DanaLeigh

Hello DanaLeigh, we have not heard from you. How are you?

Dana, what's going on? I,too, have been very ill and not on the site much but I have been checking it now and then. Miss you.
Cosmic

Hi Dana,
Sorry I haven't been on but was in hospital for 12 days. Had to have emergency abdominal surgery. Feeling a little better now. Hope you are doing OK.

Hi Dana, so good to hear from you and you sound so absolutely positive! I won't abandon you, don't worry, even if it takes a while to write back. I had a good Thanksgiving day with my cousin and about 5 of his girlfriends family. We had a traditional turkey and a deep fried turkey, both very good.
It sounds so awesome where you are living now. I am glad cat is with you and has own friends to play with too. lol
Yes, Dec. 10 is my last round (hopefully) of chemo. YAY!
Sounds like you were quite ill, I'm glad you are feeling better.
I watched an Anderson Cooper special the other day called "To Heaven and Back". It was very interesting. Had 3 stories of people who died and came back and said they had been to "heaven". I guess even when its over, its not over.....lol. Works for me. All said they felt unbelievably loved and peaceful and didn't really want to come back. They were told they weren't finished yet and had to come back. One person was in a coma with stage 4 multiple myeloma and now has no evidence of disease. Made me think a lot. I do think there is more than this life. I also think I have accomplished a lot in the growth of my soul. I also think I am not done yet. I think we all have the same people we deal with over and over in each life and that's why I feel so connected to you. I hope you can understand what I'm talking about. (I'm not sure I do sometimes).
Anyway, always good to hear from you. Catch you later.....:) Carol

Hi Dana, hope you have a great day tomorrow........:)

Hi Dana, well I got round 5 down and only 1 more to go! Yay! How are doing ? Tell me about the awesome sounding new place you are living in. Must be so cool looking at mountains and a river every day. Is kitty with you? Have you been getting snow? Are you still sleeping alot? Sorry ,lots of questions. Answer when you can.
Cosmically connected Carol.........:)

That darn couch! It's always there, waiting, looking so soft and comfortable. I think it has hooked up with the TV to lure me into endless hours of mindlessness. (not such a bad thing sometimes) lol...Hope you are settling in and still doing well on the chemo drug.

Dana, so great to hear from you. Glad you made it safely. Your place sounds awesome! And I'm so glad your chemo isn't kicking your butt too badly. I think not throwing up is big. I will write more later, was just checking in quickly. Catch you later......:)

Ok, so its Saturday. Hope you are OK. Still sending energy so you can get settled.....:)

Well, it is Thursday. Hope you are at your new place resting. Keep me posted when you can...........:)

So good to hear from you. I can't believe you are moving but you do what you have to. I wish you well on this endeavor. Please be careful driving, stop often and stretch out a little. I will wait anxiously till I know you are OK in your new location. I will send extra energy to you so you can get everything done. I've just been a bump on the couch lately anyway. Cosmically connected Carol

psssst, Dana, you OK?

No problem when you are not here. I just hope you are doing OK. I have been more sleepy lately, too. I think I am getting ready to hibernate...lol. Sweet dreams my friend, catch you later......:)

Dana, I looked up that drug Xalkori on WebMD. It doesn't sound any worse than any of the other chemo drugs. When you wake up (I am assuming you are sleeping, lol) send me a message. I did a short guided meditation and they talked about my wellbeing. I thought of it as my well" being."

It was pretty cool.

psssst.....you sleeping?

Dana, I can't find the queston I posted about the drug they want you to take. Should I try again?

Hi Dana. I also have stage IV lung cancer and have been on chemo for over 3 years. I have a wonderful family dr and cancer dr that will not give up on me, or let me give up. I use to hate taking any kind of meds, but now I don't think I could make it with out them. My family dr can almost look at me and tell if my meds for depression is working. I am really blessed with my support family, but helps to talk to others that really know how it feels. You can read my experiences so I won't bore you with them. I do believe God has a plan for all of us and he is giving me more time to accomplish it. I just wish I knew what his plan for me is. I lost my mom 5 yrs ago to cancer, thyroid and breast, and have just lost my husband, the love of my life, this past Feb. 22. Sometimes I feel that I just want to go home and be with them, but God keeps me going. Anyway, stay strong, take one hour at a time and know that you have people here thay care and send you loving thoughts and prayers.

pssssst......you sleeping?

Hey Dana, you sleeping?

Wow DanaLeigh, I think we think a lot alike. I have done guided meditation, It is amazing! I believe there is a reason for everything. I think I am here to better my soul for its next journey. I am a mixed bag of beliefs, also.
There aren't many , if any, clear answers to much. But I believe it all works out the way it is supposed to in the end.
Bring someone with you to meeting with onc. doc. They can take notes. Make them go slow so you understand what
is going on. Bring a list of questions and write the answers ( or have s/he write them).
I, too, am very independent ( I am an only child and have relied pretty much on my own self to figure things out.) I have found though that people (most) like to help when they can. It makes THEM feel good and helps YOu too. I believe in what goes around, comes around. You never know what small kind act wil lead to down the road.
Hope you are feeling better. Hope to hear from you soon. Cosmically connected. Carol

I am sorry you have been feeling depressed. Don't forget to tell me about amazing human being. Sounds like you.

Hi, DanaLeigh, Haven't seen much from you lately and just wondering how you are doing. Hope you are OK

Hi DanaLeigh ! Thanks so much for your very sweet post. I'm doing better today. My follow up appt. is Oct.9th,we'll see where I stand. I can't even remember what my life was like before all this started 2 1/2 years ago. What the hell did I do all day back then!
I know one thing for sure, I didn't appreciate my good health when I had it. I do thank God for my life now and so grateful to be here.
It sounds like you are going through a lot right now,I'm so sorry.
It's so scary ,I know. Hang in and just do what I do, deal with one thing at a time and don't let your mind run away with you. I will be thinking of you and I will keep you in my prayers. Good luck with all you are facing, stay strong. I'm glad you have that beautiful kitty to comfort you, I have one too,she's my best medicine ! Zoe

DanaLeigh, Thank you for your response. You can talk as loudly as you like about whatever your opinion is on anything. I apologize if I sounded harsh. I certainly didn't mean it that way.
Do you take High Blood Pressure medication? I just started this year and my hairdresser told me they thin your hair.
Yeah, I remember those days of drinking way too much. lol
I know exactly what you mean when you say things were pretty and now they are beautiful. It's so awesome the little things you notice if you take the moment to look.
I am glad you liked the poem. I never wrote anything before, certainly not poetry. It just sort of came out. I do draw and artsy craftsy stuff though. A frien showed my poem to people at the hospital she works at and they liked it. The hospital had merged with another local hospital and they are opening a new cancer center. They are going to print, mat, and frame my poem and hang it in the new center. WOW
Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories by the way. How funny you should mention the rabbit hole.
Well, keep me posted on things. It's always nice to chat with people who understand what it's all about.

DanaLeigh, For my own experience with chemo the first time around...it was not bad at all. Sure, I lost my hair, it grew back later. I was tired, I rested. I never threw up or had uncontrollable diarrhea. Some things tasted funny but not much stops me from eating. lol . I got eleven extra years of wellness, with a new view on life. I faced my own mortality and came out a winner. And now I will do that again.

Hi DanaLeigh,

I have NSCLC also. I was diagnosed 3 years ago with stage 4, and I am presently in remission. I had my lower right lobe removed and then went through chemo (Cisplatin and Navelbine). It went to my bones, so I also had 2 years of bone medicine (Zometa infusions or Xgeva shots every month). Before having surgery I also had the MRI of the brain and the full body PET scan. That is how they found my bone mets. I could not have radiation on my lung (tumor in bad location), but it could become useful with the bones at sometime in the future.

I know what you are going through is very scary, and stressful. You will find many wonderful, caring, people here at WhatNext. If you have any questions, just ask. Once you and your team of doctors figure out what will be the best treatment for you, you will feel much better. Stay strong! Best wishes to you.
--Journey

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter

Good morning DanaLeigh, Sounds like you have a pretty good sense of humor also, don't lose that. Thank you for your kind words. I know all this is very scary but you only have to get through one day at a time. Don't focus on XXX amount of time cuz no one knows how much or how little of that anyone has. There is always hope. As for barfing etc.. not once have I so far. Lots of great meds nowadays. Take a deep breath and relax a little.
I, too, have a cat...Mr. Mitts. He has huge double paws in the front. I would like to put a picture up but haven't figured out how to do that yet. I can barely use a phone these days......lol. Anyway, feel free to talk about anything, anytime......:)
Oh yeah, your list of all your tests reminded me of a poem I wrote. Here it is.
THERE IS NO TREAT IN TREATMENT

I've been X-rayed, CT scanned, and MRI'd.
Sound waved, contrasted, radio-active dyed.
I've been poked and prodded and needle stuck.
I'm starting to wonder like.....WTF?

Been biopsied, surgeried, ported and drained.
It's my second ride on the cancer train.
The lymph nodes are gone from under both arms.
Both breasts removed- no more womanly charms.

Next comes chemo and then some radiation.
Think I'm gonna need some heavy sedation.
Seems pretty severe to rid me cancer.
Can't help but wonder- is this really the answer?

In the long run, when all is said and done,
Hope my fight against cancer again will be won.
So everyone out there for me keep on prayin',
It's something that DOESN'T hurt, you know......just sayin'.

C.A.P.
8-28-2013

I am so sorry you are having to go through this a such a young age too. How scary it must be and I can't imagine as I am only 1 yr younger than you. How did the brain MRI turn out and do they have a plan yet. God bless and I wish the best for you and your treatment.

So sorry you are here with us but glad you found us. The waiting is the hardest part. I am still havibg scans done but have also started chemo. I had a brain CT scan the other day. Hope things move alonf faster for you and ge well for you.