Lung Cancer friend to looch969

prnorman

I can't imagine the emotion that you all have had to go through during your diagnosis. However, I do know how it feels from a daughters point of view. Every day I see the struggles of the strongest person that I strive to be. If I had any advice to give it would to keep pushing the doctors. I always feel like I'm one step behind. There's always one more stronger drug to try, a more effective pain killer to help soothe the pain, or another doctor's point of view that could have been helpful 6 months prior. We should have gotten a second opinion and should have researched it as soon as the diagnosis occured. Stage 2 turned to stage 4 in a matter of weeks because our plan of action was too slow. We were forced to make appointments later rather than sooner and I only feel regret that it wasn't placed as a higher priority. We were told (at stage 2) that the aches and pains in her body could be cured through a trip to the chiropractor. I now know that the aches and pains that felt like pulled muscles was the first signs of metasising (sp?) to the bone which causes extreme pain. Our PET & CT scan were few and far between and everytime we heard a new diagnosis, I get to hear, "That is really rare. I've never seen that." Question your doctors and the methods that they choose to pursue. Make sure they do a whole body scan. Most only go from the neck to the mid thigh. If you do take a bone medicine, be aware that it causes jaw infections. Steroids ahve been a huge help to reliev pain but have been striven from my mother's cocktail because it can infection. Some doctors have relied more on sedating rather than curing. Eat, because you will loose your appetite. All the treatment you will endure will take energy and nutrients and it is the best thing you can do for yourself. And don't quit! We are all depending on your strength to help the next fighting cancer survivor. Our family gets through this with hope, love, and telling the miracles of other survivors. I admire your strength to even seek outside resources when it must be a dificult thing to do.