shineladysue

From experience with various causes of cough, we have learned that it could be from infection, location of tumor, result of treatment (especially radiation) etc etc. That has been my husbands case, but a lot can be learned from whether or not it is a productive cough and if it produces sputum of any certain color. A culture of sputum from my husband revealed an infection that put them on the right track as to what antibiotics to give him to get rid of it. Each case is so different, but I would certainly discuss this coughing with your mom's doctor. My husband's pulmonologist is the best one of his doctors to consult about the symptoms and possible causes. My best to you and your mom. sue

Hi Shelly, There's nothing like the holidays to reach out and touch our hearts and our minds with memories of all those we love, living and those passed on. To you and all of our family here, I wish you a beautiful holiday season and a much brighter 2005. My prayers are with you Shelly , as you go through those tests. God Bless you, sue

Angie, Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. sue

Great news Joanie!!! I'm so happy for you. I can feel your smile from here... sue

Beth, Beth, Beth, What are we going to do with you? It must be so discouraging at times , when you keep having allergic reactions. My mom is like you (allergic to everything)... so I understand, but .... Sure hope your reactions will improve and that the lowered dose will work out for you... Take care.... sue

Cyndy, I'm at a loss for words. My heart goes out to you and Tim. I will pray for God to be with you, Tim and your family in all the days ahead. Remember you have friends on this board, whenever you need to vent your fears, or ask for help and support. God Bless you, sue

I would just like to welcome you here. I'm sorry I don't have any information about the treatment you mentioned . As far as, the emotions, I am sure every person that has a life threatening illness will experience emotions from a-z. I tend to be like your mom. One minute I'm laughing and the next minute I'm crying. Actually, most of us, patients and caregivers alike, find this experience to be an emotional roller coaster at times. Let me just reassure you that you have found a very kind , compassionate group here . I hope someone will be able to give you information that will help . Sending prayers... sue

TAnn, I'm so sorry... I haven't been able to bring myself to get another pet after having to have my Golden Retriever, Ginger put to sleep 5 years ago. She had cancer, as well. She left a real empty spot in my heart . I hope you can find comfort in knowing Caesar is not suffering now. Take care TAnn. God Bless sue

Lisa & Tariq, I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Ahmed was so blessed to have both of you. Lisa , I was thinking about writing to you. You have been on my mind so much lately. You have been such an inspiration to many of us here. I was fearful that things were not going well, but I know you did everything you possibly could to see that he got the best medical care. May God give you , Tariq and your family strength and comfort you to help you get through the days ahead. God Bless. sue

Cindi, Sure am glad you explained the "snarls"... lol. I was wondering why someone so sweet, compassionate and kind, as yourself, would be seeing yourself with such a snarling face. Steroids... aha!!! Now , I understand. Mike is on 10 mg of prednisone daily and that's not too bad. His pulmonologist keeps him on that level to protect against pneumonitis, as well as, to keep down inflamation and aid breathing. I'm glad to hear that you have confidence in your new pulmonologist. We sure love ours. I say ours because I have early emphysema. Anyway, we make sure he gets copies of all CT scan reports ordered by oncology. Mike has regular visits with him (now it's only every 3 months, unless needed) and on each visit he does a new kind of test. He recently got in new equipment that you can breath into a tube normally and it actually draws a picture that shows where there is obstruction. I'm sure I'm not explaining that well , but my point is that a good pulmonologist can be testing your lung function and if symptoms warrant they can perform many kinds of tests. The oncologists job seems to be more focused on treatment and dealing with side effects of chemo. Both docs have their very important place to aid in the care of lung cancer patients. Sure hope yours can give you some answers and better yet offer you some cures for your problems. Take care Cindi... I love reading your posts to others. You are so kind and supportive... God Bless sue

Welcome to group Sandra, Sorry, I don't have any knowledge about the treatments you mentioned , but my husband is being treated for recurrence of his cancer. I hope someone will post that has information that can help you , but I can only offer prayers at this time... Let us know how things go. sue

Sharon, I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story. It is a lovely, comforting story . My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. sue

Hi Nick, I just wanted to welcome you and tell you that I will keep you in my prayers. Sorry you have to wait so long for the results. All of us know how hard it is waitiing for test results. Anyway, I will be praying that yours show things aren't nearly as bad as you think. If they show you have cancer, know that you have found a wonderful group to be with . This board is second to none for information and warm , compassionate people. Take care.. and God Bless. sue

Wonderful News!!! I love hearing this kind of news. Thanks for sharing . sue

Heather, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God Bless, sue

Welcome Nancy, I agree with everyone else that you should have the biopsy. There's one thing harder than dealing with your diagnosis, in my opinion, and that is not knowing. You won't know what you are faced with until you take the step to find out. Know that all of us here understand how you feel. My thoughts and prayers are with you in hopes of good news. Let us know how everything turns out. If needed, there is a lot of information and tons of wonderful people with open arms and hearts here to help you. God Bless, sue

Sharon, My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God be with all of you at this time. sue

Cyndy, Glad you have a new game plan. My husband, Mike, just started on Alimta this past Monday. It's too early yet to know how it will affect him. He was also given a B12 shot , in the muscle, and prescribed folic acid pills daily . Those are given as premeds, along with dexamethasone and anti nausea medicine. The purpose of the B12 and folic acid was to prevent mouth sores, I believe. The entire treatment time, including premeds was only about 30 minutes. So far, so good for Mike. Today he was a bit tired, but if that's the only side effect, we will take it.. We will be keeping a close eye on you and keeping you in our prayers as well. Take care... sue

TAnn, "too small to do anything with right now" sounds good. I hope you can take a break and enjoy the holidays. Give yourself some time to relax and heal. It sounds like your body is telling you that is what it needs right now. Take care and God Bless. sue

Elaine, I've been reading your story and I can't tell you how happy I am for you. You sound so relieved to have someone that you can trust. Being able to place yourself in to hands you trust is so important. Try to stay calm and take it one day at a time. Hopefully, now you will get answers and a game plan. God Bless you Elaine. sue

I know this has been hard on your family , but like you said, you at least have a plan now. Will keep you in my prayers. Let us know how things turn out. God Bless, sue

Hi Dave, I'm sorry I can't answer your question , but I wanted to welcome you to the site. Hopefully, someone will see your post and be able to share some information that will help. You will be in my thoughts and prayers as your wife starts her treatment. God Bless, sue

Welcome Wanda, Know that you aren't alone. You've found a wonderful group to be with. There are a lot of hopeful stories at this site, as well as some very useful information. Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless sue

Welcome Mercer, Glad you found this group. There is a lot of useful information here , as well as, a wonderful, caring group of people. Sure hope the improvements in the way you feel are due to the fact the chemo is shrinking the cancer. Will be keeping you in my prayers and looking forward to an update from you. God Bless sue

Welcome Christine, I just wanted to welcome you and let you know that you have many of us out here thinking about you and sending prayers your way. God Bless sue