CancerCompass message board discussion started by LITLPAPA on 7/22/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,14596,0.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ MY WIFE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NON SMALL LUNG CANCER IN JUNE OF 2007.  SHE IS CURRENTLY ON TARCEVIA (2 WEEKS), NO SIGN OF RASH AND ONLY ONE EPISODE OF DIARRHEA.  SHE HAS ONE LESION IN HER LEFT LUNG AND NUMEROUS IN HER BRAIN FROM THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL TO A PEA.  SHE HAS HAD 15 FULL BRAIN RADIATION TREATMENTS AND WE ARE DUE TO TO GO BACK IN AUGUST FOR AN MRI TO DETERMINE IF MORE ARE NEEDED.  HER ONCOLOGIST RECENTLY ADDED PROVIGIL TO INCREASE HER ALERTNESS AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE HELPED SOME.  SHE SLEEPS ALL OF THE TIME,TREMBLES, AND IS SO WEAK SHE CANNOT HOLD OUT FOR VERY LONG.  THE DOCTORS ARE NOT VERY HELPFUL WHEN YOU ASK THEM WHAT TO EXPECT , WILL THE TIREDNESS GO AWAY OR IMPROVE OVER TIME?  I LIVE IN A PANIC BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT, OR WHAT TO DO TO HELP HER. IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF HER LIFE WHILE GOING THROUGH THIS HELL I SURE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE OR EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH.  BARBARA ALSO HAS A LOT OF SWELLING IN HER FACE AND HER HAIR IS STARTING TO COME OUT...WE EXPECTED THE HAIR LOSS BUT THE SWELLING DOES NOT SEEM TO BE IMPROVING MUCH.  I PUT HER BACK ON STEROIDS, THE DOCTORS SAID WE COULD COME OFF THEM AFTER THE RADIATION WAS DONE BUT YOU GET A DIFFERENT STORY FROM EACH ONE.  I JUST WANT TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR MY WIFE AND TO PROVIDE HER  WITH THE MOST COMFORT POSSIBLE AND THE BEST TREATMENT. BUT I AM ALWAYS ASKING MYSELF SHOULD I BE DOING MORE?DID I MISS SOMETHING IN PREVIOUS MONTHS?SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH ME WOULD REALLY HELP I THINK TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR THE FUTURE.  WE WERE ADMITTED INTO HOSPICE THIS PAST FRIDAY AND THEY ARE GOING TO START NEXT WEEK WITH VISITATIONS, RN'S , ETC.  THEY SAID THEY WOULD PROVIDE AS LITTLE OR AS MUCH AS WE NEEDED AS TIME PROGRESSES.  I PRAY EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY THAT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS RIGHT FOR HER AND WE ALSO SEND OUR PRAYERS AND BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION. LITLPAPA Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT OH MY GOD YOU POOR THING. IF SHE HAS GONE TO HOSPICE.. IM UNSURE OF THE HOPE OF HER COMEING HOME. MY DADS DYING TO ITS KILLING ME AND MY MUM AND HUSBAND ETC ETC. HE'S GOING DOWN SO FAST. IM MAD AT THE ONCOLOGISTM I THINK SHE HAS NOT HELPED AT ALL. HEY MAY GOD BLESS. Vanda Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND ALL OF YOUR FAMILY! LITLPAPA Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 7/22/2007 LITLPAPA wrote:MY WIFE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NON SMALL LUNG CANCER IN JUNE OF 2007.  SHE IS CURRENTLY ON TARCEVIA (2 WEEKS), NO SIGN OF RASH AND ONLY ONE EPISODE OF DIARRHEA.  SHE HAS ONE LESION IN HER LEFT LUNG AND NUMEROUS IN HER BRAIN FROM THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL TO A PEA.  SHE HAS HAD 15 FULL BRAIN RADIATION TREATMENTS AND WE ARE DUE TO TO GO BACK IN AUGUST FOR AN MRI TO DETERMINE IF MORE ARE NEEDED.  HER ONCOLOGIST RECENTLY ADDED PROVIGIL TO INCREASE HER ALERTNESS AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE HELPED SOME.  SHE SLEEPS ALL OF THE TIME,TREMBLES, AND IS SO WEAK SHE CANNOT HOLD OUT FOR VERY LONG.  THE DOCTORS ARE NOT VERY HELPFUL WHEN YOU ASK THEM WHAT TO EXPECT , WILL THE TIREDNESS GO AWAY OR IMPROVE OVER TIME?  I LIVE IN A PANIC BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT, OR WHAT TO DO TO HELP HER. IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF HER LIFE WHILE GOING THROUGH THIS HELL I SURE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE OR EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH.  BARBARA ALSO HAS A LOT OF SWELLING IN HER FACE AND HER HAIR IS STARTING TO COME OUT...WE EXPECTED THE HAIR LOSS BUT THE SWELLING DOES NOT SEEM TO BE IMPROVING MUCH.  I PUT HER BACK ON STEROIDS, THE DOCTORS SAID WE COULD COME OFF THEM AFTER THE RADIATION WAS DONE BUT YOU GET A DIFFERENT STORY FROM EACH ONE.  I JUST WANT TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR MY WIFE AND TO PROVIDE HER  WITH THE MOST COMFORT POSSIBLE AND THE BEST TREATMENT. BUT I AM ALWAYS ASKING MYSELF SHOULD I BE DOING MORE?DID I MISS SOMETHING IN PREVIOUS MONTHS?SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH ME WOULD REALLY HELP I THINK TO PREPARE OURSELVES FOR THE FUTURE.  WE WERE ADMITTED INTO HOSPICE THIS PAST FRIDAY AND THEY ARE GOING TO START NEXT WEEK WITH VISITATIONS, RN'S , ETC.  THEY SAID THEY WOULD PROVIDE AS LITTLE OR AS MUCH AS WE NEEDED AS TIME PROGRESSES.  I PRAY EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY THAT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS RIGHT FOR HER AND WE ALSO SEND OUR PRAYERS AND BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION. Hello,I'm so sorry to hear about your wife Hopefully she will get better. Best of Luck My Prayers are with you. My Husband just got Diagnosed with NSCLC and is at Stage IV and is 33 with 3 lesions in Brain and Honeslty they are doing 15 radiation and Gamma Knife.  Have your Drs mentioned Gamma Knife to you.  We will be doing it on Nov 2 we have 2 more days of Radiation. That Might be an Idea. MK0908 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT