Cindy RN

You are right, this is not the place anyone WANTS to be. BUT it is the best place to be if you need support, info and just a place to yak. Welcome.

I have gone and made plans for my funeral. My hubby would end up spending to much for a coffin-you know the last gift thing people always do. I thought it would be best for him this way. I also have a Living Will that my hubby knows when to pull it out. I still want everything done today and hopefully for many yrs to come. It gives me peace of mind knowing he does not have to make those decisions when the time comes.

We are praying for a speedy recovery! See you soon. God Bless.

YES-there is hope. Some people at 70-80 do well on chemo. They may be more tired that the younger ones. There are several of us with sclc that have passed th 2 yr mark! Yes there is hope!

Glad you are in your own place. You keep us updated and take care!

Ah! Cabana boys, they are all young and single. Waiting to serve you in any way. Drinks and food that is! I want to meet some of the northerners too. Pick a spot 2 hrs south of Chicago and I will come up.

Your daughter doesn't care how long you take so read slowly and cuddle in between.

NOTHING like making memories. To bad everybody doesn't see that until something like cancer invades our lives. HAVE FUN!!!

This is making me SICK!! I used to be one of those sun worshippers. I loved being out all summer and getting tanned! Not anymore! Now I get in the sun and my flesh feels like it is on fire! But imagine all of us -no wigs or hats! You guys can go bald and people say how "sexy" it is. I never heard anyone say "sexy" to bald women. (Except my hubby ) Oh well I am laying in Aruba on the sand with the radio on the oldies and just soaking up the sun

Glad to hear they found out what it was. I know it drains one to go thru this. He will come out of it great I am sure. His age will help.

That's the ticket!! A sponser to pay for the trip-Any takers out there?? All kidding aside I think it would be fun to have a get together somewhere in the middle. HUM wonder where that could be----mayyybbbbeeee the home of the Heath candy bar?

I love the pic!! You look great! I have a wig too and only wear it for picture taking things. I wore it to my son's wedding so in the yrs to come I have hair. I too wear bandanas. I get the material at Wal-mart --all different kinds, esp. holiday prints. I have a sponge bob one and the kids love it.

Thought I would drop in but can not find it either. Wed. nite is church nite for me-Hope to chat another time-Cindy

It is 7:30 CST. Prayers done for Judy.

We do not have a local cancer group. Just wondering if anyone here is from the south eastern area of Il. Or the south western part of IN. I live about 45 south and west of Terre Haute, IN. Approx 2 1/2 hrs south of Champaign, IL. It gets lonely here. Some of you are close together-You Chicago people!

Never had any doubts you 2 were here to stay. Give kisses to that babydoll!

I had chemo and radiation at the same time this year and I can tell you I got more and more tired as time went on. After 6 weeks of the radiation I was exhausted. I am just 46 so I can't imagne how tired he will be.

I am unsure what is the norm in Hong Kong. Here in the US a CT is fairly routine for cancer. A PET scan is also fairly routine after the treatment. I would question just a CXR. I had a CXR in Nov of 2000 for chest pain-no cancer showed up. In Feb. 2001 I had a cxr again and this time I had a CT right afterwards and I had several tumors in different ares. Only 3 mos difference. Please check with the Dr again and ask why they do this in the US and not where you are. Good luck

I agree-the steroids DO make personality changes. I knew I was being short at times but could not seem to stop it. It does help for the family to know this is a side effect from it. Also just the fact of having cancer (a small detail ) can depress us. I see nothing wrong with an antidepressant. I have been on them and a couple times went off. I could tell a difference in mood and activity level. I went right back on them. God bless!

I do agree to take notes. Most of my Dr appointments are pretty routine. After each CT scan tho I had paper and pen ready so I could write down the results-good and bad. Otherwise I could not remember them. You must be able to trust your Dr.

My hubby had the hiccups for a couple days once and he got thorazine too. I teased him about the psyco drug. He came out normal in the end. Pic is great. Hope you get thru the chemo with flying colors.

I agree with norme-find out the type she has then you can start learning more about it. Knowledge is power!! Someone on the boards always says this and it is so true. Hate you have to come here for these reasons but you will find a wealth of knowledge from all over the world right here!

We have such smart people on this board!! They have come up with great ideas. One thing my mom and I did when she got to the point we could not leave the house was go thru old-I mean really old pictures. She had a couple of boxes of old black and white pics she had gotten from her mom's and her grandmas before they had died. We sorted them and she could recall when some were taken and where it was. Also the names of most of these people. I wrote it on the back. We then made up some family albums which she loved looking thru. Later after she died I took these albums to the funeral home and the extended family just loved them. They have made a priceless memento for all us. I now am working on MY own old photos.

I have gone thru some of this so maybe I can give some advice. 1. Go to a nearby club-American Legion, VFW etc and see if they have medical equip. We were able to get a hospital bed for only a deposit. No rental fees. That helped with sitting mom up which helped transfering her to the wheelchair and made her much more comfortable while in bed. 2. As for the diapers. Depends are the answer. NOTHING is more demeaning than to have a BM all over the place! This will probably be a relief for her. Surprisingly it may give her more confidence. Just tell her, "Mom-I know the cancer is giving you problems and maybe this will make you more comfortable." 3. Have your hospice people show you a way to transfer her to and from the bedside comode and wheelchair. Unless she is a large lady (like me ) then usually one can do it. 4. She might like a sleeping pill at night. I know I wouldn't like to lay awake in the dark thinking too much. Ask her-she may like it. Keep coming back-we do care!

Boy do I agree! DO NOT BELEIVE THE STATISTICS. Books and statistics come from someone sitting in a small office 18 hrs a day and that person or computer DO NOT KNOW THE WILL FOR HUMAN SURVIVAL!! Please go for the gold. We on this board do not just say "oh well stats say I won't make it, oh hum!" Believe in miracles! They happen everyday.