Jump to content

Octobergrace

Members
  • Posts

    28
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Interests
    Nature, music, reading, my pets, aging
  1. Renee, My sympathy and prayers are with you in the days to come. May God give you comfort and strength. Molly
  2. Fay, You've been reading and watching the wrong news - all of these posts are the real news...and the latest news for you to read and watch. And reading between all these lines, it is clear that your participation on this forum is a BIG part of your lifework right now. Just know that whether I am posting here or quietly following the forum, you write something that makes a difference in my life every week. Then, I am stronger for my Dad, making a difference in his life, too. The world is, indeed, full of meanspiritedness and greed - has been since the beginning of time. But, we don't have to reside in that world if we choose to live in God's shadow and in one another's hearts...listen to all these heart-messages...you're right there, Fay. Molly
  3. Charolette, I am so sorry to read of your loss. You and your family are in my prayers tonight. Molly
  4. My prayers are with you and your family as you grieve the loss of your husband. Friends here, known and unknown, understand well the hard road your husband walked in his battle with lung cancer and the ongoing grief for spouses and family members who walk the road too. May both your husband and you rest in true peace. Molly
  5. So sorry for your loss. I looked at your Mom's picture with your post...she was really beautiful. And she was more than brave to have fought the hard battle against lung cancer. God bless you and your family. Molly
  6. Octobergrace

    Bad week

    The death of your friend must feel like history repeating itself much too soon. I will continue to remember you in my prayers... God is certainly hearing lots of reminders of how many lives you have touched and how brave you have been. My good news: I just measured and the longest ant at my house comes in well under 2". I do have an aunt almost 72" but she's at her house. Molly
  7. Don, I am sorry to read of your Mom's death and wanted to send condolences although late due to my Dad's illness. It has sometimes been difficult for me to read your posts because your descriptions of your Mom's struggle and your struggle to care for her reflected such love and grief...and often mirrored my own feelings about my Dad. The obit. was just right. What a family history! And what a sense of humor...a bit of it from your Mom, I trust... Many Blessings,
  8. Angela, I am sorry for your loss and send my prayers for strength to you and your family. May you rest in knowing that Richard's struggle is over and you are surrounded by a community of folks who know how brave he was to wage the battle against lung cancer each day and how brave you were to walk with him. God bless you.
  9. Ginny, I am so sorry to learn of your loss. Reading the obit, I could imagine you, your children and grandchildren around the table with Earl enjoying every minute of fellowship. Your many posts at lung cancer support have reflected the deep love of an untiring wife and companion during Earl's last days of struggle with lung cancer. May God be with you now and may we continue to hear how you are doing in the days to come. Molly Bryant Octobergrace
  10. It sounds like your next few days are about to get a little easier and your inlaw's arrival is just the cure you need for the shortterm. Hope you get rest and some fun, too, as well as some much-needed time to yourself. All the kids-in-the-grocery-store stories reminded me of the weekly grocery trips I made for several years ago with four children in my care, 15, 13, 5 and 3 yrs. old. Two are bipolar, one is ADD and one has a serious thought disorder; you can imagine I had to have a "system." for just about everything. The grocery store rules were that the older kids had to have a hand on the cart unless I sent them for something, the youngest sat in the seat buckled in and the five year old sat on the shelf under the buggy until we got to the dogfood aisle (at the end of the trip)where she had to give up her seat and carry something for me. Once the list was made, nobody could ask for extras but the best behaved got to choose the cereal after we got the dogfood. If all were "good", everyone had ice cream to celebrate afterwards and got to help put up the groceries and fold the bags. Back then, that was all part of my "normal" day and now I look back and think: Those were the days!
  11. My prayers are with you. I admire your determination and will everytime I read your posts. Many blessings, Octobergrace
  12. Tess, I am so sorry for your loss which I just read about this evening while catching up on more past posts. I loved the words at the end of your signature telling how he passed on holding your hands with his way to heaven lit by the moon. He, and you, have been very brave. Thanks for all your support; it has been a hard day. My Dad's CT scans show that the lung cancer has progressed - more spots and larger and there is a large shadow which could be pneumonia or more cancer. Bronc is scheduled for Friday at 6am. What I would like to know is what can my Dad expect during and after the procedure - is it uncomfortable, will his coughing and breathing problems interfere, etc.? A friend's medically fragile child spiked a high fever each time he had to have this procedure; is that common for adults/lung cancer patients? My Mom and Dad are worn out after fighting the city traffic to get to all the appts. and riding the roller coaster of good-bad-good-bad news. I left them looking kinda lost, to drive back home, 100 miles away. I am feeling overwhelmed and I know that is keeping the reality of this bad news at bay for the moment; not good. I am tired too and stay torn between wanting as much time with my folks at this time and the two special needs children I have fostered for 11 and 5 years respectively. And it will only get harder, I know. How can I do it? I know that many, many of you face the same challenges and ask the same questions and say the same prayers. Thanks again for being here each time I need to read a kind word. And please hold my Dad in your thoughts and prayers on Friday as he has this test and hears the results. Octobergrace
  13. First, I am deeply saddened to have just read of T-Bone's death and send my sympathy and prayers to all members of his family who were so close . . You have been the supreme example of love and caring during his fight with lung cancer and and also have been so supportive to members on this message board waging the same fight. May God be with you. It has been a busy time so I have not posted about my Dad in a while. In late July, we went to Duke Cancer Ctr. to look at clinical trial possibilities since his onc. said he Iressa results were "disappointing" and there were no other options . Once at Duke, well... Halleleujah! The oncologist pulled her chair right up to my Dad eye to eye(no talking thru him to me) and said, "Mr. Bryant, I have been reviewing your scans and history and I want to tell you that so far you have done remarkably well. You are very strong." My Dad smiled his best smile in months. Finally, he had a dr. recognize and validate his hard work and tremendous will to live at 79 instead of acting like 79 is too old to want treatment options or to have hope. He is being tested for an upcoming clinical trial and the dr. talked about other available treatment options but said that she would not recommend anything as long as the Iressa is working...she says oncs. need to learn that "stable disease is good"...often better than dramatic swings of remission followed by agressive recurrance. Daddy's dr. has made no secret of being very disappointed with no significant regression of his tumors with chemo...but the Duke onc. showed us that his tumor load is approximately the same now as 1 year ago - many spots with no significant growth, the most worrisome tumor being in the center of his chest. So, for all who are looking for significant remissions after chemo, stable tumor may be good news... That said, I am posting because my Dad went to his thoracic specialist Monday with breathing difficulty, coughing, fatigue, lowgrade temp. and no appetite, all since the weekend. The dr. suspects pneumonia, started antibiotics and ordered a CT scan for tomorrow (Wed.) followed by a dr. appt. for him to read the scan and decide what to do about the symptoms...says maybe a broncoscopy(sp?) to see the windpipe and vocal cords. Can somebody tell me about this test, what my Dad will experience and what we should expect? Also, interestingly, the Duke onc. and this specialist strongly advocate for a vocal cord procedure to restore his voice and especially to close the windpipe opening so that he will not aspirate. Both said that aspirated food and liquids can set up infection and that one gets very worn from coughing in reaction to the foreign particles. My Dad's onc. had told me that he "wouldn't bother" with the procedure and that nobody in Charlotte did it...the lung specialist says he always recommends it since it is a very simple procedure commonly done by ENTs here and has big benefits. Anyone with more info? I know it is late to ask, but please think of my Dad tomorrow; he is pretty worn down from the weekend and apprehensive...gets nervous with procedures. Nevertheless, he went this evening to restock the community food pantry he still manages , to prepare for his absence in the next few days....amazing. In the meantime, I am catching up with news from the forum - and feeling very sorry that I have been absent so long. Octobergrace
  14. The breathtaking beauty of October's falling leaves....wisdom to see the transformation through new eyes...grace to accept both the gift of the moment and that which I cannot change in days to come...Octobergrace. Icing on the cake: I was born in October, 1955. And, I love the thought of Grace in all contexts...spiritually, ethically, descriptively, associated with old fashioned civility like Southern Grace and Ladylike Grace (which are neither all good nor all bad concepts), Graceland, gracious, graceful and, most of all, Grace to accept the things I cannot change.... Great post!
  15. Too late to vote but I wanted to say Good For You with your fun post. I have loved checking out who voted and reading the replies...they certainly reflect the quirky creativity and flexibility skills one hones (sp.? Sorry, too tired to make the correct neuro connections) when dealing with lung cancer. And, good luck in grad school. I work with a special needs child who has been recently hospitalized at UNC-CH for neurological evaluation with focus on cognitive deficits/development. Interesting field and much needed area of specialization.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.