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Hello From a Newbie :)


Danielle30

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Hi, I'm Danielle.

I've been lurking around here for a few weeks and wanted to officially introduce myself.

My mom was diagnosed with NSCLC, Stage IV on 11/8/06. Right now she is in the process of chemo (taxol/carbo/avastin) and radiation (30 treatments).

It has been a very scary process for my whole family and I'm still in the stage of trying to process it all. It still feels unreal.

I have been reading all of yuor stories and it has given me great knowledge and encouragement. I appreciate everyone here very much.

I am looking forward to making new friends and offering love and support to others when I can.

Thanks for listening :)

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Warm Welcomes Danielle, I am so glad you posted.

Like you I spent some time (more even) reading, digesting and processing evertything before I posted.

You know once I started treatment I found this to be the best place on the net. This is the place where those you have gone through it and those you are going through it share their experiences and knowledge.

Please don't be a stranger. We are here for you.

Val

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Thank you for all of the kind words of welcome!!

I look forward to getting to know all of you.

The genuine concern of everyone here really touches my heart and gives me hope.

I have posted my moms timeline in my signature and will keep it updated as her treatment progresses.

Thank you so much for caring.

-Danielle

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Danielle...

Welcome! As you've seen from being around a lil while, there's no better place for support, information, and caring around!!

I just have to say, the dr's telling your mom "inoperable and incurable" made me bristle. (But I do that sometimes :wink: )

The first words that were said to me that really sunk in here were these: There is NO 0% survival!! And there is ALWAYS hope!

My mom was told she's be lucky to see a year when she was first diagnosed...in May of '05. :shock: She's fighting, her dr's are fighting with her, and so are we (including the people of this board!) her family!

Welcome, again, to the family. Let us know how we can help you if you need it! And remember, there is always hope!

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Danielle,

Welcome to this site. You will find a lot of support here. It sounds like you mom is getting some good treatment. I had Taxol/Carbo/ and Tarceva. My oncologist told me that if I went in today it would be Avastin instead of Tarceva. I had great results. We will pray that your mom has good results also.

Stay positive, :)

Ernie

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Hi Danielle and welcome to the LCSC family!

Your Mom is having some very tough treatment in that she is having radiation in combination with chemo -- but that is a good thing. It tells me that her oncologist is aggressively treating her. Tell her to hang tough, it will be worth how bad she may feel. The radiation is likely to make her more tired than the chemo will.

My husband went through 8 cycles of Taxol/carbo (without Avastin) and he did fine. His Oncologist told him to take B6 vitamins up to 600 mg per day to help fend off peripheral neuropathy. To date it appears to have worked as he's never had as much as a tingle in his hands or feet and he's been on a lot of chemo that is known to produce those side effects. Check with her Oncologist though before adding any supplements. Just wanted to pass along what worked for Tony.

You hang tough too. Sounds like you are a great advocate for your Mom.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Welthy

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Thanks for the info. Welthy, I will definately ask about the B6 vitamins because She has been very tired, however i had been attributing that to the pain meds (she takes oxy CR 10mg every 12 hrs and regular oxy every 4 hours when needed).

I spoke to her doctor today while she was in chemo (round 2) and the dr tells me its going to be 6 rounds total (mom somehow thought it was only 2) and dr has decided to stop avastin as they are worried about bleeding with the all the radiation (shes got 24 sessions left).so today she just had taxol/carbo. I'm not clear on why they changed their mind on the avastin as she was having no symptoms of bleeding, but dr says maybe they will incorporate it again in future treatments.

For everything she's going through she's doing so well. Her only complaint is her scalp which she says hurts and itches where her hair has fallen out. Dr says not much can be done for that.

She has also lost 14 lbs since her dx, which they want her to try to gain back as she was a small person to start with. I think that will be tough as she is a very fussy eater and she claims now food makes her nauseous even with the anti-nausea meds. I am trying to work on a menu of high calorie foods she will eat.

Sorry I ended up rambling a little... Thanks for the ears and the support.

-Danielle

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even though fussy eating habits abound, the new rule is eat WHAT YOU WANT, WHEN YOU WANT no set schedule. also liquid shakes like ensure and boost are great supplements and ther is a weight gain Boost shake I believe. Good luck and welcome to the boards. Sending Prayers

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Hi, Danielle, and welcome to the group! The fact that your mom is doing chemo and radiation simultaneously is a very good sign -- her oncologist obviously believes she's strong enough to handle both. And she's young (yes, Danielle, 49 is young :) ). Add to that the excellent attitude you both have, and she's got lots of plusses in her column. You two are on your way to becoming another of our Stage IV success stories!

Maybe she'll be able to resume the Avastin sometime after the radiation treatments are done. Carbo/Taxol/Avastin is proving to be a very effective combination, and at some point she might be able to go on Avastin alone as others have done with very good results. That's the plan for me after my 6th triple-agent cycle, which is coming up shortly.

As Randy said, the new rule is "eat what you want, when you want." Isn't that great? All my life I've been waiting for someone to tell me that (I've had to watch my weight since I was a little kid). For many years my internist has been after me to lose that last 10 to 15 pounds down to my "ideal" weight, and now I'm there and holding with the what-you-want-when-you-want guidance. I haven't had any nausea problems from the chemo, and nothing actually tastes "bad" -- some things have no taste at all, and others irritate the tongue, but many are just as good as ever. This includes creamy soups (slightly warm, not hot, with any meat chunks saved for the dog), fruit, creamy soft vegetables, puddings, Carnation Instant Breakfast (any time of the day), ice cream, etc. Maybe it's not perfect nutrition, but I won't be on chemo forever, and my wife doesn't feel forced to cook something just for me. She just cooks for the rest of the family, and if something looks good I'll take a little, but mainly I depend on my stash of tried-and-true favorites.

Now, about the "inoperable and incurable" statement. That phrase does come as a shock, especially in connection with cancer, but it's really not as ominous as it sounds. I'll PM you with something I wrote on the subject shortly after my diagnosis (click the My Mail link at the top), but won't burden the group with something I've ranted about before. My best wishes and Aloha,

Ned

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Dear Danielle,

I'm sorry you need too find us, but I'm very pleased we are here for you. This is about learning and listening from other lung cancer survivors. We are heere to helo you and we are here to walk the walk. This is NOT an easy walk but let us knwo what we might be able to do to help you.

It does scare the whole famly, and this is a family disease. It scares anyone that is close to it. The walk it doable, but it's never fun.

We're here for you.

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