Tree

Today is my mom's first chemo treatment and I can't be with her. My Aunt is going with her, since she has been through chemo. I'm afraid to talk to her today because I really don't know how she will feel. I always have to tip toe around her when she comes back from doctors visits for the next two days. She get extremely frighten and doen't what to go through any of the treatment. I'm scared that she is going to just give up and not want to live anymore. Then there are good days when she is like her old self and there is no tremble in her voice. Any way back to the first treatment, she was given steroids to take before the treatment. They are suppose to give her extreme energy, this I'm not to happy about becuase she already has so much energy, she use to work 10 hour days five days a week and no that she doesn't work she has all this built up energy that she doesn't know what to do with and it is driving her crazy, now she will have more energy. How is she going to handle her time. I'm also scared that she is going to get sick and not want to go through the treatments anymore. I know this is a scary time for here, but it is also scary for me. Can some one give advise on how to handle this? Tree

Mom sort of freaked out today. She was to meet with her radiologist to get marked at 8:00 am. She was up at 4:45 and was in the shower by 5:00am. She left the house at 6:15 and got to the hospital at 7:00, of cource the place she had to go was not open so she sat in her car and freaked out. She had a major panic attack couldn't breath heart racing like a train. Not good plus she was alone also not good. She came very close to just leaving the state and going to New Hampshire. She finally call my father who was worried sick about her. He called her doctor, while she came home. The doctor said that it is normal to feel like that. Pluse my mom is on xanex, a drug to calms nerves, they are like her best friend the only thing is that you become depressed after a while because you want the calmness that the drug gives you nad you don't get it. Also she has not been sleeping, it's been about a month since she had had a full nights sleep she usually only get a total of 4 hours of sleep a night. The doctor said that is also another reason why she freaked out today. She has another meeting with her radiologist on Thursday my dad is going with her this time just to be safe. She wants to start the treatments now but freaks out when she even gets close to the idea. Is this common? How does one clam themselves down and not freak out.

Mom went to see her radiologist today things went very well, she really like this doctor. If I understood this correct she will be getting the light chemo treatment, she is so happy that she will not be losing her hair, maybe just thining which is okay because she has thick hair. He said the type of chemo that she will be getting will give her energy for the first three days then she will be tried for the other days and just when she is starting to fell her old selft again another chemo treatment. Her radiation treatment will be for 8 weeks straight monday through friday. She goes for her markings tomorrow. And then a cat-scan of her head on monday since she could not do the MRI today because of her closterphobia. She's not to concerend about that. IT was so nice to hear the change in her voice, a change of happy instead of sadness . I told my mom about this sight, she registered her name is memere. I hope she continues to come, I'm sure it will help her when she wants to talk to other people how have been throught the same situation. Thank you for all of your support and prayers.

About a month ago my mother went in to get a chest X-ray after many months of postnasal drip, she thought it might have been a virus that she could not get rid of. Her x-ray came back clear but the doctor wanted to do a cat-scan of her chest. That's when they found the "mass" the word that she hates the most. The mass is on 3.1 centimeters big, about the size of a quarter. She meet with a pathologist and was scheduled for a biospy. The biospy came back positive of cancer. My mothers pathologist said that this cancer is treat-able and it is the slow movig type. She just went to see and oncologist to see what here options were, he said 1 day of chemo for 3 hours with radiation, and radiation for the next 4 days for the next 6 weeks. Then additional treatments. Her doctor said that surgery should not be performed right now since the cancer has attached it's self to one of her vocal cords and her pulmonary artery. She is freaking out about chemo, more so since she has read the side affects that it can cause. I don't know how to talk to her, one day she is complete fine and the next day mostly after she see's a doctor she is a complete mess. I need some advise?