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21291. alistairConnor - 3/6/2007 9:07:47 PM Well I went to the ophthalmologist today, for the first time for about ten years, and the machine was pretty damn clever.
But she didn't really need the machine, she diagnosed me as I was coming in the door. Just a touch of myopia, which hasn't changed in ten years, plus a touch of presbyterianism (or whatever you call it in English), that starts at age 45 then gets worse until you're 60. 21292. judithathome - 3/6/2007 10:36:02 PM How could she diagnose you coming through the door, Ali...did you run into it? 21293. thoughtful - 3/7/2007 12:10:35 AM we call it presbyopia...a sign of age, for sure.
21294. thoughtful - 3/7/2007 12:12:31 AM Bad news
Mom has stage IIB lung cancer
5 yr survival rate of 23%
Apparently biopsy showed is spread to the pleura and there was some lymph node involvement.
This is a real, genuine, oh shit.
We'll get on the chemo merry go round and hope to keep her as hale and healthy as possible for as long as possible, but I'm afraid there's only one outcome, and it's not a good one.
Shit. 21295. robertjayb - 3/7/2007 12:33:09 AM Very sorry for your very bad news. 21296. wabbit - 3/7/2007 12:34:05 AM Oh, thoughtful, I am so sorry to hear this. I hope she does well with chemo and beats the odds. You have all my best wishes. 21297. arkymalarky - 3/7/2007 12:34:41 AM Oh my, Thoughtful. I'm so sorry. 21298. thoughtful - 3/7/2007 12:47:41 AM thanks guys. It'll be hard to live without my mother...no one in the world ever made me laugh like she did...
At least I have some warning so i can appreciate her all the more in the time we have left. 21299. arkymalarky - 3/7/2007 1:40:56 AM I hope you two get to spend a whole lot of time together. 21300. arkymalarky - 3/7/2007 1:43:55 AM Our school inspection went well, and the state people were very nice and complimentary. The lady who visited my room during AP World History class loved our murals and my classroom and complimented our discussion and our small class size. We didn't get cited for anything--just got a short list of easy-to-address things, mostly in our handbook. We can fix that in a day easily. They told us to get some more industry into our community so we'll have enough kids that our school can stay around. 21301. arkymalarky - 3/7/2007 1:46:51 AM WRT horse riding, I've always enjoyed it, but never have ridden much. Bob hates riding horses (read "he's afraid to ride them"), and says he will not help take care of one if I ever get one. A family I know well where I work lost their husband/father/grandfather to a horse-riding accident years ago.
I had a horseman senior last year, and in their traditional "ride around the campus" their last day of school, he led the bunch on his Palomino. A good pacer for the rest of the group in their cars and trucks, imo. 21302. judithathome - 3/7/2007 1:55:11 AM Thoughtful, so sorry to hear of your mom's diagnosis...but my son was diagnosed Stage 4. Something to keep in mind...hoping for the very best for her. 21303. judithathome - 3/7/2007 1:57:24 AM I had horses as a young girl and can't recommend them highly enough as a great way to learn to be responsible and also, to conquer fear.
It's very empowering to master a horse, bonding with it and getting it to do what you want. 21304. arkymalarky - 3/7/2007 2:02:04 AM Bob was kicked in the chest by one when he was young--while trying to feed it--and he's been leery of them ever since. 21305. wonkers2 - 3/7/2007 5:18:58 PM Thoughtful, from today's NYT Researchers Dispute Benefits of CT Scans for Lung Cancer 21306. thoughtful - 3/7/2007 6:06:14 PM thanks wonks...looks like the docs are arguing again. But sounds like the 'survival rate is meaningless' is only meaningless to the ones without cancer, like the docs. Those with it are very interested in their survival rate. In fact, when staging cancer, that is exactly what you are betting on. Mother is stage IIB which means she's got a 23% chance of surviving 5 years. Slim but better than my sister in law who had a 0% chance of surviving 2 years.
I struggle to believe the article in that early detection is so essential in lung cancer as it becomes so deadly so quickly. Where they make the presumption that there are a lot of lung cancers that grow slowly out there is beyond me. In my experience, they don't. 21307. wonkers2 - 3/7/2007 8:50:02 PM Sorry about your mother. Let's pray she's in the 23%. 21308. thoughtful - 3/8/2007 1:06:29 AM Thanks wonks. Considering that 9 of 10 lung cancers are inoperable when found, she's already beat the odds by being a surgical candidate and having the surgery. I certainly hope her run of luck continues or improves. 21309. arkymalarky - 3/8/2007 1:20:12 AM I think it's that the x-rays aren't very good at early detection. By the time something shows up it's already spread beyond what the x-ray shows. They have a new breath test, but I don't know how early it diagnoses or when it's supposed to be available. 21310. thoughtful - 3/8/2007 1:30:58 AM There are other problems in that the xray isnt' as good at picking up small tumors as the fast ct, but the fast ct exposes you to lots more radiation than just a chest xray, which, in and of itself can cause lung cancer...fire v frying pan
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