shineladysue

Hi Fabian, Just want you to know that there is a wonderful group of caring people here. Never feel that you are alone . There is nearly always someone here that can relate to your situation and can offer some good advice . There are many of us that are listening with our hearts and minds . We all understand... Take care... My prayers are with you and your family. God Bless sue

Paddy, Please know that you , David and your family are in my prayers. I was looking for a progress report from you , but I was hoping for better news. My heart goes out to all of you. Will be praying that the Iressa works it's miracles on David. God Bless you sue

Laurie, Know that you and your family are in my prayers , as well. God Bless sue

Wonderful news Alisa. Just a little precautionary note.... if you notice anything at all that seems not right with your health make sure that your doctors follow up on it until you are satisfied with the answers. My husband had his lung removed in 2001 and spent 1 year trying to get the doctor to pay attention to him. He was feeling tired, lacked appetite and was coughing. His doctor was treating him for depression and allergies...You will see his story below... I am not saying this to worry you , but because I want you to be around for a long long time.... Now you go celebrate the good news..... you deserve it... sue

Hope you have a wonderful time. Sounds like just what the doctor should have ordered.. sue

Bev , I just want you to know that you and your dad are in my thoughts and prayers.. God Bless sue

Welcome to the group Don, You have joined a wonderful group of people here . You and your sense of humor are welcome additions to the "family". Looking forward to hearing more from you. sue

MJ, Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you, your mom and your family. God Bless sue

Hi TAnn, Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking good thoughts and praying that everything will go well for you. sue

Welcome to the group , Rana, Will look forward to hearing more from you and I pray the Iressa will work well for your mom. sue

Oh Paddy, such a heartwarming story this is. Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you, Dave and your family during this time. God Bless You All sue

That's wonderful news. The two of you are truly an inspiration to me and give me hope to carry on. God Bless sue

Sure hope everything will go well for you now. It's so nice that you gave Thomas credit for doing such a wonderful job. Good nurses and technicians can make all the difference in the world. Wishing you smooth sailing for now. I'm sure having Karen coming is just the kind of medicine the doctor ordered.. Will continue to keep you in my prayers. sue

Sounds like good news from here. Sure hope it will continue to get better. Will keep you and Richard in my prayers. sue

Charlotte, I am so sorry to hear about you losing your precious husband. Please accept my deepest condolences. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God Bless you. Sue

Lisa, know that our prayers are with you and Ahmed. God Bless sue

An old farmer in Kansas had owned a large farm for several years. > > He had a large pond in the back, fixed up nice; picnic tables, horseshoe > > courts,and some apple and peach trees. The pond was properly shaped > > and fixed up for swimming when it was built. > > > > One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't > > been there for a while and look it over. He grabbed a five gallon bucket > > to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting > > and laughing with glee. As he came closer he saw it was a bunch of > > young women skinny-dipping in his pond. He made the women aware > > of his presence and they all went to the deep end of the pond. > > > > One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave!" > > The old man frowned, "I didn't come down here to watch you ladies > > swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked." Holding the bucket up > he > > said,"I'm here to feed the alligator."

What a disappointment, but thank god she is tolerating it well. My hubby is on Navelbine also. He is on a 3 week on and one off schedule. His wbc counts were low and it interrupted his schedule, but we are starting again. Will be looking for the results of all Lucy's upcoming tests. In the meantime know that we are praying for you both. God Bless sue

Glad I checked in and saw your wonderful news. That's awesome!!! sue

Dr. Joe, My husband's first visit with the oncologist was after he had his pneumonectomy in 2001. At that point we were offered chemo as a follow up treatment to surgery. We refused because it was in trial stages, at that point and time and my husband was in such a weakened conditon . The oncologist couldn't give us any proof that it would prevent recurrence . Our next meeting was upon diagnosis of his recurring cancer . First , I would like to say that he reassured us that the stats on the patients that did the follow up chemo were not conclusive enough to say whether it made a difference. His oncologist was rather serious and told us that because his cancer had spread from the primary tumor to distant sites , it was not operable. He told us that at this stage we aren't talking about cure, we are talking about pallative treatment. He stopped and waited for our questions. We never asked for a prognosis and he never offered one. By saying it is not curable, we knew and I spoke up and said "then we are talking about prolonging life?". He said "yes". I asked about possible remissions and he said yes there are remissions , but even if there are no signs of the cancer, it is not cured with chemotherapy, it is still there. He explained that my husband would be fighting cancer the rest of his life. My husband said, "I'm going to fight this thing" and he has, and is. We made a point of telling the pulmonologist, we don't want to know about stats.. he said he refused to give them out. He believes in leaving them up to God. He told us a story of a young girl that came to him saying her oncologist gave her only 6 months to live... she begged the pulmonologist to say it wasn't true. He told her , that only God knows the answer and to not give up hope. He says it has been 6 years now and she continues to do well. I know you hear these stories all the time. Dr. Joe, I know you need statistics, but quite honestly, it seems that cancer is such an individualized disease. There are no two cases alike and so much plays a part in the outcome. How can anyone put a time on it? I think if someone asks, even family, you can offer them statistics , but you have to let them know that there are so many different variables that you can't accurately predict. Whether it is ethical to tell the family, I think you might consider the attitude of the patient toward family involvement. I go to every doctor's visit with my husband. We are battling cancer, not him alone. Cancer affects the family. I think I got carried away and actually Don and Elaine made excellent points in a much more eloquent way than I have. I would like to add that your presence on this board is so meaningful. I hope that we are able to give back even a fraction of what you are giving to us, by just being there... God Bless you, sue

Dolly, I pray for strength and peace for you and your family. God be with you. sue

Thanks oncodoc Joe , Just know that your willingness to be involved in this board with us means more than you know. I can't imagine anyone here that wouldn't welcome your professional input and admire your personal approach to medicine. Heartfelt thanks & God Bless you, sue

Lisa, Hang on to every bit of hope . Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless you , sue

I'm so happy for you. The news is wonderful!!! sue

Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. sue