shineladysue

I can stop holding my breath now. Whew, have been watching for this update. Sounds good Peggy. Thanks for the update. I hope you will find Don even better today. The hospital environment is so very exhausting , but I always feel relieved somehow when Mike is in there because something is being done for him. It's so stressful to be at home observing and wondering if we should be doing more or what to do etc. Praying hard for you , Don and your son. Happy Birthday Don!! Hope it will be a better day. Love, Sue

TAnn, This is such positive news.... Know that you have my prayers as you go back into treatment. My very best to you. Love and Prayers, Sue

Beth, I'm so glad to see you here because I know you aren't alone in how you feel. Just dealing with this disease is enough to make anyone depressed at times. I think it's a good thing to post and let the people that have successfully dealt with it , help you. You are so very loved and so many of us are praying for you. You and your incredible sense of humor are missed also. I'm praying you will find yourself and I truly believe you will. In this past year , I've learned one thing about you and that is that you are a fighter. Until you can find your strength, borrow some of ours. That's how this support group works. Sending you Lots of prayers and a virtual hug. Please don't stay away. We need you and you need us. Love and Prayers, Sue

Thank you Barb!!! It's the folks like you that keep this place going. Love, Sue

I'm so sorry to hear this . You and your family definitely have my prayers. Love, Sue

Barb , You are such an inspiration . Congratulations and may you always have that fighting spirit. Thank you for sharing. Love, Sue

Ohhh , how did I miss this!?! Perky is Wonderful!!! Hope it continues... Glad the procedure wasn't too hard on you. Take care of yourself. Love , Sue

Kathi, All your news is so very heartwarming. Sounds like you and your mom had some precious , quality time together. Knowing someone could receive the gift of sight because of your Dad's gift is just wonderful. I can just feel how emotionally packed all these events have been for you. Thanks for sharing and know that you have my prayers to help your family in the days ahead. Love, Sue

Peggy, I'm so sorry you and Don are having to go through all this right now , but I feel good in knowing he is exactly where he should be to get help. Praying for you both. Don't be embarassed, keep updating. We are there with you Peggy. Don't forget that. Love, Sue

Amie, I'm so sorry I missed this before ,but I am so glad to hear your mom is home... My prayers go out to both of you. Love and Prayers, Sue

Beth, I want you to know I am praying very hard for you. Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. In my mind I can still see the picture that you posted of yourself a while back. I want to see a big smile on that face. If you only knew how much you are loved here. Ever since you came , you were so damn funny that you put laughter into my darkest, scariest days. It always saddened me to see how young you are and I've asked God why, many many times not only for you , but for all of us patients and caregivers. I guess we will be rewarded with the answers when we go to live with him. Beth, I don't know what I want to say to you. I'm rambling. I'm just beside myself to think of you sad or depressed. It's not you. I pray you find your smile. There's one thing in this world that keeps me going and that is when I see Mike smile. He never realized that, but once I told him , he gives me that gift every chance he gets. It helps me to get through my days and it helps him as well. I just want you to find your fighting spirit again and come out here and make us laugh again (you still have that girl with the droopy boobs-oh God she was so funny). We need you. God Bless you Beth. I'm praying hard for you to find your fighting spirit and for your healing . Love and Prayers , Sue

(((TAnn)))), I am sorry you have yet another hurdle to jump, but thank God the blood clot was found. I just don't know what to say, but I am praying that there will be a light at the end of your tunnel soon. It seems you have had more than your share. Keep us informed and know that you have lots of love and prayers comng from this group. Love, Sue

Pat & Brian, Praying for you. Will be anxiously waiting for the results on the 4th. Love and Prayers, Sue

Oh (((Peggy))), You hang in there. I know that with Mike's pneumonitis, steroids were the only answer and they didn't work overnight. They worked gradually.The ones they give in IV are more potent and should help a bit quicker. Mike hasn't had treatment since he developed that. I guess common sense tells us that they are in such a weakened condition that chemo is usually out of the question. I know Don and Mike may not have the same problem at all, but Mike couldn't walk 5 feet without struggling to breathe. Now he still has his oxygen, but it's on 2 liters and he can do without it to walk down a rather long hallway to the bathroom, to dress etc. He get's a little winded , but he's not gasping for breath . With his oxygen he is in total comfort breathing unless he is walking and he has to just slow it down a bit. He also had a dry nonproductive cough , but that has long gone. I'm praying for Don and for you and your son, Mike. I'm telling you all this because I want you to know that Mike recovered from the pneumonitis pretty good and he was very much the way you describe Don. God be with you and yours, Peggy. Love, Sue

Wonderful News Cindy!!! I'm so very happy for you. Sue

Cindi, What can I say? Thank you for being you and for sharing the best part of you with us. You are just so special. I want to thank you for the time you have given to me personally and for all you do for everyone. You've opened your heart and shared your humor with all. You've put tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, all in the same day. Just thank you, thank you.... Don, thank you for the post. Love, Sue

Jana, My heart goes out to you and your family. I'm so sorry to hear this news. Please know that you have my prayers for all of you. Love and Prayers, Sue

Gay, My heart goes out to you, as a wife and caregiver and my prayers to you and Dean Carl. Thank you for updating us. I think of both of you often. This time must be very difficult , yet it sounds as though you have prepared yourselves to weather the storm together. I hope this time that Dean will spend in Va will be a help to you both. Give yourself and Dean a hug for me . His writing here has really touched me and your love and support ,as his wife, really touches me also. God be with the two of you. Love and Prayers, Sue

MUCH BETTER!!! Love and Prayers, Sue

Malou, Welcome to the family. You will soon feel that this is your 2nd family. Everyone here is so very helpful and supportive. I just want you to know that you and your husband are in my prayers. Glad he finally got out of the hospital and was able to start treatment. Keep us posted on how he is doing. Love and Prayers, Sue

Bruce, I think there can be many reasons for your increased need for oxygen, but I know my husband didn't require any at all until just in the past few months after developing pneumonitis(inflammation of the lung). I'm not saying that is your problem , but that has been his experience. When do you have scans next? There can be so many reasons for it and as Connie says, I am told just chemotherapy alone can cause you to be shorter of breath. Maybe your next scans will answer your question or maybe you will improve by then. My best to you. Sue

Peggy, Mike had all of the following during and after Alimta. He received 6 treatments total. To this day, I believe it was the cause of all of these problems. My timeline isn't accurate, but close.. Fatigue- 4th day after treatment he became fatigued.. this is what usually happened throughout his course of treatment. About 4 days after he would become fatigued and then it would improve some within a week, but over time the fatigue was more extreme and lasted longer. He required his naps daily . Rash- Within a few days after the 2nd treatment he developed a rash across his chest and abdomen.. it was a fine rash and never really got worse. SOB- We began to notice shortness of breath after about the 2nd or third treatment , but the onc acted like it was to be expected after all the chemo he had had.... Well, it was after the 6th and final treatment he had fever and extreme shortness of breath. At first he was treated with antibiotics and then the scans showed a "ground glass diffusion"-pneumonits ..He had on 90% saturation resting and 80% walking.. they put him on oxygen 24/7, and high doses of prednisone for a 8 week step down course of treatment... starting at 60mg 1 week, 50 mg1week and 40 mg for 6 weeks after..... Shingles-The pneumonitis resolved after about 6 weeks into the treament, but his breathing was still not 100%.. it was discovered he had shingles... they said the cause was a weakened immune system from chemo and steroids.. they put him on Famvir.. it got rid of the shingles , but mentally he became very confused while on it and it has been an ongoing problem since , but appears to be improving... will be posting an update on him soon.. Peggy, I have no proof that Alimta caused any of these things, but I too have been observing the boards and some of these symptoms keep appearing over and over with Alimta patients. I've written about it many times. I believe in my heart there is a connection from Alimta to all that has happened with Mike. Hope this is somehow useful and I am sorry if I have upset or discouraged anyone... Just bear in mind that I have no proof and everyone reacts differently to chemo. Love and Prayers, Sue

God Love her. She is incredible . This really touched me. I pray God be with her in the days to come. She is such a beautiful human being. Thanks for sharing this Cindi. Sue

Hoping things are even better today... Love and Prayers, Sue

Stable is Wonderful News!!! So happy for you... Love and Prayers, Sue