Hi Barb (((((hugs)))))))))) Sorry you had a bad day. It happens. Not surprizing considering all you have and are going through. It will get better- you know that but not much consolation right now. In a way its good to let it out so I guess your tears were a nec. release. Josh prob. has never had to deal with "family life" traumas and finds it hard to understand the trials we deal with on a reg basis,trying to juggle the balls. You prob had high hopes for your 1 yr date and "stuff" got in the way. Life got in the way. Hope the chat with d helped improve things,life is going to be a roller coaster for a while. Ask fo all the help you need from friends and family and take care of you. The engine room needs to be in full working order to keep the ship going. Thinking of you.
I really can relate. I am sorry you are feeling sorrow, but it is good you are letting it out. The one thing I am worried about is you driving when you are in that condition! I know how scarey that can be!
You are smart to call a family meeting to take care of the little details. And the more you can spread the duties amongst everyone the better it will be for all of you. This is a very stressfull time for you and your kids and your parents. Please do what you can to take care of yourself during this time.
Barb, I went through all this with my Dad a few years ago. It was rough, but I think your mom is smart to want to stay in the hospital. Maybe when she is done with her treatments she can have hospice at home and you will not have to handle the commute. I remember my dad had a round of treatments, then a rest and then another round. Each phase was about 6 weeks. Hopefully with your mom they have found things soon enough to make a difference. I was amazed at how the prognosis changed for the better as we moved along in the treatment.
(((Barb))) take care,
SG
Survival Goddess "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." -Alice Walker
Barb Good Morning Sorry you had a rotten time in Toronto. Hopefully the next time you and Josh are together, you will be less stressed and you will have a great time. Ash having her friends over maybe the way she is dealing with her stress. I know your Mom being sick has upset everyone's apple cart. Life needs to be easier, but then we would take too much for granted. Hope you have a better week this week. Think of you often. Love You. God Bless
Hope that this morning is a bit better. Sorry that the Toronto trip didn't work out like you had hoped. Just a comment from the "nurse" here. Back in school, we spent what some of us thought was an inordinate amount of time on "the meltdown". Since then, in practice, I have come to see how important they are to the scene of overall wellbeing and mental health. It's much like cleaning the garage. When we have a box that needs sorting but we don't have time right now, most people put it in the garage for later. Eventually the garage becomes full and we have to do something about all that "stored stuff" whether the time is opportune or not. The good part is that now we have a garage with some usable space for the busy coming days.
I think Pammie's comment about Ash's method of dealing with stress is probably pretty much on. We see that often around the hospital and care centers. Teens tend to need support from friends in times of stress. It just seems to fulfill a different need than the support from family. Its just that it is so uncomfortable when the support systems clash.
Anyway, just want you to know that we are concerned, and our prayers continue for you and your family. Thanks for being on the BB when we needed it, Hope we are here for you when it is a help to you. ((((Barb))))
{{ Barb }} So sorry things hit you this weekend, You have been through a lot this past week or so and its no surprise it all came crashing down on you, Give yourself some time, some Barb time to regroup. Relax and have some down time
You are very strong but you need to let it out at times. So use to you being this ray of sunshine, its sad to see you upset.
Hope you are feeling a bit better today, you have frieinds here who love and want the best for you
{{{{ lots of hugs }}}}}}
** Karen **
** Be happy for this moment, this moment is your life **
(((Barbie))) Wow, you've had a heck of a time lately. It's perfectly understandable that you would get upset. I'm sure you're running on empty these days. I like Harv's analogy. Do whatever you need to regroup.
We're all here to support you and comfort you if we can. You are our ray of sunshine and you're always here for any of us when we need it.
I'll continue to pray for you and yours. Please don't be too hard on yourself, Barb.
I'm sorry you're feeling so down. You are the one who usually picks everyone up so when you're down it really hits us hard.
I'm glad your mom is doing better. That has to be a load off you. It's so hard when you're sandwiched between your parent(s) and your kids. Sometimes the responsibility is overwhelming. Take time for yourself. Make time for yourself. You have to do it for you.
I'm sure things with Josh will smooth out ok, and probably have before I even read your post tonight. You will be ok, Barb, b/c you're strong and you are a survivor.
Hope you are feeling much better today. Glad that your Mom is doing much better. I know about teenagers..I have only one but it seems I have become his friends adopted mom too..Its ok if I like to cook, but I really don't. It is much better for me to pick up something and bring it home. But since I am trying to be on a health diet, I have to refrain from fast foods.
It is dreary here today and I did not even walk outside. Very windy and cold and it is April already. Can't wait until the warm weather is here. Hopefully, the cancer is just starting. Don't worry about meltdowns. We get them once in a while.
Hang in there babe! You AND your mom are fighters, and so many cancers can be managed these days.
I just ran across the article on liver/lung tumor treatments below, on a news server. I know your mom has a different kind of cancer but the techniques in the article sound like they can be used for tumours in tricky places. I edited it down a bit - sorry for the length.
(((take care)))
Sharon
New Hope Against Inoperable Liver, Lung Cancers
By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The phrase "we can't operate" may sound like a death knell to many cancer patients, particularly the hundreds of thousands of Americans diagnosed each year with lung or liver malignancies.
But two new technologies could re-open the door to hope for many of them.
For the more than 100,000 U.S. patients facing inoperable primary or metastatic liver cancers each year, a technique called chemoembolization may extend survival for at least six years, a new study finds.
And for patients with the nation's No. 1 cancer killer, lung cancer, researchers say a minimally invasive heated probe was successful in eradicating inoperable tumors in 93 percent of cases.
That technique, called radiofrequency ablation, "is creating a new chapter in oncology," said lead researcher and interventional radiologist Dr. Riccardo Lencioni, of the University of Pisa, in Italy.
Radiofrequency ablation involves the insertion of a heated needle through the chest wall directly into the tumor site, effectively "cooking" the malignancy.
"The treatment has been shown to be successful in treating tumors in the liver," Lencioni noted, but its value against other cancers was less known.
In their study, the Italian team used the technique on 106 patients with a total of 186 malignant, inoperable tumors measuring 3.5 centimeters in diameter or smaller.
"Radiofrequency ablation resulted in impressive two-year cancer-specific survival in these patients who were rejected from surgery," Lencioni said.
In fact, 91 percent of patients in the study were still alive two years after this intervention, the researchers report. Complications linked to the procedure were minimal and easily managed, Lencioni added.
The very best candidates for this "hot needle" treatment are "patients with early-stage, limited disease," according to Lencioni. "Whether radiofrequency ablation could be used to also treat patients with more advanced tumors is not defined yet," he said.
Inoperable liver cancer is another chilling diagnosis, because in the majority of cases, the malignancy has migrated to the liver from another organ.
More often than not, detection comes too late for surgery, said researcher Dr. Jeff Geschwind of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
"A lot of these patients present with far-advanced disease and they have no other options," Geschwind said.
Presenting the findings April 4 at the radiology meeting, Geschwind said the study involved 149 liver cancer patients with inoperable tumors treated with a new technique called chemoembolization.
"This involves the delivery of highly concentrated chemotherapy suspended in an oily medium," Geschwind explained. At the same time, doctors use tiny "microspheres" as emboli -- blocking agents -- to temporarily prevent the tumor from getting its full blood supply.
The technique capitalizes on the unique circulation of the liver. "Normal, healthy liver tissue is mostly supported by the portal vein," Geschwind explained, whereas liver tumors are typically supplied by arteries. "By using a major artery as a 'boulevard' or roadway to the tumor, we can exploit that property and hit the tumor where it hurts the most," he added.
"In our data, we've shown an extended mean survival of about six years, when otherwise patients usually only survive without treatment for maybe one year at most," Geschwind said.
In the past, he added, oncologists have been reluctant to use chemoembolization in cases where the liver tumor had involved or closed off the portal vein.
"However, what we found is that not only was it not dangerous" when performed in cases of portal vein involvement, he said, "it actually prolonged these patient's lives significantly."
Because it is so localized, chemoembolization is also much easier on patients than systemic chemotherapy, which affects tissues throughout the body. "We really have the ability to target the tumor while preserving healthy tissue," the researcher said.
The technology is making inroads in the United States, and is now available at most academic medical centers.
"Unfortunately, many patients and many primary-care physicians don't yet know about the success of this therapy," he said. "I'm not saying it's a cure for liver cancer, but when you see the results in terms of prolongation of life, it's quite significant."
Lencioni agreed that radiofrequency ablation for lung tumors is also beginning to catch on in the United States, especially at large teaching hospitals. Still, he said, "many more doctors need to be trained to have the procedure widely available."
More information
For more on these and other non-surgical breakthroughs in cancer care, visit the Society of Interventional Radiology.
Wow, Barb! I just popped in and see all the challenges you and Pam are facing. I am sooooooooo sorry. Know my thoughts and prayers are with you. Take care of Barb.
