I'm terrified

Mark, You sound like a warrior.  Go to war on that cancer.  You obviously have a great sense of humor - that will help.  My prayers go with you.

Diane

My dad has been diagonosed with small cell advanced lung cancer and is just on his second dose of chemo he had an xray yesterday and so far so good, he is still in good health and the tumor has srunk with the chemo so try not to be two scared with the thoughts of chemo.  The doctors say they are going to give him 4 rounds of chemo and then radiation to the brain once that has completed I have been looking into alternative medicines which most doctors dont belive in but what the hell anything is worth a try I lost mum 7 years ago to breast cancer so we are not new to these things.  I have been on various sites and orderd things to start dad on once his course of chemo has finished so take a look and also I hear that losts of juices are good which you can get at costo or online Noni Juice, Mangosteen Juice, Pomergranate Juice and Gogi Juice Juice.  Give them all a try and fight it hard and most of all stay positive.  Good luck.

Siobhan 

Wow, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the support and love I feel from this group.  Thank you all so much!  I'm still terrified, of course, but I'm really going to try hard to stay alive.

I'm getting a port put in today to make the chemo easier, i e, not so many IVs.

I'm really hoping to put the cancer in remission so I can look into surgical alternatives.  I just know I'd feel better knowing that they took out the cancerous portions of my esophagus, liver, and adrenal. 

But we'll see I guess.  I really want to look into the tongren stuff too.

Thanks again, and God bless and keep you all.

Mark

The tongren group that meets in MD is Silver Springs. Don't know if I sent you stage 4 cancer conference #, or just where to find info. In-Betweeners meet next at noon tomorrow (Friday) and I'm guessing with a port going in, you are not going to be out running around a lot, so perhaps you could take a half hour to sit with the group and receive. If you want I can send you the number. 

Although you may be uncomfortable after the port for a bit, they are a godsend with esophageal. For some reason esophageals tend to dehydrate more, which makes IV use much more difficult. You sound ready to put up a good fight, and that's a big part of making it.

Have the best day you can have!  Suya

Yes, please...I'd like that alot.

Mark

Hi, Mark - I'm so sorry to hear of your diagnosis.  I have Stg 4 non-small lung cancer which had spread to my liver, bones and brain by the time I was diagnosed.  So I don't know much about pancreatic cancer but I can tell you that your message brought back that horrible, "Oh My God, this can't be happening" feeling.  I hope that it's not as bad as you are fearing it will be, but even if it is, don't give up hope  Forget what the docs say - I was told I had maybe 16 months - that was back in 4/05 and I'm doing very well.  The fear will diminish as time goes by which is good because you'll need all of your strength to fight this ghastly disease.  Rest assured, you can fight it and it's important that you know that!

God bless you and your loved ones!  

Hey Mark,

It may be a long haul but you can beat this.  I was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 04 and EC on 06.  Both looked grim at the onset but with radiation and chemo I have done well. I'm not done yet, but getting close.  Mine is not in my liver but had met in the nodes and kidney.  Those are clear now.   It has been a big ordeal but I almost have it licked.  Talk to your Dr.   don't let him rush in or out, ask questions, write them down before the appointments.  Get a good nurse that will answer your questions. 

I wish you the best.  May God Bless.

Thank you Tavis and Bentley,

Folks like you are truly an inspiration.  I still wake up feeling normal, then withing a few minutes, I think...."oh, yeah.  I have cancer."

It's such a roller coaster.  I had my first chemo and just burst into tears.  Here I am a big, tough PI.  I carry a handgun, and fly airplanes, and there I was blubbering  like a schoolboy.

Mark

It is terrible to have heard results without the benefit of being with your Dr to ask these questions.  Please direct your questions to the experts.  You really don' t need to hear the opinions of others on here right now.   It is hard enough to wait on a dr appt after having had tests... but I imagine it is worse now that you have heard results you don't understand.

Best wishes to you.