Thanks, Don. I don't feel like the doctors are telling us what they're really thinking. They seem to mirror how he feels - so if he's feeling fairly good, they say it's a good day. Even when I ask for more details, I get a runaround. For instance, when I asked the RO what we do if it comes back, he swore to me it wouldn't - "Why would it? I wouldn't have done all this treatment if it would come back." Now you and I both know it CAN come back, so I just found that comment so flip. If I press, my husband gets mad and accuses me of wanting him in the ground, like I have power over the Cancer. The ONE time I put my foot down, because hubby was making inappropriate decisions for someone with Stage IV cancer, they finally did the biopsy on the original lung lesion, which turned out mets. I fear they will be the type of doctors who put their patient into hospice the day before they die, and I want more prep time than that.


Hubby age 65 -dx 6/11 SCC T4aN2bMX-floor of mouth
8/11 surgery- radical neck dissection, partial mandibulectomy, flap reconstruction
plan: radiation (300 rads x5d/w x 6), chemo (5FU, Taxol, Hydroxyurea) x 6
3/13 bilateral lung mets confirmed on biopsy - radiation
5/13 - no new lesions seen on CT, some size decrease in old lesions; 6 mm mediastinal node
9/13 New 12mm x 9 mm RLL lesion - radiation
1/14 - Prominent mediastinal lymph nodeS
1-2 PPDx40y smoker - SEVERE emphysema