<p>Oh S@*t. </p>
<p>OK, with that out of my system, lets all put our moxie together and pray/send good thoughts/channel strength your way. With the speed that things are changing, cancel the office/meetings/etc and get the cyberknife treatments ASAP. Make it a priority. Given what is known about the biology of your type of LC, forget the 6:45 Am appt and just get 'er done.</p>
<p>LTS, Words fail me on how to relate my feelings on reading your latest post. My thoughts and prayers.</p>
<p>LTS-you are tuly amazing, I feel like such a wimp, down with the flu and I cannot even function, you are doing all this as working full time. We are all here, all over the country/world on your team!</p>
<p>I think sunnyflorida put it best. I truly admire your strength and resolve. It’s like this f***ing disease is daring you to give up. We all know you WON’T, and that’s the greatest victory of all. We’re all thinking of you, all across cyberland.</p>
<p>
And you certainly have that!</p>
<p>I too am in awe of your spirit as you continue this challenging battle. </p>
<p>I have heard great things about cyberknife and am optimistic that will deal with the brain mets for you. </p>
<p>This is truly a case in which words are failing me. Please know though that you are often in the thoughts of many, including me, and all are fervently wishing the best for you – as well as for your D.</p>
<p>As you know, we have been wondering how things were going for you the past few days. Thanks so much for continuing to keep us “posted.”</p>
<p>Hang in there, LTS</p>
<p>LTS-
Just like the old times watches-- ya takes a lickin’ but keeps on tickin’! As awful as this turn of events is, several things actually made me smile in your post. First:
Still getting them to do it your way! </p>
<p>and
I know you are referring to immenently emergency-creating medical crises when you speak of “non-dire new sites”, but you said that right after saying that unfortunately there are now some brain metastices. If ANYONE’s brain is one in which messing with it would cause dire consequences, that’d be YOU!! Thinking the best thoughts for you, and imagining in my head, you going after those cancer cells with a baseball bat!</p>
<p>Stay strong LTS. I have a friend that had lymphoma a couple of years ago, and I remember her saying she was not going to give up the fight at any point, and that she had to <em>finish strong</em> like an athlete in a race. And she did. She always was telling her kids to <em>finish strong</em> in their competitions, and she followed her own advice. Even though it was quite an ordeal, she never gave up and finished strong. She is doing well now. Still here, feisty as ever, cancer free. She has a spirit like yours LTS. She was truly a blessing to those around her as she fought her cancer. Stay strong, LTS.</p>
<p>LTS,
You are in my thoughts and prayers as well.</p>
<p>Don’t let an untoward reaction to one narcotic leave you settling on OTC pain relief, as there are many narcotic and non-narcotic pain prescription meds available. Find one that relieves your slipped disc pain and use your energies to focus on fighting your cancer.</p>
<p>It is such a sad irony that the painkiller makes us soo sick. I ended up with a hospital stay a few years ago that was doubled in length due to my aversion to pain meds and the nausea they induced in me. Definite drag…</p>
<p>saying prayers for LTS…and praying for a president that will change healthcare in America.</p>
<p>LTS The very air around you is filled with all of our cyber prayers for you…take a deep breath…we are here to hold you up.</p>
<p>LTS, Thinking of you and sending thoughts and prayers your way. You are quite a woman.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Satya</a> House Publications - Here For Now: Living Well With Cancer Through Mindfulness](<a href=“http://www.satyahouse.com/elana-rosenbaum.htm]Satya”>http://www.satyahouse.com/elana-rosenbaum.htm)</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Here For Now: Living Well With Cancer Through Mindfulness - 2nd Edition: Elana, Rosenbaum,Jon, Kabat-Zinn: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Here-Now-Living-Through-Mindfulness/dp/0972919120/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204760372&sr=1-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Here-Now-Living-Through-Mindfulness/dp/0972919120/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204760372&sr=1-1)</p>
<p>Mstee, and everyone else, not to worry; I will never give in to this cowardly disease. Thank you for the kind words; I appreciate the support.</p>
<p>I did learn something interesting while at the hospital - lots of doctors instantly ordered lots of scans. My oncologist demanded the brain scan; a partner in his practice demanded the spinal column scans; the renal doctor ordered his own CTs, the radiation oncologist ordered his stuff that will now happen next week for cyberknife, and so on. </p>
<p>The internist in charge of my case at the hospital came to my room Wednesday morning early to give me all of the results of the various tests, and, she basically told me to start my funeral planning. things looked that bad (but at the same time she reassured me that the doctors were not throwing in the towel). I just stuck to my script and asked for the written copies of the various reports. I find that reading the reports helps a great deal, because you can then see just how dire - or not - things really are. </p>
<p>I got them, and was reading them all while being wheeled down to the operating room. I noticed they all seemed to have different sentence structure - something was sort of different about the way things were expressed in each one. So when I got into the OR and greeted my surgeon, I asked him why his CT report came back saying this and that and the other reports said other things and they didn’t agree with each other, specific to this kidney blockage situation. </p>
<p>It turns out that this partilcular hospital, and I am guessing others around the country too, have a sort of parochialized operating methodology as it relates to who provides scan service, and reading the results. The surgeon told me his CT scans are read by someone in Australia in the middle of the night our time. The PET from oncology is read locally, and so on.</p>
<p>Sunnyflorida, not to worry, they’re doing the staging for cyberknife next week on Wednesday and Thurday (involves another MRI and CT); then they are planning to begin the actual procedure on March 18.</p>
<p>JYM626, they wanted to at first do whole brain radiation, but I said noooooooh. I am thankful that I took the time to research all of the “what ifs” before they happened. I explained to them that whole brain radiation was far to risky; I am not going to do that. They explained that with small cell, I could end up going through this 20 times. I do see their point but I am not going to take any weird risks with radiating my brain. If I were not planning to work until the end of my days, my thinking might be different - but - I doubt it.</p>
<p>Like so many here, I continue to lift you up in my prayers each day. Your fighting spirit is inspiring!</p>
<p>So sorry to hear the news–keep up the fight, LTS!</p>
<p>lts–I would say noooooh to whole brain radiation, too! and try to keep whatever marbles I had. </p>
<p>Interesting about all the different scans. It would be nice if the Australian radiologist said “No worries, mate! Throw another shrimp on the barby!” </p>
<p>Lame attempts at humor aside, I am holding you in my thoughts and prayers.</p>
<p>LTS, just want to let you know that we are all sending good thoughts and vibes your way. I am not religeous, but I believe in the power of prayer. We are all sending thoughts of calm, peace and fortitude to you, and hope that knowing that we’re with you on this, helps you.</p>
<p>I wish I could send you a bouquet of freesias or tulips with the good wishes. Flowers are mood enhancers at my house.</p>
<p>But it is really great that you have doctors who are jumping on your issues. </p>
<p>Optimism. </p>
<p>Optimism and orneriness are good qualities…</p>
<p>As is curiousity. I googled cyberknife.</p>
<p>This will help us all in our guided visualizations, aka prayers.</p>
<p>[Cyberknife</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberknife]Cyberknife”>Cyberknife - Wikipedia)</p>