jeffg

Dear Cherryle…… If it was my Dad I would be there for him and validate his grief, lost of his best friend, love of his life by sharing your lost together in a memorial way. Visit her site of burial or flight of ashes and have a few prayers to say, emphasizing she has not and will not be forgotten. Sincerely let him know you would like to do this with him. Tell him that you know that he feels she is still with him and in spirit always will be. Is there something particular that your Mom liked that you could talk about. Is there a special snapshot of them together that you can have enlarged and framed with a beautiful saying or verse engraved on it. Maybe something like” An Anniversary that will never be Forgotten” date and this year. It is difficult to let go. My Dad passed on 2 years ago and my Mom late stage parkinson’s and dementia still talks as if my Dad was still here. It’s really sad when my sibblings try to correct her ,you mean in spirit right Mom and she says no. On the other hand, I say Mom Dad’s still with you isn’t he. And with no problem at all with her memory says yes they just don’t understand. We then have a conversation about life in general and also talk about Dad and their favorite place to go get a lobster roll down by the Ocean. I have not been able to see Mom since my Dad passed on because of this disease and treatments and other responsibilities. My Brothers and sisters have been able to. I rely on reports from them but when I talk to Mom on the phone it is not how they described it to me. Yes she has a bad day here and there but the right upfront approach works miracles. I will see her again. Making believe you found a card just might backfire I’m afraid. May the Lord guide you through this trying and emotional day. I’m sure you will do something loving and supportive.
God Bless,
Jeff G.

Carol, Carol, Carol, and with out a doubt Charlie! Charlie! Charlie! I have just been going bananas! I am so happy he is home watching football. Who is he rooting for? Patriots not doing to bad hey? I had and have tumor on remaining lobe as well but it has been at bay and even shrunk a little in the last couple years. Post Op suggestion is take temp regularly and any sign over 100 degrees or no temp and sweats go to ER to get WBCs checked and possible CT of resection site. Only said this as a precaution not to worry you guys. This news makes me wanting to sing Christmas Carols! No punt intended Carol. Hydration and Gaviscon tablets for gasiness (Is that a word?)
God Bless,
Jeff G.
P.S. Some Oncologist frown at 3D conformal radiation to the liver but I did it and like I said it has remained at bay since then. If they are small enough maybe cyber knife. Just an additional thought. It would have to be evaluated of course. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hi Peter, I’d say I got your back coverd but it don’t work in this situation. Hope your labs come back ok. I’ve got Nuclear Bone Scan Thursday at 8:00 A.M. Hellacious pain in left shoulder joint. Regular xray showed degenerative activity in joint; but heck that comes with age. Kinda puts the binders on popping up to Maine this Month.
Take Care!
Jeff G.

Hi Sharon, One real important thing while having chemo is to keep yourself hydrated. Don’t hesitate to go back to Oncolgy to be rehydrated. In my opinion you are more prone to developing side effects or any that do appear will be more difficult to deal with. Also, drinking a few cans of ensure a day along with her water will help some with maintaining weight. Having chemo is so individualized. Like Peter and Joyce mentioned if it is making her to ill you can cut back on dosage or stop treatments. Chemo can be extremely hard on the body. It is certainly a hard choice to make. If it was my Mom and it was spread as much as you say. I personally would favour away from chemo and have a quality end of life. But if my Mum said she wanted to keep on trying the chemo I would respect her wishes. Your Mom may just kick butt, but more than likely this herrendous disease will dominate in the long run . But who knows when for sure ? Only the Lord knows for sure. Wish you both the best!
God Bless You Both.
Jeff G.

Hi Ron ……Just wanted to welcome you and your wife and say your 100% correct about being hopeful and maintaining that positive attitude. I have had my ups and downs but this site has a way of keeping on track. Just knowing your chatting with others who really understand the full impact of this disease helps tremendously and the words of support and encouragement. Plus we are one big pool of resources and are continually researching for something new.
God Bless you Both!
Jeff G.

Carol and Charlie, prayers have never stopped. Will certainly be thinking about you both.
God’s Speed! with operation and recovery.

Jeff G.

Penpal……..Sorry to hear about your Mother-in-law and surgical abort. I would recommend clicking on the nutritional section to the left as you scroll down. It has all the nutritional information you could possibally try. Sloan-Kettering is an excellent choice. Sorry they weren’t able to proceed with surgery at this time. One thing I have notice over the pass couple of years of just hopping around from and to sites is that women seem to have a little more positive results with chemo treatments although I have no statistics to back that up. Getting her out of bed… other than impress upon her how great it would be to get back home. I actually checked myself out a day early with alot of prompting of the attending doctor as I could not stand being in hospital any longer than possible. You can make a lot of travel arrangements when you have your cell phone hidden under your pillow.
God Bless,
Jeff G. P.S. I liked orange flavoured popsicles versus plain ice and fruity yogurts I remember went down well. I think anything bland fruity and cool got me going for some reason. Nothing carbonated like soda as it caused bloating and pain even sipping it.

Dear Bazel…. I can only atest to my treatment with Gemzar and Xeloda. It caused fatigue, foggy brain, numbess and tingling in my fingers, extremely sensitive to anything cold. I felt like sleeping all the time as well and had the chills off and on. The effects did subside but it took a good 2-3 weeks after completing 9 rounds of it. The Oncologist basically would need to do a CT Scan to see if tumor size has shrunk also usually a blood test CA19-9 which is used as a tumor marker. You should also be getting weekly labs to keep track of your platlets and white blood cell count and your nuthrophils. I assume initially Ct and CA-19-9 were done as a baseline. I did have my Xeloda cut in half due to side effects being a little to much for me. I started to having to much numbness in my tongue and throat and called a time out. All that you mentioned were side effects I experienced. But I did cut dosage after 4th round of treatments. The Cancer symtoms can also cause fatigue, pain, juandice if bile is getting blocked. Also itching and shoulder pain. Some times the chemo causes the pain as it is eating away at blood cells some good and some cancerous. Yes there will always be some collateral damage with any chemo. One last thing is I had to keep going back to get IV fluids as” dehydration” hits you before ya know it and it causes many symtoms as well. Ya got to stay hydrated I learned after a few ER visits and I couldn’t drink enough to keep up. Once I got rehydrated I felt like a new person. Bazel, tell your Dad staying hydrated and eating small meals and keeping the bowels moving are the three primary things I have learned during the last 3-4 years of different chemo regimens. I wish you and your Dad the best and a prayer of support is coming your way. Jeff G.