| | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 221 Gold Member (200+ posts) |  Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 221 | Happy New Year Brenda!
We still have 4 hours and 9 minutes to go here on the East Coast.
Last edited by PharmGirl; 12-31-2007 02:52 PM.
CG to Father, 75 yo with SCC of the mouth; upper maxillectomy and neck diss. performed on 5/23/07. Father also suffered heart attack during surgery and now has CHF. RT complete on 8/28/07. Cancer back 11/27/07. RT and Chemo to start on 12/17. Cancer back 6/17/08. Finally at rest 08/08/08.
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 735 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 735 | Happy New Year to you too Bren !! There are still 2 1/2 hours here till 2008 !!
Good to hear you get the day off
And I know as we all do waiting seems to be the hardest part,,,But you do not wait alone...I sit here in wonder with you !!
Shar
Sharlee
35 year old Female Non smoker, very occasional alcohol ..Scc T1N0M0,partial glossectomy and left neck disection ,2/9/07 No rad deemed ness. 4/16 tonsillectomy ..Trimengenial Neuralga due to surgery
| | | | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | OP "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 | Just learned to use the calendar feature--yay!
But it's telling me I've not heard anything from the hospital this week ):
Total number of lumps now 3, the ltest one not too bad, but the other 2 are growing and hurting.
Went to my GP today for sick note for work, told her I was very anxious and frightened etc. as I'm such a wuss about needles even for anaesthetic.
She just smiled and said I'd feel better when it was over--so no anti-anxiety meds for me -- tho she did give me shed-loads of pain-killers and a repeat of anti-depressants.
My MacMillan nurse offered me the Fentanyl patch on Wednesday, but having heard the horror stories, decided to stick with the Solpadol and Ibuprofen.
I also have something called Lansoprazole to protect my stomach from the ibuprofen. When I looked it up on the net and read the leaflet, there's all sorts of stuff about it being also used to treat pancreatic tumours--as I have gastric/chest pain at the moment and a metastasis on adrenal gland, I guess it might do me some good!
Me, I'll try anything once!
Brenda
Brenda in UK--Diagnosis 30/5/07--undifferentiated carcinoma in right jawbone and muscles. Stage 4
6/7/07--new diagnosis primary is in lung. Finished 4cycles of palliative carboplatin/gemcitabine
therapy September 07
Now dying to live!
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 | Hi you
you shouldnt listen to other peoples horror stories!!!Rob didnt have one side effect from fentanyl patches,they were his best friend for weeks,so think about trying them ,they will do a lot less damage to your stomach lining,and if they upset you just stop,and go back to what you were using.
The other drug you mentioned was given to Rob to heal the ulcer voltarol gave him,funnily enough Lynne had to take it recently for gastritis.
keep smiling love liz
Liz in the UK
Husband Robin aged 44 years Dx 8th Dec 2006 poorly differentiated SCC tongue with met to neck T1N2cM0 Surgery and Radiation.Finished TX April 2007
Recurrence June/07 died July 29th/07.
Never take your eye off the ball, it may just smack you in the mouth.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Brenda,
The REAL horror story would have been life WITHOUT the Fentanyl patches!!!!
As I have stated before Fentanyl is perfectly safe and efficacious as long as it is used as directed (explicitly). There are always going to be a very few who have an adverse reaction to one drug or another. But if you DO use then do NOT just "stop". They require a careful phaseout with orders from a physician. I and many others I know would have found the pain intolerable without it. It IS the ultimate pain killer.
Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 | Brenda i apologise for not being more explicit about just stopping.As some one who has read most of my posts i am sure you know i have always(when asked)emphasised the horrors of unsupervised withdrawal of drugs,i didnt mean my words to be taken literally.SORRY PET
Liz in the UK
Husband Robin aged 44 years Dx 8th Dec 2006 poorly differentiated SCC tongue with met to neck T1N2cM0 Surgery and Radiation.Finished TX April 2007
Recurrence June/07 died July 29th/07.
Never take your eye off the ball, it may just smack you in the mouth.
| | | | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | OP "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 | Oi You---chill Liz!
And never do sorry!
How thick do you think I am?????---LOL!
Keep enjoying your hols!! !
Bren x
Brenda in UK--Diagnosis 30/5/07--undifferentiated carcinoma in right jawbone and muscles. Stage 4
6/7/07--new diagnosis primary is in lung. Finished 4cycles of palliative carboplatin/gemcitabine
therapy September 07
Now dying to live!
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 346 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 346 | Bren,
I am thinking of you. I wish you will hear soon.
I know how unsettling the waiting is!
Debbie
Partial mandibulectomy and neck dissection 2/3/07. T2NOMO.
Had 14 hour operation which included reconstruction of jaw.
Reconstruction failed. Some radiation, no chemo.
| | | | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | OP "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 | I'm still here Deb! And still waiting for the phone call about the biopsy.
Have got into a routine now of taking painkillers so am generally more comfortable except when lying down--my side/chest then bothers me.
If I've still not heard from the Plastic Surgery Dept by next week, will ring as my oncologist is expecting that it'll be done and he'll have the results by 30th!!
Brenda
Brenda in UK--Diagnosis 30/5/07--undifferentiated carcinoma in right jawbone and muscles. Stage 4
6/7/07--new diagnosis primary is in lung. Finished 4cycles of palliative carboplatin/gemcitabine
therapy September 07
Now dying to live!
| | | | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | OP "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 632 | Got the phone call today--excisional biopsy of back neck lump next week, 16th January, at hospital I hate for a number of reasons (not least of which is my mum died there, utterly neglected for even pain meds or commode, 5 weeks from diagnosis to death and 2 different versions of how the death happened!). Oh, and it currently has 6 wards closed for Novovirus--smashing!
Procedure should tke 30 minutes, to expect to 'be there' 90 minutes, can't drive or use public transport afterwards.
Am just plain terrified--local anaesthetic (during jaw biopsy, it wore off well before finish and had to be re-done, once they'd scraped me off the ceiling!).
Lump has also grown considerably and is more painful since initial referral, so needle for anaesthesia will hurt more, and have back/side pain in chest, so can I stay still for the 30 minutes?????
Told my GP on Friday how anxious I was and she just smiled and said 'you'll be okay'--had been really hoping for anti-anxiety stuff which seems to be 'normal' in US, but sure isn't for my doc!
Should I just 'double the Solpadol' to ease the pain and make me dopey enough to cope???
I just feel such a wuss when I know of the horrendous stuff others have gone through.
Brenda
Brenda in UK--Diagnosis 30/5/07--undifferentiated carcinoma in right jawbone and muscles. Stage 4
6/7/07--new diagnosis primary is in lung. Finished 4cycles of palliative carboplatin/gemcitabine
therapy September 07
Now dying to live!
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