SDianneB

Charlie & Tina -- hope this is a better week for you than you think it's going to be. I'm glad the two of you have each other. You have my prayers and best wishes. Di

Born in Wolfe City (Hunt County), Texas Grew up in Idalou, Texas Lived in Lubbock, Texas Lived in San Antonio, Texas Now in Nashville, TN I traveled a lot of places during that time, but kept one home base for the most part. San Antonio was and always will be a favorite, even though Nashville is a great place to live. I'm one of those native Texans you hear about - true blue! Di

Becky is correct, IMO. Miracle or no miracle, all a doctor can tell you is his/her opinion and/or what the statistics say, and we all know about those ... If they pretend to know how long you have, it's just an estimate based on their own experience - and never forget that your dad is an individual. He may outlive the doctor for all we know. This is one of the hardest parts of all this, I think. Had I not come to terms with my own mortality a while back, I don't think I could have handled all this now. I think it's something we all have to go through, but that doesn't mean we live each day as if we are dying! Your dad will probably know when it's time to stop treatment or see what else may be available, or whatever. You're already doing the best thing for him -- being with him and being an advocate for him. God bless you all. Di

YAY! Fay, hope you continue to improve. Di

There is a rather simple and obvious answer to your questions if you think about it. Then again, I think you may already know that. I figure the best I can do is just to try and educate as many people as possible about lung cancer and the need for funding more research. I can't solve the attitudes of people, but I can at least disseminate information. Di

Oh, Beth. Another one of my heroes having to fight a battle that she shouldn't at such a young age. Be peaceful and surrounded by the love of your family -- including the "family" you have here. God bless you all. Di

Just a note on a "tenure" period. Those may or may not be supported by the law, depending on the state where you reside. Some are "right to work" states, and an employer can fire you for "a good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all," no matter how long you have been there. Unless an employer has a policy regarding "tenure," there are few places outside of a union contract that have those. The federal law considers you hired no matter how long you've been there -- a day or a decade. There may be waiting periods for benefits, but once you become an employee, unless there is something specific in company policy or state law, there probably isn't a "tenure period" of any duration. A federal law violation would require discrimination based on age, race, gender, religion, handicap, etc. And, the company has to be large enough to be covered by federal law -- many aren't. You should have a Department of Labor or the equivalent in your state, and can probably find it on the web. If not, call and ask someone in your state government -- maybe your representative or a local official. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Di

First off, check with someone who is familiar with employment law in your state. From a federal standpoint, if they didn't ask before you started to work and didn't require a physical, they hired you "as is." It could affect your insurance coverage, if they offer it, in terms of pre-existing conditions, but your employment status is something different. Unless you are unable to perform the job, they would have no grounds to fire you or restrict you, IMO. That doesn't mean though that they can't or won't. Di

Jamie, that is a dear story. I'm so sorry for your loss. Di

Ry, thanks so much for the update. Dean & Gay -- you are two special people in my world. Dean reminded me of the life all around me, every day, in the world of Mother Nature in my own back yard. He reminded me to see the beautiful things she provides for us if we only take the time to see them. My very best wishes & prayers to the both of you. Di

Something that other countries don't always realize or understand about the USA is that the National Guard can't enter a state and carry out operations without an invitation from the governor of that state. The military can go in on humanitarian missions only (posse comitatus law), again at the behest of the governor. We are a nation of states, and the federal government is prohibited from certain activities within each state without specific approval from the governor. FEMA and Guard units were outside New Orleans a few days before the Hurricane hit. There was no centralized command center established in New Orleans until Wednesday after the hurricane and after the floods. By the time the governor authorized the Guard to enter the city and a command center began coordinating efforts, much time had been lost and chaos began to take over with the looters, rapists, and other vermin on the streets with little or no security. One should remember too that when you rely so heavily on the federal government, this is what you get -- every time. It is a plodding bureaucracy and has been for decades. Don't look for them to save you immediately, because they are a ponderous beast that can't move over a certain speed even if they want to. Hindsight, of course, will have this all solved within 24 hours, but the reality is far different. God bless all those who risked their own safety and lives to help others. And those who still are. Di

What Snowflake said. My 92 year old mother does that now and then, and doesn't have cancer. She has a few medical problems, but thinks she sees the end of her life coming. She's been mad at the world ever since my dad died and that was 30 years ago. Mortality isn't easy for some people to accept, and combine that with the drugs, the emotions, and no telling what other kinds of stress, it has to change a person in some way. My bet is that she's going through the same stages of dealing with her illness as people go through the stages of death -- from the anger, denial, etc., all the way to acceptance. They say it's important to go through all the steps, but not get stuck in one too long. I do hope she improves and that you all have a more peaceful and loving time of it soon. Di

Me too, Maryanne. And top it off with that helpless feeling I have makes it worse. About the time we think we have it bad, Mother Nature pulls out the card she has been hiding up her sleeve. It's almost more than the mind can comprehend. We just do what we can and pray, I guess. What a tragedy. My heart goes out to all those people. Di

And each one of them a real gem. Way to go, Don! Di

You are all absolutely in my prayers. Hospice is a good thing, believe it or not. We all have to face death at one time or another, and a good hospice team can really help not only the patient, but the family through this transition. God bless you all through this difficult time. Di

Wonderful!! That NED isn't being seen around here enough lately, so this is great! Keep it up!! Di

Jorja, we could help define the terms, but there are so many variants involved, that it may just be more confusing! My advice would be just like the others -- Ask the Experts here or make notes to ask the doc. I will tell you this -- that from the first scans I had in June 2004 until now, there have been literally dozens of things mentioned on scan reports, most of which weren't anything other than CYA for the radiologist! They use terms such as "is consistent with," meaning they aren't saying it is or isn't. And as my oncologist told me just last week, if everything they said was cancer in June 2004 really had been, I wouldn't be here asking about it today. IMO, this is why treatment for this is a team approach -- there are radiologists to report what they see on scans, and oncologists to filter through it and make sense of it all. My best to your mom for her continued improvement -- sounds great so far! Di

Charlie & Tina -- this sounds really positive and promising. I'm hopeful this will help Charlie a great deal. Take care -- both of you! Di

I'm so sorry and sad to hear this. Rachel was such a trooper -- so fun loving and spirited. She will be missed. God bless you all. Di

Too poor. Which is worse -- too thin or too fat?

So, can we safely say that this is the END of this one? Di

Oh, stop. LOL!!

Ditto what Nancy said. WBR or mets or another possibility - changes associated with age as in my case! When I turned 40, the eye doc told me I'd have to have glasses soon. I held out until around 50 and just need reading glasses so far. I've noticed a change in my left eye too, and the Oncologist wants me to wait until I'm in an off week of chemo or done with it to get them checked, as she says there could be more changes. I try not to borrow trouble, but it's common to us all to worry about things in a different way than before hearing the big "C" word for the first time, I think. Di

LOL, Don & Cindi! Ya' hadta know that was coming! Di

I thought about it for a while, and I think that is the "Oh, c'mon and get my purse and let's blow this joint." look. What an angel! She is just a little doll. That sweetie pie face just makes me smile really big every time I see it! I'm sure that just one picture of baby Carolyn is the equivalent of at least 100 posts to the forum in terms of giving smiles, ya think? What a little blessing you have. Thanks for sharing her with us. Di