SDianneB

Pat/Brian - hope this gets figured out soon, so Brian can feel better. You all are in my thoughts and prayers. While dealing with my own 92 year old mother recently, getting her into an assisted living facility and trying to get her leg pain (turned out to be a back problem) solved, I learned that some in the medical profession can be quite callous in their treatment of the elderly. They kept pushing my mother around from one place and one doc to another -- because they thought she'd die, and none of them wanted her death on their watch. You also have the additional Medicare factor which puts the paperwork ahead of the patient all too often. What saved us was that my niece is an RN, and was able to go with mother to her appointments and demand answers and action. She knew what to ask and what to report, and was able to get some help. A good social worker at her facility or an ombudsman might be of help as well. You have enough of a load as it is -- see if there isn't some help out there for you, ok? Take care. Di

I never heard of that one, but with all the new stuff that seems to be out there now, I'm sure I haven't heard of a LOT! Ha. Sorry to hear of this setback, but hang in there. I've been wondering about you. Let us know how things are going with you, ok? Di

I know nothing about it, but hope it does you some good, Jen. And kudos to your Oncologist -- can't tell you how many times that happens to me with Radiologists. Well, actually I can tell you -- it happens every time. Every time. It's why I no longer as for "wet reads" - I just wait until I see the Oncologist who makes some sense out of things. I'd like to get all these Radiologists in a room together and tell them they can't come out until they are all in agreement. Ha. But whatever -- you just take care, and let us know how things are going. Ok? We care about you -- and I think about you often. Di

Yesssssssss! This is fantastic news! The best. Now, you can enjoy the fall with your family without that ton of bricks on each shoulder! Di

I used to have strange fevers now and then -- haven't had one in a while (knock on wood!). Since my blood work was fine, the Oncologist figured it was just something from the cancer or the chemo that my immune system was reacting to. Once I got my gallbladder problems all solved, they went away. Hopefully never to come back! Di

Also, if you're being treated at a cancer center, try and find out their specific history with and without PCI. Where I am being treated, their success rate with PCI on small cell patients is higher than some of the studies I've read, yet the Radiation Oncologists there say their results mirror those in similar facilities (such as Vanderbilt which is nearby). The rate he told me was that there is a 50% chance of brain mets, and PCI reduces that to less than 10%. To me, it was more than enough to convince me to go ahead with it, and I've suffered no ill effects from it so far. Like everyone has said, it's a highly individual decision, and one that deserves much thought and asking lots and lots of questions. My goal when I started out was to maximize my survival. I felt like the PCI was one more tool to help me do that. So far, I was right. How long that will last, I have no idea, but given what I'm fighting, it surely wasn't a negative thing for me to have done. Di

Tell her to just hang in and pay attention to what she is feeling. I haven't really had side effects from chemo or radiation, even when I had both at the same time. I had fatigue, but manageable, and have been able to hold down my FT job since I was diagnosed almost 16 months ago. The chemo didn't cause me to lose my hair either, but the PCI did. The only time I've really been sick was when I had a gallstone and stopped up bile duct, and until that was fixed for good, I did NOT feel good. Not everyone experiences side effects and not everyone who does has the same things. If she just pays attention to what she feels, maybe even writing it down, it may help her to understand how it relates to her particular schedule of chemo so that she can be prepared for each round as it comes up. Tell her to keep her chin up! Hope she continues to do well. Di

Crazy? Yes. For sure. From what I'm hearing, in a few weeks we'll be calling that "cheap." Go figure. But, we'll suck it up and do what we have to do, I guess. We wouldn't want all those oil company execs out there to have to suffer under the loss of a bit of a profit, now would we. (koff koff) Di

I have many. Mine was a blessed childhood, almost the kind in a book! Mostly, spending time with my dad - sitting in his lap for hours when I was very young as he taught me to read. Also my granny - a real character. I had a few "2nd mothers" as well. So, my childhood itself is a favorite - and very good memory. All of it! Di

I used to crochet a lot, but haven't lately. I'll probably start up again this winter. My favorite is genealogy. I spent several years tracing both sides of my family, and found out that they came here way back when - pre-Revolutionary War. I found great stories, photos, and several cousins I never knew I had! I thought I'd not find out much about my paternal grandmother, and now know a little something about all her siblings (she was one of 13 -- a Boone). I've found several more of my generation in this family, and until I got sick we were hoping to all meet in northeast Missouri and dig around the old cemeteries and towns while they are still there. Still hope to do that one day when and if I'm able. I know. Too much information. But it is fun! More than a hobby, I guess, but surely not for profit -- not the $$ kind anyway! Di

Like I remember? HA! Actually, I didn't really do nursery rhymes. My dad taught me to read when I was 3-4 years old, and I used to spend hours sitting in his lap reading books - like Black Beauty, Heidi, 1001 Arabian Nights, etc. He'd read to me, I'd read back to him. I skipped right by most of the children's books, I think. At least I don't remember them if I ever read them. When my 2 nieces came along (6 & 8 years after I was born) they used to bring some of these with them, so I guess I did see them! The one thing I do remember is my granny rocking me in her creaky old rocking chair (that I still have to this day, same creaks!) and singing "Itsy Bitsy spider" to me. Awwwww. How I loved her. How I miss her. Di

YAY! Home is good. Home is grand. Home is WONDERFUL!! Keep it up! We've missed you around here. Di

Yummy ... Fried Chicken Potato Salad Fried pies (peach!) for dessert (burrrrp) Escusa. Di

You'd probably be better off asking the docs about that. Although we sometimes receive the same chemo and are in the same or similar protocols for treatment, we don't all react the same way, and don't all take the same medications. Some people may need these, some may not. My advice would be for you to write down all these questions and take them with you to one of your mom's appointments with her doctor. If you don't go with her, then see if she'll take them, ask them, and let you know. There are 1001 questions that come up just in the first days/weeks. I think it helps to write them down in advance. Di

Tina & Charlie - this is grand news! So glad to hear it. The two of you deserve a lot of breaks -- hope this is just one of many good ones to come! Di

PCI = prophylactic (preventive) cranial irradiation It's brain radiation given in a lower dose than usual, and fewer treatments. It's often given in small cell patients if the original chest tumor is in remission. I was told that there is a 50% chance of spread to the brain, and having PCI can reduce that down to less than 10% in many patients, so I chose to have it. Not everyone is a candidate, obviously, so this is something to ask your docs about and ask lots of questions before making a decision. Much luck to you! Di

No, don't say it - SHOUT IT!!! That's great! Here's to the good days, and may you both have a LOT of them -- just what you deserve. Di

If you can find one, I'd say so. Di

Jen, this is a rough road we're on. (How's that for understatement?) I just want so badly for some of this stuff to start working its magic on you so that you'll feel better and have lots of good days. I think about you often. Hang in there! Di

Yay Lucie! More cake & ice cream - that's the ticket! This is great news. Just keep feeling better and better, ok? Di

Not so much any more, because where I live I can't see them for the trees! When I was growing up in West Texas, you could see the night sky go on and on and on forever - what a beautiful sight it was. I love the trees here in Tennessee, but it bothers me a bit that I can't always see the stars, and when a storm is coming, I can't see that either! We could see a tornado coming from miles away in West Texas, not to mention billions of stars! Di

Aawww, Peggy. It does get a bit easier, it really does. It's that "time" thing though, and the stages you'll go through as time passes. I remember that when my dad died, as if we didn't have enough stuff to do and to worry about, we had a little Siamese kitty - Peanut - who was HIS cat. Here was this "gruff" man on the outside, who we thought would never tolerate a cat in the house for long (he was a dog person!), who took up with this kitty almost immediately. By this time, she was one of 3 we had, but she loved him fiercely, and he loved her back. She would sit in his lap when he was reading and cutting out interesting clippings from his newspaper. He would brush her, talk to her, and in general, just doted on her. When he died, she truly mourned him. She'd go from room to room and yowl in that Siamese voice of hers. She'd catch his scent from his clothes still in the closet, so probably thought he was still there somewhere. Then one day, she went outside as usual in the early morning and never came back. (This was before we stopped letting our cats outside - early 1976) To this day, I'll swear that she went looking for my dad, and however long she lived, she never stopped. Today, one of the things I treasure most is a photograph we took of my dad in his overalls, sitting in his chair, cut up newspaper in hand, and little Peanut right there in his lap, peering out from underneath the ragged edges of the newspaper. How I miss them both. But time does help with that. I'll also never forget how my mother picked up the ball and ran with it when he died -- she had always worked in the home, never wrote a check - her "job" was taking care of the house. Soon after he died, we opened a bank account in her name, she got a job, and never looked back. To this day, I'm still very proud of her for being able to do that after 43 years of depending on him to take care of things for her. Take care. You'll make it through this. Promise. Di

At the first of this episode when House first saw the x-ray, he said "advanced," so I figured that's what he meant - advanced. And from what happened later, I think that's what it actually was in the storyline. I think this show is great, having come from the medical world myself. Last night's episode, I thought, showed 2 sides of this young woman's story, and what I thought was so worthwhile was the underlying "message" about the stages of grief, and how the young doctor was going through them for her patient. I also thought that the juxtaposition between the young woman and the death row inmate was quite thought provoking about the value of life itself, and how people in the medical field aren't there to make decisions about the value of one life compared to another. No, they didn't touch on all the things we discuss here, because that's not what the show is about, IMO. As it so often does, this show gives information to make people think. And obviously that works, because we're here discussing it today! Di

Tina, that's good to hear. This is so very interesting to me, and I'm hopeful that Charlie does well with it. Please give him my best. Di

I'm hoping I have the attention of a local morning show. They did great work covering the death of Peter Jennings, I think, because they covered most of the bases, whereas much of the media focused on the smoking angle -- even after the news about Dana Reeve came to light. Unfortunately, in order to pay the bills for Katrina, I bet some programs will be cut, and funding for many will be frozen or suspended. But, getting out the word can come back to help in the long run once people begin to have a better understanding. I don't put much stock in writing to my representatives in Congress either. They are political animals, and will go the way the most favorable wind blows them. Especially when 2006 is a mid-term election year. I've had the best results locally, and hope that holds. A few days ago, I was in line at the Starbuck's and a woman told me she liked my button (Cancer Sucks). Then, she began to tell me that she'd never had cancer, but felt it was important to support research in case she ever did. Plus, she would be walking in an upcoming fundraiser for breast cancer research, and would I care to join them? No, I said -- I don't have breast cancer. The cancer I have will kill almost twice the number of women this year, however, yet I don't think I've heard about many walks or runs or bike rides for lung cancer research. Have you? (Strange look) I just smiled at her and that was it. Oh well. Di