Cancer Support and Caregivers Who Are Trail Blazers!

[julieisafemme]

My Mom is on hospice now. The cancer is in her lungs, spine, brain and liver. She just finished a 10 day course of palliative radiation. It did help. She is on all kinds of medication now. She also forgets words and has neuropathy from the chemo. She is 74! The doctor did not attribute it to old age! The lesion in her brain was causing headaches and slurred speech and that has improved with the radiation and steroids. Sorry to be a downer here! We have to be with her 24/7 now and sometimes she gets annoyed at allllll these people up in her business! She really enjoyed Christmas though.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

My Mom is on hospice now. The cancer is in her lungs, spine, brain and liver. She just finished a 10 day course of palliative radiation. It did help. She is on all kinds of medication now. She also forgets words and has neuropathy from the chemo. She is 74! The doctor did not attribute it to old age! The lesion in her brain was causing headaches and slurred speech and that has improved with the radiation and steroids. Sorry to be a downer here! We have to be with her 24/7 now and sometimes she gets annoyed at allllll these people up in her business! She really enjoyed Christmas though.

Hi, Julie. You are not a downer. I have wondered how your mother is doing. We want you here in the thread!

Glad to hear she enjoyed Christmas. I hope the New Year is happy for her, as well.

Take care.

[clay]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

My Mom is on hospice now. The cancer is in her lungs, spine, brain and liver. She just finished a 10 day course of palliative radiation. It did help. She is on all kinds of medication now. She also forgets words and has neuropathy from the chemo. She is 74! The doctor did not attribute it to old age! The lesion in her brain was causing headaches and slurred speech and that has improved with the radiation and steroids. Sorry to be a downer here! We have to be with her 24/7 now and sometimes she gets annoyed at allllll these people up in her business! She really enjoyed Christmas though.

Hi Julieisafemme:
You most definitley belong in this thread..always. We are here for you...and I wish you and your mom, and your family, comfort and peace during this time. That is great she had a good Christmas...and I send you comforting energies and healing energies to your mom.
Know you have the love & support of all of us here...we are here for you always....hugs to each of you....Clay

[Novelafemme]

{{{{Julie}}}} Both you and your mom are in my thoughts. Sending you as much love and support as I possibly can.

[deb_U_taunt]

You are not a downer. Does sound like the situation is. I lost my grandma to cancer Jan 1 this year. She wanted to see 2012.
You and yours will be in my prayers and thoughts.
Hugs to you

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

My Mom is on hospice now. The cancer is in her lungs, spine, brain and liver. She just finished a 10 day course of palliative radiation. It did help. She is on all kinds of medication now. She also forgets words and has neuropathy from the chemo. She is 74! The doctor did not attribute it to old age! The lesion in her brain was causing headaches and slurred speech and that has improved with the radiation and steroids. Sorry to be a downer here! We have to be with her 24/7 now and sometimes she gets annoyed at allllll these people up in her business! She really enjoyed Christmas though.

[DapperButch]

I had a client who I last saw at the end of September. She had no health problems.

In the beginning of October I got a call from her canceling her next appt., saying she was in the hospital as they just found out she had a brain tumor.

Today I got a call from one of her friends letting me know that she passed away the day after Christmas.

She was a great person and very much a giver to others. Cancer sucks.

[deb_U_taunt]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I had a client who I last saw at the end of September. She had no health problems.

In the beginning of October I got a call from her canceling her next appt., saying she was in the hospital as they just found out she had a brain tumor.

Today I got a call from one of her friends letting me know that she passed away the day after Christmas.

She was a great person and very much a giver to others. Cancer sucks.

Cancer truly does suck. Hugs.

[uglyboi]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I had a client who I last saw at the end of September. She had no health problems.

In the beginning of October I got a call from her canceling her next appt., saying she was in the hospital as they just found out she had a brain tumor.

Today I got a call from one of her friends letting me know that she passed away the day after Christmas.

She was a great person and very much a giver to others. Cancer sucks.

Cancer is cruel!!!!!!!!

My youngest sister was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma January 3, 2012. She passed away on May 26, 2012. She was 43, physically active, never smoked nor drank and had no symptoms (discovered a swollen node on her neck). She left behind two small children. It makes no sense and it has been extremely difficult for me to accept that she is no longer with us. Just know that each of you all are in my thoughts and prayers!

[clay]

{{{{{{{{{{{{uglyboi}}}}}}}}}}
Sending you warm hugs and my deepest condolences on the loss of your sister.
Yes, this cancer is some cruel stuff....any form of it at all.
You are in my heart and all of us here walk with you...
Sending you comforting energies and white light energies....take care of yourself...may you find some solace and peace in all of this...hugs my friend...Clay

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by uglyboi

Cancer is cruel!!!!!!!!

My youngest sister was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma January 3, 2012. She passed away on May 26, 2012. She was 43, physically active, never smoked nor drank and had no symptoms (discovered a swollen node on her neck). She left behind two small children. It makes no sense and it has been extremely difficult for me to accept that she is no longer with us. Just know that each of you all are in my thoughts and prayers!

Oh, gosh, this is horrible. I am so sorry.

[julieisafemme]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

My Mom is on hospice now. The cancer is in her lungs, spine, brain and liver. She just finished a 10 day course of palliative radiation. It did help. She is on all kinds of medication now. She also forgets words and has neuropathy from the chemo. She is 74! The doctor did not attribute it to old age! The lesion in her brain was causing headaches and slurred speech and that has improved with the radiation and steroids. Sorry to be a downer here! We have to be with her 24/7 now and sometimes she gets annoyed at allllll these people up in her business! She really enjoyed Christmas though.

Some good news on the neuropathy. The hospice nurses prescribed a drug called neurontin? or something like that and it has helped tremendously with the mobility in her hands. I came in tonight to say goodnight and she was typing away at the computer on an email to her friends list. She has not been able to do this for a long time. She was really happy!

Also the hiccups and burping from the radiation (she had shots through esophagus to the spine) has improved tremendously! That makes her super happy!

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

Some good news on the neuropathy. The hospice nurses prescribed a drug called neurontin? or something like that and it has helped tremendously with the mobility in her hands. I came in tonight to say goodnight and she was typing away at the computer on an email to her friends list. She has not been able to do this for a long time. She was really happy!

Also the hiccups and burping from the radiation (she had shots through esophagus to the spine) has improved tremendously! That makes her super happy!

Hi, Julie. Yes, it is most likely Neurontin. I take that too for the neuropathy in my hands/feet from the chemo. My doc acutally decreased the Oxaliplatin in my chemo more than once due to the fact that the neuropathy started so quickly in the treatment. She ended up stopping the Oxaliplatin a all together half way through the cycle of treatment.

Her concern was how young I was to have neuropathy. For most people it goes away after tx stops, but not unexpectantly, for me, it didn't. It isn't too bad though, I really don't notice it as much now. I mainly have the pain in my feet. My fingers are less flexible...meaning, they are stiffer...it is more difficult to type and I can't type as quickly.

Of course, at this point I feel like the oncologist made the right choice in stopping the drug, since my neuropathy is quite manegable. Of course, if I get cancer again I will have to wonder if it was the stopping of the drug that allowed some of the cancer cells to not be obliterated.

[alexri]

I saw the conversations on "chemo brain" and I figured some of you might appreciate this story that was on NPR.

Another Side Effect Of Chemotherapy: 'Chemo Brain'
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012...py-chemo-brain

[deb_U_taunt]

Originally Posted by alexri

I saw the conversations on "chemo brain" and I figured some of you might appreciate this story that was on NPR.

Another Side Effect Of Chemotherapy: 'Chemo Brain'
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012...py-chemo-brain

Emailed it to my boss. His sister passed away from breast cancer and he has been great support to me. Its frustrating not to have the same retention to things as I did before. I know its has to be frustrating to my co-workers at times. One co-worker and I laugh about me talking in fragmented sentences now. lol

[alexri]

Originally Posted by deb_U_taunt

Emailed it to my boss. His sister passed away from breast cancer and he has been great support to me. Its frustrating not to have the same retention to things as I did before. I know its has to be frustrating to my co-workers at times. One co-worker and I laugh about me talking in fragmented sentences now. lol

I hope he reads the comments people have left on the article's page. The personal stories people have described will hopefully make it more real to him.

[deb_U_taunt]

Originally Posted by alexri

I hope he reads the comments people have left on the article's page. The personal stories people have described will hopefully make it more real to him.

funny!!! I pointed a few out to him.