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STAGE II!!


Lauri

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Hi, all!

My mom, Pat, has finally been given a diagnosis of Stage II by an oncologist that she happens to like very much. Although he is pretty sure there is no signs of spread, he is also scheduling her for more tests. He is very optimistic that he can successfully treat her without surgery and has been acting very quickly to get the ball rolling :D So far, no signs of metastasis and they are very happy about that.

My mom retired in June and has not gotten a computer for home yet. I have been telling her about all of you and printing out helpful tidbits of information to give to her.

ANYWAY.....since she will begin a 6-week plan of chemo/radiation next week, I was hoping maybe some of you could send a short, friendly hello and maybe some advice or words of inspiration to help her through her treatment journey. She will be taking Platinol and Taxol by IV twice a week for six weeks. We meet with the radiation specialist tomorrow. It's my wish to print out this thread and give it to her a day or two before she begins her treatments. Any little bit helps!!!

Thanks!

Lauri

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Hello Pat;

My very, very best to you. So sorry you have to be here, and sorry you have had a tough time of it. Your wonderful daughter has filled us all in. :):)

I just wanted to say that you are not alone, many here are going through what you are and you will find hope, understanding and most important of all SURVIVORS here.

You will be in my thoughts and prayers!

God bless and be well

Bobmc- NSCLC-stageIIB- left pneumonectomy- 5/2/01

" absolutely insist on enjoying life"

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Hi Pat,

Sorry we have to meet this way. There are a lot of compassionate and knowable people here to help you in your journey. Take one day at a time and one step at a time. Stay focused on the positive and not the negative. It’s been a year and a half for me and I’m still kicking. I’ve been getting chemo since Dec 2002. I walk an hour a day several times a week. So never give up. Keep moving, keep grooving. You have a wonderful daughter and she needs you. Let the doctors and nurses know exactly who you feel while you are undergoing treatment. Everybody reacts differently to treatment. There are all sorts of medications to help out if needed. Be pro active in learning as much as you can about this disease. Knowledge is the key. Hope this helps. Take care and God Bless.

Rich :lol::lol::lol::lol:

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Hi Pat,

I wish you good luck with your radiation and chemo.

I always had a little bag of stuff I took to chemo.

A good novel.

Some hard candies to suck on.

two half liter bottles of water (drink lots of water).

a small treat, like half a roast beef sandwich.

An extra blanket.

Stationary if you so desire.

grab a good magazine if you see one.

a cassette deck/cd player with earphones.

a small airline sized pillow.

some herbal tea bags ... the nurses can always scare up some hot water.

I had my chemo a week at a time, and it went on for half a day or more most days.

Do not be afraid to ask for premedication for nausea, they can give you atavan and zofran iv. Also, if you're taking a platinum containing chemo -- Ask the doctor about the advisability of pretreatment with Ethyol, or amyphosdine, which can protect hearing and kidney, among other parts, from the worst of the side effects of that kind of chemo -- like hearing loss. Ask lots of questions, and write down the answers. You'll be glad later you did.

Where I had my chemo had nice lazy boy recliners, and I would eventually wind up taking a nice nap.

You might want to consider a port if you're going to have chemo for a while. It saves so much the arm veins!!

Don't worry if things taste funny for a while. It comes with the territory.

There's a mouthwash too if your mouth and throat start to get sore.

Wishing you nothing but the best,

MaryAnn

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Hi Pat,

Just wanted to welcome you and say hang in there. You are so fortunate that it was caught early. Lung cancer is very scary but there are many survivors here as you will soon see. If you have any chemo questions there is always someone here that usually has an answer because they have experienced the same thing. You will be amazed at all the information you can obtain here. Dont be afraid to ask. It helps when you know you are not alone. I do have a little advice that I have learned from being here, Drink PLENTY of water, keep well hydrated. God Bless

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Hello Pat. I had a NSCLC tumor was in the apex ( way at the top) of my right lung. I was told the first week of December 1997 that I had lung cancer. The plan because it touched the lining of the lung was chemo and radiation , then surgery to remove the R upper lobe, then more chemo. I finished in April of 98" . OVER 5 YEARS AGO. It was a long hall but is all history now. Just in case you have not done the math, that will be 6 yrs ago in just a couple of weeks. Hope you get accesss to a computer soon. Perhaps at the library? Best Wishes Donna G

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Hi Pat,

Sure wish you had a computer so you could get all the much needed support for today and tomorrow. This is a great place, full of friendship and knowledge. Keep on top of your medical records. Always ask for copies of all your scans and dr reports to make sure they are correct as far as you can tell.

You have a very caring daughter to be very proud of. Take care and will place you in my nightly prayers.

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Welcome to the group -- I am also sorry we have to meet this way, however.

I am with John on this one -- why no surgery? Especially if there are no mets...that is the standard course of treatment. I am not a doctor, but I think you might want to get a second opinion to make sure your mom gets the best treatment and beats this thing!

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Those are some great posts and great tips...thanks. Please keep em coming! I will pass them all along. Chemo begins on Tuesday. I visited the center today and got a peek at the chemo room. Nice lounge chairs. Mom is so beat right now that she says she looks forward to taking a nap in one of them! Hard candy and water are perfect ideas. I will put a bag together and send it her way this weekend...she can add to it as she likes.

Why not surgery?? It is my biggest question. All of my research indicated that Stage II may (or may not) be operable. I asked the doctor today to explain to me why they consider it inoperable. They pulled out the PET scan and showed me that the tumor is located deep in lung, deep in chest, near a major artery and heart. That leaves removal of whole lung as only surgical option. They believe that whole-lung surgery would "set her back" too far to handle chemo and radiation. They want to start that immediately. They are not ruling out surgery completely, though. Mom spent 14 days in the hospital after the "simple" overnight VATS procedure on Oct. 17th. Perhaps that is part of the decision, too. Thanks for asking...I appreciate the thinking! Thoughts, questions, ALWAYS welcomed.

Oh..and maybe just maybe Santa will bring her a computer this year! 8) (She loves geneology)

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Hi Laurie!!

That's great news...no signs of spreading! :D Our moms seem to be about in the same place right now, except my mom goes in for lobe removal next week. ....we are keeping our fingers crossed that nothing more is discovered..

Please keep us posted on how things are going...you're mom seems like a fighter, and she has the support of her wonderful daughter.

A hug for you both from your west coast friend. Again..please keep us posted!

Marcie

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