SDianneB

Sorry to hear of another person stricken with this beast, and I send my best wishes to your mom. I'm with Shelley -- if you can find a good social worker, they are sometimes miracle workers with things like this. Also, if the place where she is being treated has a counselor, try that. Maybe it will help her to talk to a 3rd party before eyeballing with her own family. Whatever the case, social workers are often thought of as just people who help patients get on welfare or whatever, but they do SO much more, and may be of great help to your mom. I want to know everything. And when I come across the statistics, as long as there is a 1% chance, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be in that 1%! If I'd have thought to do it, it would be interesting to have a chart of all the different web sites and sources and compare all their stats on LC - we'd see amazing differences, I bet! Many good wishes and prayers to your family. Di

Deb, my best, of course, to your mom and you and your entire family, but just try to take a deep breath and see what comes next. Like Addie and some others, it was like a whack up side the head to find out I had mets after I thought I'd defeated the beast during the first go-round. My goal from day 1 has been really simple -- to maximize my survival. When they have a treatment for what I have, I ask a jillion questions about it and then decide what to do -- or not do. I can't stand the "gloom and doom" crew either -- tell them to STOP that stuff! Sheesh. Hang in there. This is an extremely difficult battle, to say the least. Di

Thanks, you guys. This comes on the heels of getting my mother settled in the assisted living place where she now has no time for her kids - ha! She will be 92 on Saturday, has made lots of friends there - more than she's had in 30 years, as she was working full time then. She even plays Bingo! This woman is NOT the Bingo type, but she loves it -- won 75 cents the other day! So that is really GOOD news for the family, and I was of course glad to contribute my own good news. Ry - isn't that going to get me in to really big trouble joining that caravan? If not, I ain't goin'! Addie - no itchies as of yet. I had the worst itching when going through the gallbladder stuff. One of the nurses at the first ERCP told me that was one of the symptoms -- she could see on my back where I'd been scratching. It started on my forearms and feet - like the worst athlete's foot you could imagine, except different. The bile that was supposed to be going in and out of the ducts, vessels, liver, gallbladder, etc., wasn't going through the right channels, so was basically "floating around" my system! Ick. Once I got the stent placed, it was all better, and hasn't come back. For any of the rest of you who have had or may get Topotecan, it's great stuff as far as I'm concerned! The study I'm in is just to compare the oral/coated capsule form with the IV. It seems to be working well on me! I get at total of 25 mg. over a 5 day period; 5 mg. worth of pills each day, then 2 weeks off, another 5 day cycle of 25 mg., 2 weeks off, then a scan to check progress. Oh, how I do treasure these good days, and wish for the very same for all of you. Di

Becky - I loved those dinosaurs! And "Not the mama." LOL!! Here I was, a grown woman, and when they cancelled that show, it did me in! Oh well. I actually remember Beanie & Cecil too -- or make that Beanie and Thethil (he had a lisp ... er ... a lithp.) Thanks for the laughs!

Had a scan last Friday, after 4 cycles of the oral Topotecan. Looking good! Resolution of the smaller spots on my liver, and the one that started out as the largest is but a mere shadow of its former self. Today, I start cycle #5 of oral Topo, hoping it keeps doing its thing. The Oncologist is amazed at her "tough ol' bird" patient, as am I. Blood counts holding up, and fatigue is about the only side effect I'm having so far (knock on wood). She says we'll do 2 more cycles for a total of 6, then rescan and see what things look like and go from there. This was a huge relief, obviously. I was concerned when it started showing up in other places, but knowing that the Topo is working helps a great deal. Di

I actually saw this one today, and almost wrecked the car laughing! "Keep the earth clean. It's not Uranus!!" Di

Go out and wreck the car! Kidding, but this isn't funny -- I know that. We just got my 92 year old mother into an assisted living apartment. Until March of this year, she was still living in her house and driving around. Yikes! Scared us to death, but she wasn't stoppable, and the state of Texas continued to renew her DL as long as she could see the eye chart. When her house started falling in around her and it became obvious she had to go somewhere, that was that. No car. No more driving. I don't really have a clue how to handle this, except that we were prepared to sit down eyeball to eyeball and tell her a lot of things that we didn't have to once we worked through the assisted living place. Good luck to you. Di

Great to hear from you! Hope you are healing, but not above getting into trouble with the others. That is therapeutic, yanno -- causing and getting into trouble. Yep. 'Tis a fact. Di

I have several "unspecified" thyroid nodules. Now and then they do an ultrasound on them, and they stay in the same place, same size, etc. The thinking now is that they have been there a long time, but they still keep an eye on them. Di

On the off chance that there is some sincerity in your questions and comments, I'll just offer the following -- Firstly, your comments about not "giving" someone with heart trouble fatty foods or not "giving" sugar to a diabetic? Non sequitur. Unless this is someone who has to be fed by another person, I doubt anyone "gives" him anything. He probably decides what to eat and when, as well as to smoke, no? When I found out I had lung cancer, it was a no-brainer why -- all the years of smoking. I was in the hospital at the time, so had the perfect opportunity to quit. I spent 5 days there, and my mind was on a ton of other things, so I didn't have much chance to worry about smoking. Sure, I oould have sneaked outside with one of the nurses and had a cig, but I truly did NOT want to. For the first few days, I didn't feel like moving out of that bed. On the day the Pulmonologist came in to tell me all the details, his comments about smoking were that although it probably wouldn't have any effect on the cancer I have now, I'd just be working on another tumor if I continued to smoke. That was enough for me. Didn't want to do this once, much less twice. Later on when I had chest radiation, the Rad. Onc. told me about the same thing, plus the fact that not smoking helped my esophagus heal from the radiation, and I could keep my esophagus and airway moistened much better without the cigarettes. Of course by then, I'd not smoked for a while, and didn't miss it at all. Had someone told me 5 years ago that I'd just stop smoking one day without patches or counseling or a straitjacket, I'd have thought they were nuts. But that's what I did. And now, the moral of this story -- I quit because I WANTED TO. No one made me, although what the docs were telling me made sense and was good advice. Not a one of them could have intimidated me or forced me into it had I not taken it on myself to just quit. Not everyone can do that. Not everyone wants to. We aren't robots -- we are humans. And you, our families and friends, either love us or you don't. It's really that simple. Di

I had mine set up by an attorney too, and we fixed it so that in one document is the durable POA and the living will. The POA, with my physician, can invoke the living will, but NOT the hospital or its staff. These can sound intimidating and maybe even a bit morbid to people sometimes, but as for me, it gave me a secure feeling that my wishes would be carried out if I were unable to call the shots. Many good wishes to you. Di

Addie -- ttthhhpppppptttttt! (from an avowed cat lover!) They ARE funny though! Oh, and one more thing -- you and that radiation kick the butt of those brain mets, ok? You can do this. No sweat. Di

Your Highney. TOO funny! Di

Cindi says: "The point is, try not to control what another person does." Indeed. Just copy what Addie said for me too -- you're not going to change someone else's behavior. Di

So, it's safe to come out now? Whew ... Glad that's working better for you! Mucho amore, Di

Sorry -- I'm not a "never smoker." I misread. My apologies! Di

Laura, I was. My dad smoked when I was little, and one day just gave it up - no warning, no weeks of stewing about quitting, he just quit! My brother (19 yrs older than I) and his wife both smoked, she during 2 pregnancies, and 1 of her daughters smoked for a long time -- they have all since quit. So far, I'm the only one with cancer. My dad had circulatory problems and was a doctor, so gave up the cigs. (Contrary to popular belief, the medical establishment did know many of the dangers of smoking "way back when.") My mother lived with all this too, and will turn 92 in a few weeks. Go figure. Di

Oh, Addie. I'm with Sharon on this one -- as we say down here in the south, "that about wore me plumb out!" Interesting how something so unfunny can be so funny at times, huh. Fortunately, I've avoided the oral steroids, and only had a few doses of the IV kind, so haven't had what you describe. Here's hoping for some sleep for you soon, and plenty of it, and an alternate Rx. I think the point is to HELP you, not make you uncomfortable, no? As to the house, what about I come and get you, and the both of us will make a trip to my mom's house in Texas, then your house in AZ, and take care of 'em both at once. (Bring matches!) Take care, you. Di

Gosh. I can hardly believe this myself. I remember chats when you'd tell us Earl was beside you. It just can't be a year already, can it? Oh well. I didn't really "know" either of you that well because I was new then too, but you surely made a huge impact on me. It broke my heart when we lost Earl in this forum, because I was so new, and just wasn't ready for all the reality -- not quite yet. Bless you, you dear lady, and thanks again to the both of you for sharing Earl and his experiences with us. Di

Good for you. My button says "Cancer Sucks" and one says "Don't worry." I wear them every day of my life. With my radiation induced pixie haircut, I rarely fail to get at least a few comments about the button. All up and down the streets where I work (downtown) I have friends -- all of which follow my progress. It's a great feeling, and I know they know more today about this than they did a year ago, because I've told them. I also carry copies of that ad with the woman in it that says, "She can't stop smoking because she never started." Di

Consider, if you will, a little bit of irony. The late Peter Jennings smoked as a young man -- admittedly. Much of the filmed footage of him throughout his early career showed him with a cigarette in his hand, or lighting up, or whatever. Those of us who grew up in that era remember televisions shows, including news broadcasts, where people smoked right there on the shows. Finally, he quit. He reported on and produced many stories about the tobacco industry after that, and was not a friend to them at all. And then on one sad day, he faced his audience and told us that he had cancer. He told us he was "weak," and that he had started smoking again about the time of the 9/11 attacks. In short, he was telling us that he was just like the rest of us - human. The irony? Mr. Jennings knew, perhaps more than most people, about what he perceived to be wrongs carried out by the tobacco industry. Yet, when it came down to it, he started smoking again, meaning that he began sending money from his pocket into their hands just like he'd done for years. Knowingly. Willingly. After all the reports he'd produced and reported on about those same companies. IMO, it's time to stop pointing fingers everywhere and seeking whatever we can to "blame." We know that smoking is a factor, and a big one, but that it is not the only one. We also know that tobacco companies, just like gun manufacturers, can make all the products they want, and until and unless we actually pick up one of them and use it, it isn't going to harm us. I think it's the people -- the personal stories -- the lack of funding for research that goes along with the stigma -- all those things that gets the attention, just as it did with Mr. Jennings, Dana Reeve, and others. This is the theme I've used when writing to local news media, and it's had a reaction from one of them already. I'm hopeful they will have some special reports for Lung Cancer Awareness Month as a result. Di

The two of you are always in my prayers, but I'll send up some special ones for you now. Di

I'm thinking of you - hard and strong. Di

I'm coming from the patient's angle here, but I certainly don't think you are selfish at all. Since I was diagnosed, I've continued to work FT, except for those times I was having procedures, and was sick last spring with my gallbladder problems. To this day, I drive myself to all appointments, scans, etc., and go by myself, and then on to work. The one concession I made was to leave work a bit early because I had to get home to rest. So, I adjusted the morning hours so that I still put in just about a full day, 5 days a week. It's a "can do" thing for me, I guess, but I live alone, so there isn't really a comparison with your situation. I just know that working gives me a purpose, I interact with people all day every day, and I like what I do. I'd a lot rather spend my days like that for as long as I can. No, I don't want to hear anyone say I have "x" days or months left, because no one knows that. All they can do is guess, and anyone who tries saying that to me, gets this back: "I could outlive you, you know." As long as I can drag my carcass out of the bed, into the shower, and pull on clothes and still add 2 and 2 and come up with 4, I guess I'll be working. A huge incentive is keeping my insurance, but if I become disabled and can't work, it will continue for a year with no premium, so I do have that cushion if I need it. Just take care. You have a tough job, but remember that your husband has a tougher one. Enjoy each day that you have together. There were no guarantees before the SCLC diagnosis, and there aren't any now. You both have my best wishes. Di

Addie, you have my heart, yanno. And all the good vibes I can muster up and send your way. Di