Addie

Thumbs up, Rich!! And since I'm ALL thumbs some days, that's a lot of them up for hearing such great news!! So happy for you!

Karen... I'm so sorry. My thought are with you and your family as you face this difficult time. I'm so glad you will be able to spend more time with your folks...and take your kids out there too. Just know I'm thinking of you, sending thoughts your way.

Glad to know mom fared so well with surgery. Give her our best, tell her we hope for a speedy recovery and that she'll be back soon herself to let us know how she is doing. Thanks for letting us know!

Well....anyway, Fay...in order to be a true picture of a PoultryGeist....the reflection really shouldn't be in a mirror. It should be reflected in your t.v. screen shouldn't it?

So glad to hear there's been some improvement in your aunt's condition, MaryAnn. Will hold all good thoughts for her that she continues to improve and get stronger...and that she doesn't pick up anything from being in the hospital!! Hoping she'll be well enough to go home sooner than the end of the month!

Have had two head MRI's in the closed machine...so I realize it's a bit different, perhaps, if more of your body is inside the machine. However, the tech placed a washcloth over my eyes...so that even IF I opened them, I could not see how close the machine was to my face. It helped immensely! I could sort of look down my nose and see light in the adjoining room...which kind of oriented me, and that helped too. Mostly, I kept my eyes closed though...and concentrated on just breathing normally. But I maintain that having that cloth over my eyes was a big help and I recommend it! My first MRI I did take a 5 mg. valium to calm my nerves. The second time....I didn't even think about a valium since I knew what to expect. Hope your mom does okay with it...but if you're reading this and she's not had it done yet....tell her to ask for a wee cloth to cover her eyes. I swear it helps NOT to be tempted to open your eyes and see how enclosed you are in that machine!

Fay..... EEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your tribute here to your mom is extremely moving. I'm so sorry for your loss...but it's quite clear that you and your mom had a wonderful relationship and I know that will be of great comfort to you. My sincere sympathies to you and your family.

Jen~~ Your mom has had such a great attitude throughout, it must be especially difficult for you to see her in so much unrelenting pain and not have a reason for it. I'm sending my most positive thoughts her and your way...hoping for answers soon and relief from the pain, even sooner! Please let us know how she's doing, when you can...and let her know we're all pulling for her to get some relief soon.

Fay....this Rubber Chicken Hat is for you. Becky saw this and said you'd love it.....so here you go. (This was from Halloween last year!)

Glad it was the "good kind" of cry, Shar! I'm just happy to hear some fighting spirit again, in the sound of your words. I know this all knocked you back a step or two, in the beginning...but I'm just really glad to know you worked through that and now are up and ready to forge ahead on a new attack!! We can't deny our feelings, especially the fear or sadness....but most of us realize too, that we need to hang on to our fight...to our will to beat this thing. So...I'm just glad you worked thru the fear and now are gearing up for the fight!! We'll be here....so keep us posted all along the way. I expect to be hearing good things!!

Way to go, Shar....that's the spirit!! I'm so glad you're taking a more proactive and positive attitude....as it will serve you well. Not being medical professionals, it's hard to know what's best....I understand that. But making decisions re: tx depends on trusting our medical pros....compiling as much info as we can...and going with our gut. It sounds like you're on track for doing just that. It's about the best any of us CAN do, Shar. You have my very best wishes for luck and excellent results! I'm just so glad to see you moving forward, positively...instead of how you were feeling initially! You go, girl. And know you've got all of us right behind you, cheering you on, wishing you well and vibing you to beat the %#$#* out of the cancer!!

Let me just ask you this question: Who or what would you be angry with, if your mom never had smoked? I was a smoker too...for 40 years. And one of the first things I did after being diagnosed, was say to my husband, my two grown (25 and 30 y/o) sons and my best friend...."I'm sorry!" Each and every one of them said to me, "Stop it! Don't you apologize. Just concentrate on doing what you need to do to beat this thing!" My point with the question above, is that it IS real dang easy for people to blame an ex-smoker - if they are so inclined - for causing their own cancer. But how, then, do you explain all the smokers that NEVER GET CANCER? Smoking is NOT the only factor involved in who gets lung cancer. So it shouldn't be the first thing people want to blame. And in any case, blame doesn't do a darn thing to help someone survive this disease. I'll ask it again....who or what would you be mad at for your mom having cancer, if she had been a lifelong NON smoker? Best get off the anger train and spend your energies focusing on what you can do to help your mom thru treatment, and to survive this disease. I got not one MOMENT of blame or recriminations from my loved ones. Today I'm cancer free. Who knows what tomorrow will bring....but WHEN I go...none of my loved ones need feel any regret for having blamed me for causing my own cancer. I'll die happy, if I know those I leave behind will have no regrets over my passing. P.S. I came back to edit. For one thing...to reduce the size of the italicized question above. It sorta looked like I was yelling at you....because the question was so large. I didn't mean to yell, so I reduced it. Secondly, I forgot to say that I DID quit smoking...the day I went in for my biopsy. To a certain extent, quitting was made a lot easier for me, knowing that nobody was ragging my butt to do it! Nobody held me responsible for being in the situation I was in. Nobody wanted to make any of it more difficult for me than it was already...they just wanted me to get well and get rid of the cancer, if possible. Those of us who smoke or did smoke KNOW it's not good for our health and likely accept that it contributed to our cancer. We don't need to be reminded of that or nagged to quit. In fact, most of us are probably more likely to quit if we are accepted and loved "as is"! The security of being loved "as is" sometimes provides the strength to do what we need to do...where nagging creates stress and makes most smokers just want to keep lighting up. Anyway, it's clear you care about your mom....so just keep caring for your mom as best you can....and try to accept her as she is. I can pretty much guarantee you that's she's having a hard enough time accepting her diagnosis and looking towards her future. It will be a big boost for her to know you stand by her to help her any way you can...and that that won't include any judgments on your part. She'll appreciate that, I know!

My mother died on Christmas Eve in 1985. In 1994, my auntie Blanche died on Christmas Day. My father died in 1974, just 8 days before I gave birth to my first child and in 1998, my sister died the day before my mother's birthday! In 1996 my Aunt Freda and my cousin Gordy died within two months of each other, Gordy passing not long after my own birthday. It somehow complicates the loss to lose someone close to a special date, I know. First...you have to grieve. That first Christmas season after my dad died was tough. I wrote him a letter....as though he were just away on a business trip. I told him all about his first grandson, whom he'd missed meeting by a mere eight days. It helped, writing that letter. After a few difficult Christmases following my mother's death...I learned to make Christmas Eve a special celebration of her life. I light a bayberry candle that day, as it was her favorite Christmas scent. I still use her recipe for stuffing when I make a turkey dinner! Time has helped me to deal with any sadness rather quickly....and move on to remembering the blessings of having had her as my mother. I was 39 when I lost my mother. I felt lucky to have had her for all those years. I still miss her.....still wish she could be here, physically. But again, I focus on the positives as much as I can...and remember those things about her that make me smile or laugh or just feel warm and fuzzy, without being sad. I think about how much I am like her, too, and smile. It takes time. Your loss is new...so don't have any huge expectations of yourself other than to put one foot in front of the other and move thru the holidays as best you can. Just don't lose hold on the happy thoughts. Try, for every moment of sadness...to conjure up a memory that makes you smile...because you know that's what your mom would want, right? By the next Christmas Eve after we lost mom...1986...we had taken on sponsorship of a child in Ecuador. It was a way of honoring my mom as a mother....to do this. Perhaps you might think of some sort of charitable act to carry out this holiday season, that will be a tribute to your mother....eh? Something, maybe, that was close to her heart....or simply that signifies motherhood. Even simply donating a toy or two to a drive to provide needy children with holiday gifts? I know you'll think of something....but doing something of a charitable nature to honor your mom will ALSO help, I bet...because it focuses you on a positive act, rather than your own sadness or loss. It's a reminder that life must go on...and when doing something of a charitable nature for children, it's also a reminder of the cycle of Life, I think. Be gentle with yourself...and don't stuff your feelings...but again, try to smile a little for every real moment of sadness....as it will keep you balanced. In time, those smiles come more easily and the pain of loss diminishes.

Keep adding things to that list, Fay....and count me among the folks that are cheering you on! I too, am glad there are no new mets...and just hope you can find something to work for the pain and a plan to deal with your other issues....so that you can sit, painfree, and keep adding to that list of things to see and do! Happy 50th, by the way. Hope it's as much an epiphany for you as it was for me! After 50, I got to know my Inner *itch...and it turns out....I LIKE HER! She comes in handy once in a while...when someone needs to be put in their place!

Ya know...it's a good thing NED doesn't care what we look like...cuz sometimes all the worrying we do until we KNOW he's there to spend some time with us...probably puts a lot of unnecessary wrinkles on our faces.....dontcha think? Nina...I'm just THRILLED that you and NED will be cannoodling (sp?) for a while...and I hope it's a long, loooooong while. Go ahead and burst and celebrate and have yourself a tiddly or two, over ice! This is great cause for a happy party!~

I just remembered too, Kim....that I only got the Aranesp every TWO weeks....not EVERY week or just once every cycle. I wonder if your mom would have less pain if she only got the shot every two weeks? My understanding was that they wouldn't GIVE the shot weekly, as it would be too much! Sorry I didn't remember this earlier. The Neulasta shot was once every chemo cycle....on day four. But the Aranesp - from the beginning - I was told I would get it every two weeks "if needed"...but no more often than that! You might ask about why your mom is getting it weekly!

Kim, I had an Aranesp shot AND a Neulasta at the end of each chemo cycle and fortunately tolerated both just fine. I recall the nurses saying I might experience some "long bone pain" with the Neulasta....but there was no such warning for Aranesp. Jen (jcawork) had pain from Neulasta mainly. I think she tolerated Neupogen better....and she hasn't mentioned any pain either re: the shots to boost RBC's (ie: Aranesp). But I know the pain she had from the WBC booster shots was troublesome to her. Does your Mom get Neulasta or Neupogen shots too? If so....you might want to fire off a PM to Jen...as she can give you more details on her reaction. Hope this helps a bit!

I'm right behind you, Nancy. I start PCI in less than two weeks. I figure by a certain age, we're supposed to lose a few marbles. Nobody specified exactly HOW we accomplish it though! You'll do fine...and so will I! I really like Doc Joe's comments about PCI in reply to daggiesmom's questions....so am putting any worries out of my mind and proceeding towards PCI with confidence. Like I said, I'll be right behind you....and you and me will tape big red bows on our heads at Christmas, right? I think SDianeB might be joining us in our Red Bow Society! Hairless....but festive....that'll be us! I'll be thinking of you...and we can send each other positive thoughts, but I don't think it's going to be bad at all. Heck...I worried over radiation the first time...and it wasn't so bad. Will look forward to your report...and expect you'll be saying it's not so bad, too!

Holding all good thoughts for David and Paddy....especially that the Iressa will work for him! Thanks for the update, Peggy. Will continue to send good thoughts their way.

Great news, Bet....so glad you're back in remission and those pesky fevers are not a daily thing! Have a terrific vacation and hurry back! We'll keep the light on for you!

JC... Just caught this thread...and please know I'm vibing you from New England...and hoping these procedures go smoothly and that all results are good news!! We'll be awaiting an update from you afterwards....so please check in when you can to let us know how you're doing. (Glad to see your humor is intact, too )

Karen... I've not been good about being in touch lately, but I hope you know I think of you and Dave all the time...and of course, I am vibing him with my "best stuff"!! I'm so sorry to hear that he's still struggling with the effects of chemo...and I'll keep on holding good thoughts that the ill effects will pass quickly. Tell him to just focus on hanging out with NED again...because that's what we all want to happen for him! Actually, we want for ALL of you to enjoy hanging out with Ned and to enjoy some major good times in your travel trailer! I know you're looking forward to that! We all go thru some periods where it's hard to stay upbeat. But David has too much humor and spirit to stay down for long....and so do you! Hang in there...know I'm thinking of you...and wishing you all the very best.

Ah, Dee.....would that it was easy, huh? The only thing you didn't mention trying was Zyban, which is actually an antidepressant...but it helps some people to quit. Didn't work for me as I'm reactive to antidepressants.....I turn into Sybil! They actually depress the holy %#$@ out of me!! But...FEAR worked for me as the incentive to quit....and I was puffing away at 2.5 packs a day with 40 years of smoking behind me, so I can appreciate the difficulty. I quit the day of my biopsy...and that helped a lot, I think. I didn't have a dx yet, but was pretty sure it was cancer of some kind....so the surgery AND my fear did the trick for me. I got thru the first week, and from there on out it was a LOT less difficult than I thought it would be. I still think about smoking sometimes....still miss the "comforts" of smoking...but know I can never puff even ONE again....or I'll be back at it. Usually when I think about it...or get an urge...it passes pretty quickly...and I just keep telling myself, "You cannot ever smoke again!!" and that sort of puts the end statement on things for me! FWIW, continuing to smoke doesn't do us any good in terms of the risks of getting cancer again. I mean, for many of us....smoking is a large part of what "got us into this mess" in the first place. So....I keep saying to myself that aside from no longer having yellow walls and windows, I'm doing my lungs a favor by not smoking AND I've cut my risk of getting another cancer. Whatever it takes, Dee....make the effort for yourself. And I do applaud you for getting down to just a few a day and staying with that. See....I knew I could never do that. Next thing you know, I'd be back up to 2.5 packs daily!! Don't beat up on yourself...but really, logically....if you could reduce from a pack a day down to 7-8....then you probably could reduce that down to say.....4-5 a day. Then cut to 2-3.....and finally, cut them out altogether.....if you really pushed yourself to do it, huh? Keep telling yourself that it's for your own good...because it is. And reward yourself for your efforts too!! Think of the money you'll save...and put that $$ aside and buy something you really want! You'll have earned it AND have saved money by not smoking!! Believe me, if I could quit after 40 years (and only once, in all that time did I FULLY quit smoking...and it only lasted for 10 days!)....then I figure anyone can. Good luck....I'm pullin' for you to be able to give them up totally!

Dunno how I missed adding my WAHOOOOO here, but I did. So....I'll add it now.... WAHOOOOOO!!!!! Glad to hear such great news, Dee!