Shawna Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Yesterday I posted a note for the first time asking for encouragement for my dad whose cancer has metastsized to his lymph nodes, chest wall and spine. He had been given "months" to live as of October. Today he went to his doc to get the results of a brain scan and cat scan...to be told that the doc couldn't find the tumors any more! All his tumors have vanished after 2 months of chemo and radiation. The doc said if my dad came into his office today...he'd say there no indication of cancer. A true miracle. We had all been bracing ourselves for the worst (I'm sure many of you have been there...) I almost feel like it's too good to be true...like I can't trust it. Like many of you I'm sure...I've gotten used to getting only bad news and fearing every doctor visit. I can't wrap my brain around this wonderful turn of events. The doc was quick to point out (as they always are) that when lung cancer goes into remission...it almost always comes back. But I say, "yada yada yada" to him. I'm beginning to think these docs don't know squat half the time. He was so blase toward my dad. We were jumping for joy...and the doc just gave us a half smile and acted like this was "run of the mill." I think the docs have a hard time acknowledging anything that doesn't make "scientific" sense...like a miracle. Whether the cancer comes back or not - I have learned during this trial - that it is possible to have peace that passes understanding - in the midst of suffering. I thought I'd die along with my dad...it was so excruciating watching him suffer so. But God lifted me and assured me that He is in control - whether it feels like it or not. I hope that no matter what comes our way...I will always put my faith firmly in that fact. HE is in control. Praise Him name. Shawna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MO_Sugar Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Shawna, What fantastic news! Miracles happen every day and it is a blessing that one has happened in your family. God Bless, MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anais Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 EXCELLENT NEWS !!! Hope this happens to my mother too... She's stage IV NSCLC... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Hi Shawna, Great News. Peace, take care and God Bless. Rich ************************************************************* The Power Of People Helping People / The Power Of Knowledge / The Power Of God / The Power Of Believing / The Power Of Positive Thinking / The Power Of Never Taking No For An Answer / That’s The Key ************************************************************* Questions To Ask The Doctor About Lung Cancer http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 08,00.html With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information / Free http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html The Cancer Survival Toolbox / Free / From NCCS http://www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org Clinical Trails Listing Service / Center Watch http://www.centerwatch.com Lung Cancer In The News / GOOGLE http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&editi ... ung+cancer The Wellness Community / National Cancer Support, Education And Support / Free http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/pro ... /guide.asp Drug Information Online http://www.drugs.com ALCASE / Alliance For Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, Education http://www.alcase.org Unites States / National Library Of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov Health Information / Medical Encyclopedia http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html Google / Great Search Engine http://www.google.com R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc. / Please read: A Letter to all newly diagnosed cancer patients http://blochcancer.org American Cancer Society / No Matter Who You Are, We Can Help http://www.cancer.org Cancer Information Service / NCI http://www.cancer.gov Cancer Research Center / A Cure For Cancer... http://www.cancerresearchcenter.org American Institute for Cancer Research; Nutrition Hotline / AICR http://www.aicr.org Cancer Hope Network / Cancer? http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org Association of Cancer Online Resources / Free Online Lifeline For Everyone Affected By Cancer & Related Disorders http://www.acor.org Lung Cancer Information Library / Electronic Library Of Comprehensive Educational Materials On Cancer For Healthcare Professionals And Patients http://www.meds.com/lung/lunginfo.html American Lung Association / ALA http://www.lungusa.org American Medical Association / Physicians Dedicated To The Health Of America http://www.ama-assn.org Doctor’s Guide / Lung Cancer http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... g%20Cancer Healthfinder / Your Guide To Reliable Health Information http://www.healthfinder.gov/Scripts/Sea ... ?topic=506 Medicine Net / We Bring Doctor’s Knowledge To You http://www.medicinenet.com/Lung_Cancer/article.htm Lung Cancer Online / Financial, Legal & Insurance Issues http://www.lungcanceronline.org/support/financial.html Cancer Index / Lung Cancer Resources Directory http://www.cancerindex.org/clinks2l.htm National Foundation For Cancer Research / NFCR Cancer Information Center http://www.nfcr.org/site/PageServer?pag ... ncers_lung Patient Advocate Foundation / Ensuring Equal Access To Health Care For All Americans http://www.patientadvocate.org Lung Cancer Online / Hematologic (Blood) Effects http://www.lungcanceronline.org/effects ... fects.html Lung Cancer Links / Cancerlinks Index http://www.cancerlinks.org/lung.html Cancer Free Connections / Life-Saving & Life-Giving Resources http://www.cancer-free.com Health Insite / Information On Lung Cancers http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/C ... ung_cancer Lung Cancer / Lung Cancer Information Page http://www.lungcancerclaims.com ************************************************************ If I Could Catch a Rainbow: If I could catch a rainbow, I would do it just for you, And share with you its beauty, On the days you’re feeling blue. If I could build a mountain, You call your very own, A place to find serenity, A place to be alone. If I could take your troubles, I would toss them in the sea, But all these things I’m finding, Are impossible for me. I cannot build a mountain, Or catch a rainbow fair, But let me be what I know best A friend that’s always there. Author Unknown ************************************************************* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Shawna, great news on your dad! Celebrate! Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Shawna, Wow! Fantastic news! I love to hear stories like this. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie B Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Dear Shawna, I gotta say, I'm feeling a little on the nervous side with all this GREAT news too! Oh, please don't get me wrong, it is GREAT NEWS but now you say he has PE?? Well, PE does tend to go hand and hand with lung cancer patients and yes at times from some people I have talked to, it can just be clear fluids and not always canerous. I have NO idea if anyone has been put into remission so quickly but I'm all for the sooner the better! I also would like to just add a little two cents worth regarding doctor's and what they might or might not know. I know there are some doc's out here that don't give a rats butt about curing lung cancer patients or not. But I gotta say that there are MANY of them that do care and from my doctor friends, they don't always have the answers to any kind of cancer and why treatments work for some and not for others. There's no ONE set treatment or cure for cancer and lung cancer is a tough cancer to treat. I know my Doc friends get VERY FRUSTRATED because they want answers too, and those answers just aren't in a book and they can't always make sense out of non-sense. But I would like to believe that MOST Doc's do the very best they can with the knowledge and medical experience they have. This is a very tough disease to treat. But, when you feel uncomfortable with your doctor, then it's time to move on to one you DO feel comfortable with. I sure hope this doc is right and if so, HOORAY TO YOUR DAD!!! GOOD JOB!!!! God Bless and Best Wishes to you and your dad, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen335 Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Hi Shawna, This is wonderful news about your dad. Let's pray that he stays in remission and will be diagnosed as cured. Miracles do happen, so keep the faith and believe. God hears and answers all of our prayers. What a Christmas present from our Lord. Prayers for you and your dad. God Bless... Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Sounds like a miracle to me. Rejoice. Margaret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Shawna, This is just the news that I needed to hear! My mother in law was recently diagnosed with stage IIIB lung cancer also. She is scheduled to start her treatment next Monday. When I was with her last week to see the oncologists, I was surprised to hear the doctors say that with this treatment plan, their goal is to completely elimiated the cancer. I was expecting to hear words like "treat", "reduce", "make you comfortable"... Your father's progress is something that we are hoping for my mother in law also. Celebrate the moments. We never know what tomorrow will bring! (I think that you're right about miracles and doctors. My daughter has a rare genetic disease. As a result she has hearing loss. About a month after she got her hearing aids (set according to a test that "can't be wrong"), she was screaming at low sounds. I agrued with her Ped ENT to do another test. He kept saying that the tests were right and that with her type of loss, it can't get better. It was only wishful thinking on my part. After I refused to put her aids in, the Ped ENT finally agreed to do another test. Well, wouldn't you know, her low tones were now almost NORMAL! He said that science doesn't have any explainations for this but stopped short of saying it was a miracle. We all know that it was!) Sorry to ramble about non-cancer related stuff but it's just not oncologists that are this way. This seems to affect A LOT of specialists. CONGRATULATIONS to you and your father! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poggie Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I think that I forgot to log in earlier today. Just wanted to let you know that the post above was from me. Congratulations again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea S. Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 COngrats on such wonderful news. My mother (dx'ed with stage IV. nsclc) just got similar news. It's a Christmas miracle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Congratulations on such fantastic news!!! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norme Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Great news!!!!! go celebrate..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I can totally relate to your feeling of "being too good to be true". I was overjoyed when my dad's doctor said that he's in remission! You do prepare your self for the worst and kind of expect to hear bad news, but when you get the best news, the feeling is overwhelming! Congrats to your family!! Enjoy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeanne Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Hi Shawna! First off, CONGRATULATIONS to you and your family!!!!! Praise God! I am with you 100% as far as the doctors go! With news like that how could he/she NOT get the least bit excited for you guys!? My dad was diagnosed last May with stage IIIB nsclc and his Oncologist at the time was a complete jerk! I think he pretty much wrote my dad off being that he was a stage IIIB! Every appointment we had he kept telling my dad he needed ANOTHER prescription and that we should just wait and see! What the heck is that? I understand the scientific aspect of it all but for goodness sake this is a human life we are talking about and if it means tests are coming back negative and that person who just HAPPENS to be OUR loved one, will be on this earth longer (especially after all of the suffering they had gone through) than PRAISE GOD!!!!!!! A little bedside manner goes a long way I say!!!!! Anyway, my dad's results have also been coming back negative for any tumors and this is TRULY a holiday season to be thankful for!!!!! God Bless Jeanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted December 12, 2003 Share Posted December 12, 2003 Shawna, sounds like a true miracle to me. I bet you have been praying HARD for your father. And I bet God listened to you! I tell you what - TAKE IT! And don't worry too much about the doctor's reaction. They're always afraid to get too excited, get you too excited, and then if something bad happens . . . Dave's oncologist is a dear sweet man, and even when he is really excited, he doesn't physicall show it too much. We've gotten used to that. Dave complained to him that the radiologist was too dry, so now the oncologist tries to be funny, and he just can't quite do it. Too many years of trying not to show emotion, I guess. Keep praying, and have a Blessed Christmas! God Bless you, your family, and especially your dear ole' Dad! Karen C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sandrakay Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 First of all, I would like to extend to you and your family my most heartfelt congratulations and deepest wishes for a long, healthy, CANCER-FREE future! You have truly been blessed... Second, I would like to thank you for sharing your good fortune. My father was just diagnosed with what we understood to be stage IV adenocarcinoma; after some initial confusion over the stage, we asked the doctor for clarification and realized my parents had misunderstood. The diagnosis is IIIB! (You know you're in a strange place when stage IIIb lung cancer is something to celebrate). At any rate, your story has given me a wonderful Christmas gift - HOPE - during a season that has been clouded by despair. It will surely be among the most cherished gifts I receive this year. Many thanks and best wishes, Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Dear Shawna, God bless your mother -- miracles DO happen every day. It does take a while to sink in, it does, and it's hard to believe the other shoe isn't going to drop. I still feel that way, some days more than others. But mostly I appreciate that I am here, and I count my blessings one day at a time. I pray your mother has continued remission and you all can relax and enjoy being a family. MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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