SJAS

Thinking of all of you and worried about how much strain you're under. Do try the bubblebath.... I am wondering about the pain meds too. Vicodin did absolutely nothing (and our home health care nurse warned us about the damage to the liver - a concern if there is any cancer there). Steve went on MS Contin and was immediately more comfortable. He has both 15 mg. & 30 mg. and then liquid morphine for breakthru pain. That way he is in control of the level of meds he needs to fit the amount of pain. Hope you can get him more comfortable soon.

Wow JD you're not "lost in the woods" - you're in a total nightmare with that doctor. Steve's brain mets were not treated first, although his onc. said that brain mets usually are treated first, but his systemic was too critical. So he had chemo (see profile) first and as soon as it was ended, was referred for WBR. We opted to look into Gamma Knife and the tumor committee wanted a triple dose MRI. In the ensuing month, all 4 of Steve's brain mets disappeared, so Gamma Knife was not scheduled. His onc. wanted WBR anyway - not only did he have no symptoms, at that time he had no identifiable tumors. We refused. However, a little more than a month later, he had 15 lesions on the brain. We rushed into WBR. Obviously, doing nothing is risky business. Good luck.

Dolly, So sorry your husband had to go through this, but it sure sounds like the radiation will help quickly. Please give him our best wishes that he is up and out soon.

Steve's rash showed up at about 2 1/2 weeks and is mostly on one side of his face. Sometimes it looks like measles, but other times just looks more like acne. I tease him that he looks like a teenager now!

Rich, Now that was a leave worth taking, although a nice vacation would have been vastly preferable, eh! So thrilled with your good news and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Ohhh, that is WAY Cool! Best wishes to the bride and groom and may they have a long, happy honeymoon.

Cat, Enjoy your break and we look forward to your return. In fact, I heard tell that there is something about turning into a pumpkin or some such thing if you don't get back on time Doesn't sound worth the risk to me

Hey, we wanna go too Ok, ok maybe one hall pass for Tahoe is the limit, so you better make the best use of it Andrea! Enjoy that beautiful, beautiful place. Oh, by the way, my 16-year-old went up with friend last weekend and they have rental mountain (and I do mean MOUNTAIN) bikes at Squaw Valley. So if you're really feeling zippy...

We're all going to be cheering you on in this new treatment. Prayers that this will be the one.

Bo, Great, happy news. You sure have tackled this thing head on and with incredible self-determination. Go for it!

Sounds like just the right Rx after all! Enjoy

Joni, Welcome home . Was Alex pleased to "earn his wings" or is he too big for that kind of stuff? So glad you got a bit of a rest. Take care. ((((Joni & Alex))))

Lori, Don't know if this is a possibility, but... When Steve was going thru chemo and radiation, he had a lot of discomfort with eating and was losing lots of weight too. No burning in throat, but discomfort lower. We happened to go see our family doc and he gave him Protonix for acid reflux. We were skeptical because the symptoms just didn't seem to fit what we had heard about acid reflux. It worked like a charm and his eating improved immediately. Maybe worth a try???

Bill, I'm so sorry to hear of all your wife have been going through. I thank you for taking the time to remind us to stay on top of everything and to trust our instincts. We know our loved ones far better than anyone else.

Charlotte, I am so sorry to hear this awful news. You have so much to deal with, it's just not fair. At least you will be such a valuable resource and support for your brother with all this experience you've gained the hard way. (((Charlotte)))

Shellie, So tickled to hear your sister's good news. Hurrah for you focusing on that. It is frustrating to get a "good news, but...?" But we are all praying for everything to come together for her and for you. We sure are pulling for you too and want you to take care of yourself!

Humm, don't know the answer to your question about the lymph nodes. Steve has been on Aredia, then Zometa monthly from almost the beginning. No broken bones , thank goodness!!

Donna, My grandmother always said she never grew up because then she would never grow old. Words to live by (and she was still a wild woman when she passed in her late 90's!). Happy Happy Birthday

Tess, That was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man. Thank you for putting it up for us. Thinking of you and hoping you are finding your way through this terrible loss.

Give Bob all our best for a quick resolution to this pain. Thank goodness for friends like you.

MaryAnn hit it right. More time means more options. My neighbor's son died of AIDS 6 months before Protease Inhibitors made AIDS much more a chronic illness. One other thought. Steve has had 2 PET scans. His onc. told him that sometimes the tumors remain but are necrotic. Maybe a PET scan could give your mom more information to make her decision.

Whoa - second opinion, third opinion required here. What about all the other options? What about Iressa? Take a look at the Bloch website below for a little encouragement. Find a doctor who go the extra distance for you. http://www.blochcancer.org/

Steve had radiation to chest, back and hip at the same time as he was getting Carbo/Taxol/Aredia on a 28 day cycle. Sorry I can't remember the dosage (I do wish I had kept better records - just was too numb). He had outstanding results from it. The one thing the onc. told us he could not do was WBR (whole brain radiation) and chemo at the same time. Hope things get figured out soon.

Katie, So glad the surgery's behind you. Hope that was the worst of it and things will keep looking up from here on out.

Whew, that was a good one. Do you ever watch the PBS show "Keeping up Appearances"? There's a great episode where Hyacinth (the wife) and her husband have a similar experience on a boat. That was the very image that popped into my mind only with your and Jack's faces. Glad at least YOU enjoyed the outing (sorry 'bout that, Jack ).