pamela
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That is such great news, Susie!! I couldn’t be happier for you. Keep up the great work with many, many more clean scans. WooHoo!!
Love, -Pam
Dear SweetGreen,
I think it is wonderful that you have such great friends that want to do this for you. I know it is very hard to accept money from others. People not only want to do this to help you, but it also makes them feel good doing such a nice thing for someone. I think you should definitely go to the dinner. Everyone would want to see you and they would probably be very disappointed if you didn’t go. Some friends had a huge fundraiser for my daughter in Feb. with a silent auction and dinner. I could not believe how many people came. It was easier for us to accept because everything went to our daughter. Accept the gift graciously and save it for when you need it. You must be a wonderful family that would do the same for others. I am happy to hear that your husband is doing so well. This is just my opinion of what I would do. I would respect whatever you decide. God bless.
-Pam
Dear Holly,
I remember asking the same question about crying when my Lauren was first diagnosed. I think in a way the person with cancer and their caregivers go through something like the stages of grief. I remember crying when I went to bed, crying when I first woke up, crying when I heard a sad song, cried when I saw a young mother with small children…just about anything made me cry because my daughter was only 25 at the time and had this terrible cancer. I did get a little better in time, but Lauren had a setback and it happened all over. That time I decided I needed help. I talked with my family doctor and was put on medication. Lauren has found it beneficial to speak with a social worker. Just know there are options that can help. You are fairly new with your diagnosis, right? It is such a major shock to your system. My heart goes out to you. We are all here to help.
Love, -Pam
Haha. Thanks Lainy. Well, I do have big feet. Size 10, but I think they are to hold up my big body.
Righteeooh Randi. Just glad it works.
Hi Everyone,
I just thought I would give a little update on my battle with depression. Remember I started out on Zoloft and it made me feel awful. I was then given Celexa, but was afraid to take it because of how bad the Zoloft made me feel. With my doctor’s urging, I started out taking only 1/4 of a 20mg. pill. I took it super slow and would up my dosage by 1/4 pill every couple of weeks. I finally got up to a whole pill and didn’t think it was helping enough. I was still feeling so tired. My doctor thought that the sleepiness was from depression and not the pill, so he told me to continue to gradually increase my dosage up to 2 pills (40 mg). I got up to 40 mg. and felt way too drugged up so I backed down to 1 1/2 pills and it is the perfect dose. I take it at night and it helps me sleep well. I tend to need a full 8 hours now or I feel really druggy when I get up. But it has helped so much with my crying, worrying, and bad moods. I have had a few things happen that would have sent me over the edge before, but now I am able to cope. I have always been high strung and nervous and it is so wonderful to feel even keeled and calm. I am not advocating the use of antidepressants at all. I just wanted to let you all know that I am feeling much better and am able to handle all of this in a more rational way. I think it helps Lauren feel better when I am not always crying and sad. I feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful discussion board with such caring members.
Love to all,
-Pam
Hi Ilias,
I am sorry to hear of your Mom’s new growth. My daughter, Lauren has been on two of the platinum based chemos at different times. She was first on Cisplatin in combination with Gemzar and 5-FU. She is now on Oxaliplatin with Xeloda (the pill form of 5-FU). She has had positive results with both. Please do not give up hope because one chemo or radiation stopped working. This happens to many people. Lauren’s oncologist always tells us that chemo is cumulative and the longer you take one, the worse it will make you feel. So now your Mom is starting a new one and it might help her feel better. Believe me, I know it is easier to fall into the pit of worry, depression, and being all doom and gloom, but it is so much better to remain on top of all this with hope, optimism, and enjoying every moment with your Mom. Take care and hoping for the best.
Love, -Pam
Dear Lindsy,
Although I have not experienced any of this with my daughter, I just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain and wish I could do something to help. Your mother-in-law is very lucky to have such a sweet, caring daughter-in-law. I hope the doctors find something to ease her pain.
Love, -Pam
Dear srengle,
I am so sorry to hear of Steve’s passing. As Darla said, please take comfort in knowing he is no longer in pain. I know that doesn’t stop your sadness and I hope one day you find happiness in the memories you shared. Please let us know how you are doing.
Love, -Pam
Hi Cristerry,
I can’t tell you if this is common or not. What I can tell you are my daughter’s experiences. Sometimes she is tired and sleeps so much that I don’t know how she can be that tired. Other times she has more energy than me and can go out and shop for 8 hours! There is no rhyme or reason to it. I have noticed that with the chemo she is on now is getting harder to tolerate. The Oxaliplatin is ok, but the Xeloda is really tough. She is having a lot of nausea and really red, sore feet mostly toward the end of the 2 weeks she is on it. She is still nauseous today, but the feet feel better. This is her off week since last Wed. She feels hungry, eats a bit, gets full, and then feels sick. What chemo is your husband on? I would ask his doctor about it next time you see him or her. Maybe his blood counts are low and making him tired. We will probably have to have a discussion about Lauren’s chemo as well. I wish you and your husband all the best and I hope he gets some more energy and an appetite.
-Pam
Hi Lynn,
It is sad to hear that George is in pain. I am happy he enjoyed his social workers. That is great he had such a good time with them. I am hoping he can find a balance with his meds to become pain free. All the best to you and George. I am praying for God to give you both strength and peace.
Love, -Pam
Hi Darla,
I am happy to hear you are going to go to U of M for your care. My daughter, Lauren goes there for her care and is very pleased. Please let us know who you will be seeing and what days you will go. We go every 3 weeks and always on a Wed. Lauren’s oncologist is Dr. Mark Zalupski and her surgeon is Dr. Chris Sonnenday. Maybe we will see you there sometime. We always love to meet others with CC because there aren’t many to be found. Actually, I wish nobody could be found with CC and it didn’t exist, but since it does, it would be nice to meet you. We are from Ohio but my oldest daughter and her husband live in Ypsilanti and work at U of M Hospital. So we have a place to stay when we are up there. I wish you all the best and if you have any questions about U of M feel free to ask. I would love to help. Oh, and congratulations on a great scan!!
-Pam
Hi Percy. Just wanted to remind you that my Lauren had Y-90 in May and the verdict is still out on how much it helped. She had it on the side of her liver that had some small tumors in hopes to get rid of them all so she could have a resection of her large tumor. She had a lot of chest pain after the procedure especially when she burped, but it eventually went away. She did develop a 4 cm. lesion after the procedure on the side that was treated and to this day they can’t tell if it is a tumor or a dead spot from the Y-90, thus the not knowing if it worked or not. She does only have 2 spots on that side of her liver instead of 5, so we are optimistic that it worked. Her large tumor is over 50% dead from chemo, so she is in a better place than she started out.
I am very sorry for your loss, Alla. What an awesome dream. I’m sure it was Marty trying to let you know he was ok. I send my deepest sympathy to you and your children. Take care and God bless.
Love, -Pam
Aren’t they just the best. Lauren and I feel so blessed to have Lisa in our lives. We love you so much, dear friend. We just had lunch with her again on Monday. We are all excited as we will be meeting our very own Kris for lunch this Saturday!! Without this site, we probably would never have met. So, thank you so much CC Foundation!
Love, -Pam
