's I just love it!! Anyway....far as transfusions go.....these three weren't bad....but I much prefer the ones with grape juice, ginger ale and vanilla vodka....ya know? I've got two more cycles of chemo to go. You can bet the ranch on the fact that I will schedule bloodwork after both...even IF the onc doesn't require it!! I'm not ready to run a marathon yet...but I'm no longer a tad weak in the knees AND my nose stopped bleeding a long time ago! Strange feeling though...since this was my very first transfusion...to think someone else's blood and platelets are coursing thru my body. Today, I'm not just grateful for mothers....but for blood donors, too!

SO glad that Melanie's pain has been reduced...and that hubby is okay with Hospice too. I think for some people, they cannot seem to consider Hospice as anything OTHER than meaning it's the end...and that's NOT the case. Sometimes Hospice is the window to yet another opportunity to kick the butt of a disease, once a person gains strength! You get stronger, Melanie...and then start kicking some cancer butt...ok? All the best thoughts, wishes and vibes coming your way.....

Oh my .....didn't see the other post in Spirituality...but am vibing all positive and good thoughts Rick's way and hoping he'll be home soon and on the road to feeling much better. Hugs to you, Katie.....hang in there!

Oy! Hope the meds work fast. I'm not sure this works for males...but if you were a female, David, I'd tell you to add chocolate to your "required medicine list" along with those antibiotics. Feel better soon....

Hey, Betts.....can you feel the love coming from here? We do love you and miss you, sweetie.... Best thoughts your way, always.

Your mom has an amazing and tough spirit, Kel...and she is always held in my most positive thoughts to (as you put it) keep winning these rounds.

Wow...two days? Your follicles are quite reactive, eh? It took more like 9-10 days for me when I had the PCI...but with the direct hit on the noggin, it all came out in about 2 days. Mind you...I had very little. Maybe an inch of white fluff...as it was just coming back in from chemo. After brain radiation, it takes longer to come back in - I was told. And it did take about 3 months before it even STARTED to come in. Then I started chemo again...and suffice to say, my poor hair is confused. Some parts of my head have 1.5" long bits...and some have 1/4" fluffs. It's pretty ugly...and I'm coming up on nearly a YEAR without any hair to speak of. As for your sore scalp...do you have any Aquafor? I'd slather some of that on at night, and wear a cap to bed. Otherwise, ask the Rad Onc if there is something specifically made for the scalp. I bet you look gorgeous without hair, Cathy...but I know what you mean about feeling prettier WITH it. I'm missing my hair by now...anxious to get some back and have a REASON for that wee brush that is still in my purse from long ago...but NOT being used.

The cyber-grinch ate my post!! Just checked back in here and couldn't find it. But...post or no post, Betts, you're always in my best thoughts, my most positive thoughts. I hope all is going well for you and hope you'll soon feel up to posting an update for us all. Miss your presence here....and still hoping for a miracle for you....

I hope Hospice helps you gain some strength to where you can tolerate more treatment, should you choose to do so. I'll keep you in my most positive thoughts and vibes, Mel. Let us know how you're doing...we're pulling for you.

Uncle Doug... My dad used to say, "Every s.o.b. with a mouth has got to sing!!" This was back in the days of variety shows on t.v. when the singing sort of got to him...but Dad's comment can be adapted to the smoking debate too, I think. I'm sorry you had to hear from someone who finds courage enough to private message a boatload of blame and nasty comments....but likely never has enough courage to state such feelings publicly. It's sort of like people who send anonymous letters....they love to "sing" or mouth off...but can't take the heat they'd likely get for doing so publicly. I think your reply was brilliant. And I'm pretty sure you have given no credence to whatever was in the P.M. Bad enough this disease has the stigma that all of us with lung cancer did this to ourselves. Nobody here needs more recriminations heaped on them for not yet being able to quit the habit...break the addiction. There is one woman here whom I intentionally did not tell about my lung cancer. I let her find out thru the grapevine....because it later came back to me that the FIRST thing she uttered was, "Those damn cigarettes!!" I knew it would be something like that...and I didn't want to hear it. This woman....if you can believe it....is a former smoker herself. I don't hear from her much. I guess that's no surprise either.

Just caught up to Ron's sleeping problems in the other thread...and then saw this. Well....now we know, huh? Ron's "sleeping pill" is the contestants from American Idol! I remember getting a prescription for Ambien early on....from my PCP. Then...when I began chemo, I had a script for Ativan. I also have used Tylenol PM in my "former" (pre-cancerous) life....so one day I asked my onc which of these meds was best for me to use. He said, "If it works for you...stick with the Tylenol!" I think you can become too reliant on the Ambien or Ativan. All it takes for me is one Tylenol PM. For a guy, it might take two pills...but it's worth a try to see if it does the job for Ron. Cheaper...no risk of the drugs becoming physically habit forming. I'm SO glad he's starting to feel stronger. Boy, it's a big help to physically feel more on top of it all...as that transfers to the mental aspects in major ways, I think. Getting decent rest is a major part of it all....so whatever it takes, I hope Ron keeps getting a good night's sleep. Keep us posted, ok?