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mdsum1

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Everything posted by mdsum1

  1. mdsum1

    hiccups

    My daughter volunteers at our local hospice. During her training she was told that a teaspoon of sugar on the back of the tongue was helpful for hiccups. A neighbor was having problems with hiccups when he was over and tried this and they stopped right away.
  2. I am so glad that people are starting to be more aware of the need to have colonoscopies for screening. My father was diagnosed with colon cancer in April 2004 underwent major surgery in May ending up with an ileostomy just to find that the cancer has spread to his lungs in July. He passed away in August 04 never having recovered enough to receive even one chemo treatment. His surgeon highly recommended that any children he had be tested routinely starting at the age of 40. So far 3 have been tested with 2 having polyps but thank goodness they were not cancer. Don't put off your colonoscopies...they may not be fun but they could save your life!
  3. I had a a few nodules that had been watched over a period of time and was referred to a thoracic surgeon because one had grown to over 2.5cm. I asked the surgeon about having a PET scan b4 biopsy and he said that he would do that if I wanted but that there were many false results and the only way to be certain would be a biopsy. I had the VATs procedure done and it was not cancer! If there ever was a question of nodule growth again I would do it again. Hoping you get good news also with your biopsy.
  4. Stacey, I would probably see if I could get in to see a thoracic surgeon. He's the one that would do the VATs so I would think he would know if he could find and remove a nodule of that size. My family Dr sent me directly to the surgeon and I never saw a pulmonary Dr until after the biopsy results were back.
  5. Dear Connie, They did the biopsy using video assisted thoracoscopy or VATs. I believe the nodule was 2.2cmx1.3cm and was indicated as suspicious of neoplasm according to the CT report. I didn't see anything in the reports prior to surgery indicating what size the other nodule removed was. I'm guessing they found it during surgery. The third nodule in the opposite lung is only 5mm and has not changed. The surgery wasn't too bad. It was done on Monday morning and I was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon. I was sent home with oxygen for 2 weeks but have been able to get rid of that. No, I am not a lung cancer survivor. I joined this site in 2004 after my Dad had surgery for colorectal cancer and then they found nodules in his lungs. They were unsure if this was a new primary or mets from the colon cancer. As it turned out they were mets from the colon cancer. My sister in law was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in December 2004. She has done 30 radiation treatments but could not tolerate the cisplatin/etopiside after just a few treatments. She is doing well now but I feel it's best to find out as much as you can about your treatment options before you are forced to make a hasty decision. Myra
  6. I had a lung biopsy in January due to a nodule that had increased in size. They actually took 2 biopsies. One showed scar tissue from bronchitis/pneumonia and the other the pathologist said is BOOP (bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia). Whew...that's a long one. I still have a nodule in the opposite lung that they're watching but I'm pretty sure it's more of the same stuff. So there is no sign of cancer at all.
  7. I would call and let them know. Recently I was sent home w/oxygen after surgery and not only did the hospital give me a tank to take on the ride home but the oxygen company was at my house already when I arrived 15 minutes later!
  8. I found a link similar to one of the reports I had previously read on the American Lung Society website. Just did a search for air cleaner and came up with this info http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/cont ... &ct=621541 This also looks helpful http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/cont ... 6&ct=67133
  9. I found a link similar to one of the reports I had previously read on the American Lung Society website. Just did a search for air cleaner and came up with this info http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/cont ... &ct=621541
  10. I have ran across articles stating that the room air purifiers do not do what they claim to do and that they are a scam. I am not sure as I don't own one. We have 2 media air cleaners as well as a UV germicidal lamp for air quality. The media air cleaners work well and I can always tell when the UV lamp needs changed. I can still smell kitchen odors (garlic, fish etc) in the air the following morning after cooking if the UV lamp needs changed. It must be doing something right if it can take the smell out of the air.
  11. mdsum1

    False positives?

    Thanks to everyone who replied. I went ahead and did the VATS procedure partially because family were really pushing me to get it done. Anyway preliminary biopsy while I was still out said that it isn't cancer! I know that it was about 2.2cmx1.3cm earlier in December but I'm not sure how much it has grown since they discovered it 1.5 years ago. The Dr. has not told me what he thought it might turh out to be but I'm sure anything should be a better diagnosis and I should know for sure on my return visit in about 2 weeks. Thanks Andrea...your assurance that your Mother said it wasn't that terrible helped me decide to just get it done with. Thanks to Ry and Lisa too. I have met Dr. Kalemakrian (he is my sister in laws Dr at UofM) and I thought he was just great. I didn't try to make an appointment with him because he is an oncologist and I am just trying to determine what I have. If I did have lung cancer you can bet he would be the first person I would think of.
  12. Hi, I have had 3 CT scans in the last 1-1/2 years. They have been watching 2 spots in my lungs. 1 remains stable and the other has increased in size & density in the last 2 scans. The second report did mention that the coarse density is suggestive of scarring. The last repost suggested a biopsy due to suspicion of neoplasm. I was to a cardio/thoracic surgeon who recommended the VATS biopsy. This seemed a little invasive to me so I asked about other ways to obtain a biopsy or PET scan. He said a needle biopsy was usually inconclusive (I've heard this b4) and that a PET scan would not rule out cancer as he has seen that happen before. I'm scheduled for surgery on 1/2 but I'm not really sure I should do this. He said the chances of cancer are 50/50. So now I read the post from Stacy and am thinking about false positives again and whether I really need to go through this. What do you think?
  13. mdsum1

    Nodule growth

    Connie, My SIL did'nt do well with the 3 days of chemo she had and ended up in the hospital for 8 days due to blood counts and dehydration so they scraped the chemo. She did get 30 radiation treatments and that has shrunk the tumor by 50% which is good. She finished radiation 2/22 but is still having problems eating due to pain and she has to go to the hospital to be hydrated 1 to 2 times a week. The Drs haven't mentioned what they plan to do in the future and my SIL prefers not to ask about future treatment plans so I guess we'll take it step by step. Thanks for asking.
  14. mdsum1

    Nodule growth

    Thanks everyone. I'm pretty sure it will turn out okay. Connie, I joined the group last July when they were trying to determine if nodules they found in my Dads lungs were a second primary cancer or mets from colo/rectal cancer. Turned out they were mets and my Dad passed away in August. I wish I had found a board this great for colon cancer. As it turns out my SIL was diagnosed with stage IIIB NSLC last November. I've only posted a couple of times but I read all of the posts and follow the progress of everyone.
  15. mdsum1

    Nodule growth

    I had a CT done last July and they found a small nodule in my lung. Radiologist suggest long term 3-4 month CT to watch for growth. I had another CT in October which they said was okay. Just got results from a week ago that the nurse said showed slight progression in the lesion. I was okay with the nodule being there as I believed it to be scar tissue from a severe case of chicken pox pneumonia I had 16 years ago. They have scheduled me an appointment with a pulmonary specialist next week. I guess I was wondering if it could still just be scar tissue...does scar tissue keep growing? I'm also wondering exactly what is going to happen at the pulmonary Drs when I go for that appointment.
  16. Becky, I didn't mean to imply that all step-parents are bad. I also have a wonderful step-father that traveled from out of state just to be with us when our father passed away. My father is buried in a family plot where all other family members have markers. We also have a half brother that was still born and his grave is marked as well. This is a part of what makes her refusal to mark his grave disrespectful. It is not that she doesn't believe in putting up markers...just not his! I'm sure it is horrible to lose a spouse and I would not deny that my stepmother does feel grief. However, contrary to my stepmothers beliefs, it's not easy losing a Dad either. My stepmother made the comment that we are just the kids as though we aren't entitled to feel grief. It seems we have the opposite problem as the one you listed. During my Dads short illness my stepmother made it all about her, her feelings, her needs, her wants. Not once did she ever present the view of what a terrible thing Dad was going through or anything that she wasn't the direct focus of. Yes, Ann, it does appear that she is doing this directly out of spite...why? I have no clue, maybe because she can. My stepmother has always been biased towards her own biological children but that has never been subject that we have voiced with her or my Dad. To keep peace in the family it was always overlooked and accepted that she is who she is. Maybe this is just her way of getting rid of the stepchildren! She has done other things after Dads death that seem to say "You are no longer part of this family". She has received at least three different offers to pay for the marker so it is not how it was said that would give her reason to refuse. For the time being I guess we are going to start a little garden somewhere and place our own plaque and as you said maybe when she figures she can no longer get at us by refusing to place the marker she will go ahead and order one.
  17. Thank you all for the responses. Beth, I think that is absolutley terrible! Yes, we are all upset by the death of someone we love but we have to deal with it. My stepmother was too upset as well to make funeral arrangements even though she had stated at the hospital that she wanted to do that herself. She sent my stepbrother & halfbrother. Dads 3 eldest children were not given that opportunity.sending her son from her first marriage and my half brother. My sister, brother & I were very close to our Dad as he had sole custody of us for about 7 years before my stepmother. We worked closely with him in his business for many years. He taught us all about the trade and trained me as his bookkeeper. We also have a stepbrother & sister and five younger half brother/sisters. Only the stepbrother chose to work in the business. My Brother, sister & I were the ones that stayed at the hospital with Dad 24/7 for 8 days taking turns to administer his oxygen as needed as they wanted his levels to stay in a certain range. Not one night did she stay in the room but upon his death we were sent the standard thank you notes for attending the funeral from my own family! It goes on & on. She has totally excluded Dad children from his first marriage in everything. She stated that we never called or took her to lunch to console her over Dads death! Geez, didn't she think we were exhausted and grieving too! Margaret, thanks, I like the idea of a garden with a bench a plaque and discussed it with my sister and I guess that's what we will do until my stepmother is not in the picture any longer.
  18. It will be 8 months ago that I lost my Dad. Dad found out he had colo/rectal cancer in 4/19/04 had surgery 5/6/04 and passed away 8/20/04 without ever being well enough after surgery to withstand any chemo. I come from a blended family so the issues are complicated. It would take a very long time to explain everything about the issues leading to my problem so I won't try. The problem is that my stepmother refuses to place a memorial marker on my Dads grave! At first we were told money was an issue even though Dad has a free one due to him through VA. We figured money wasn't an issue but offered to let her pick it out and order it and we would pay for it. She refused this offer as well. We have been told several times that one is being ordered since October but still the cemetary has heard nothing about it. I know this sounds like a small thing but I think it is very disrespectful to leave it unmarked. I can't seem to get on with the grief process while I feel so much anger over my stepmothers refusal to do this one small gesture of respect. I guess we will have to find a way to make another type of memorial for my Dad. Does anyone have any suggestions?
  19. I agree with Lilyjohn. I think that a person who is extremely ill has no desire for food or water. The problem I have with Terri's death is the way that she died. Unlike most people who are 'let go' Terri's body was not failing her so she was not like most people in their final stages of death. If Terri's life had to be ended then she should have at least had the privilege of dying instantly instead of suffering through 13 days of dehydration & malnutrition. My husband and I have had our orders in place for a couple of years but I sure feel sorry for those people who don't take the time to put theirs in writing.
  20. I think that if Michael believes Terri really is not aware of anything that's happening and feels nothing that there would be no harm in leaving her care to her parents. Her parents are currently the best people to decide what happens. I think depriving a person of water & nourishment is very cruel and have a hard time considering this as a humane way to let someone go. We wouldn't dream of putting our pets down that way or even executing killers on death row by starvation. This is not really 'letting Terri die' it is killing Terri.
  21. It's interesting that you said that the patient has the right to refuse any treatement without fear of being denied treatment. My Dad had colorectal cancer which had spread to his lungs. He developed fluid in his lungs which they finally drained and said that there was cancer cells in the fluid. They had previously been treating it as pneumonia. My father didn't want to be placed on a ventilator or have a DNR for fear that at his age (67) he felt the Drs wouldn't do all they could for him. He appointed my sister & stepmother power to make decisions if he were unable to do so. My Dad was badgered at least 5 different times about signed a DNR even told by the Drs how wrong it was to do this to his family and how horrible it would be to be put on a ventilator. At one point the Drs wanted to move him to ICU to be placed on a different type of oxygen machine and he refused to go...they at first said that would mean he was effectively placing a DNR on himself. They explained basically that they didn't want anyone coding in thier unit due to the frenzy of Drs & nurses and loss of care to the other patients. We told them that the 2 people who were able to make that decision if it came to it would be on that floor at all times and that they would make that call if it happened. I think on looking back at things that this is where treatment stopped. They stopped the radiation on the tumor in Dads but they also refused to drain the fluid from his lungs again saying that it would just come back. Dad wanted so bad to try to fight the cancer even if he only got the 20 months (he actually on got to live 3 months) that they gave him. He received 4 radiation treatments and never got a chance to try the chemo. We found out from a nurse just an hour before he passed away that he was marked as a DNR. We wonder how this could have been when we had made it clear that the situation would be dealt with if it came to that? At first we thought that Dads way of thinking was 'just Dad being paranoid' but now we think that like always he was a very smart man and knew all along how the Drs viewed him. Sorry this is so long but your recent postings have really made me question my Dads treatment and we wonder if maybe we should have done something different. I guess we should have demanded they drain the fluid from his lungs again because that really made him feel alot better....we just didn't know we could. The Drs made it sound like they don't do it a second time (I know better now). My SIL was diagnosed in Dec with NSCLC stage 3b so I'm trying to keep informed for her as she won't look at the boards.
  22. Shirley, I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom. I will be praying that her surgery goes well and she has a speedy recovery.
  23. Shirley, My Dad had colorectal cancer and he had a CT scan which showed a few suspicous nodules in his lungs prior to his surgery. He didn't take them too seriously as he had pnuemonia several times when younger. They went on with the surgery without further investigation...I'm not sure why. Finally after 6 weeks healing time they did a PET scan which lit up even more spots in his lungs. At this point they said that it was cancer for sure but still had to do a biopsy to find out if it was a new primary cancer or a met from colorectal cancer. I guess the PET scan would be the best test to determine if it has spread.
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