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PERSONAL, INFORMATIONAL NOTES ON THE BATTLE WITH LUNG CANCERLung cancer. Oncology. Brain tumors. Cancer survival rates. These become the words that consume your life. So you search for information on lung cancer. You look for books on the subject. You search the Internet. And the people around you keep asking questions. You try hard to share the information on lung cancer and all of its complications with the people who love you. What began as a journal began to shape into an information source for others. Emails to loved ones tracked the journey from diagnosis through the extreme highs and lows that cancer creates.There are other words, too. Words you don't think will ever be your words: Cancer. Chemotherapy. Radiation. Non-small cell adenocarcinoma. Gamma knife. Groshong. Lung Tumors. Cancer survival. The first visit to the radiation department was frightening. What Have I Learned? "As I look back on the things we did we maybe shouldn't have, I don't regret anything. If Ivan had sat in his chair and waited, I am convinced that he wouldn't be here at the 10-month point. He built toy boxes in 15-minute intervals. He trimmed bushes, mowed lawns, exercised, made the beds, did the laundry, all in his good time. He would work, then rest, then work, then rest. He was determined not to quit. He said to the doctor about this time, "If this cancer thing is going to get me, it's going to have to work pretty hard because I'm not going down easy!" That is how we have tried to live during this ordeal. His stubborn determination to stay upright has been a main force in the many miracles we have received. Often, I would stand behind the door or around the corner and watch. I fought the urge, many times, to try to stop what he was doing. I talked it over with the kids and we all agreed, "If Dad dies working, at least he will die happy!" At times, when I was really concerned, I would bring him a glass of lemonade or an ice cream bar and get him to sit down with me for a while. But, you know what? He is a grown man and he has lived his way all his life. This is no time to change!" EMAIL TO THE UPDATE GROUP, OCTOBER 12, 2001, 7:51 A.M. "In the past couple of weeks things have been rough. The peaks and the valleys have been very high and very low. Since September 26, he has lost seven more pounds. Even Boost won't stay with him. He has been experiencing some symptoms that have given us a lot of concern. The pain in his left leg seems to be spreading. He had a bone scan done this Monday. It was the first since May 2 and with the leg aching, we waited anxiously for those results. His bones are clear! Both the scan and the leg x-rays confirm that. Dr. Schmidt thinks the discomfort may be either arthritic or inflammatory. No chemo again this week. We had the transfusion last week. This week his blood was way down again. They "upped" his Procrit and held the chemo. If he is still down next week, they will give him another transfusion. The doctors are going to give him an opportunity to recover from the radiation/chemo combination. He has been getting some very aggressive therapy and it has really been taking a toll on him. He has been experiencing weakness, hand tremors, balance problems, comprehension problems and speech problems. That could indicate that there is swelling in his brain, etc. We have an MRI of the brain scheduled for next week Thursday, October 18. So we are in the "holding our breath" mode again. On Tuesday, Dr. Schmidt put him back on steroids. He thinks the steroids may aid his appetite. That has picked him up quite well. Wednesday night, friends stopped over and we did KFC chicken together. He was able to eat that a few weeks back so we tried it again and it worked! Yesterday he was able to eat lunch and the Boost that he had the rest of the day stayed put, too. So, we are doing what we have learned to do best these days. We are waiting and praying. He is handling this so courageously. Today seems to be a good day, too. The "one day at a time" project is working. Verna" MORE EXCERPTS: Prologue - Cancer Chapter One - Lung Cancer Chapter Two - The Moment Chapter Three - Brain Tumor Cancer Chapter Ten - The Gamma Knife Chapter Twenty - Cancer Survival  |