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Bess, I thinking of you & hope that you are doing ok. Hang in there.
Regards,
Dusti
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From: BesTom@AOL.COM[SMTP:BesTom@AOL.COM]
Reply To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com
Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2000 7:55 PM
To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com
Subject: [MOL] Sunday Night Report on Tom
Dear Friends:
As you may know my dear husband, Tom, who was diagnosed with Stage IV
NSCLC and talc poudrage treated pleural effusion 6/99, went by ambulance to
the hospital on 4/6 with severe pneumonia and almost no breathing capacity.
He was initially put on vancomycin and then a whole slew of antibiotics.
There has also been bone mets in the form of lytic lesions at T10-11. We
gave him an infusion of aredia and it is unclear whether he will get
radiation to the site or not. We almost lost him the first few days. I was
told frankly and could see for myself that he almost died. AT one point
which we call Sat Night Fever, they wanted to move him to semi-intensive care
for constant monitoring, but we refused. We will try whatever we can to save
him but we do NOT want any extraordinary measures, traecs, artificial
supports etc.
I was told his particular kind of pneumonia thrives in the absence of oxygen.
He has overcome the penumonia but is very weak and will need to be on oxygen
most of the time from now on. I am at home for a rare time during this
period waiting for the oxygen to be delivered (it is almost 9 pm) Once the
oxygen is delivered he is supposed to come home tonight. We will have a
portable tank about the size of a vacuum cleaner when we go out and two
larger ones. I will try to rent one the size of a flask that we will have to
pay for ourselves (about $350 a month) so that it will be small, light and
inconspicous.
He is so excited and filled with hope the dear. He thinks now that
the pneumonia is over, he will "get better" Alas, this is very unlikely. He
is not a candidate for further chemo given his weakened state and lack of
response nor for trials given his dependence on oxygen. Our doctor when
pressed guessed he has a couple of months left at best. I know everyone says
to ignore these kind of estimates and quotes numbers that were overcome and I
hope we will be able to achieve that but I'm not too optimistic. And
frankly I am exhausted beyond words having slept in his room for the last 16
nights. And I just plain give up hunting new treatments. I think I know
every one that exists right now. If anyone has an idea, I'd welcome it, but
I just want him to be happy and peaceful not to suffer or be frightened and
comfortable in the time we have left. He has never responded to chemo so
even if he were strong enough, doing the taxotere doesn't make sense. The
only possibility is something alternative which might buy him some time. But
I am most dubious about the oral shark cartilege purchased at enormous
expense that sits in our freezer--did anyone see Tuesday's NY Times about
sharks getting cancer and cancer of the cartilege at that? I knew this
actually.
On the one hand it will be wonderful to be home, but I also think it
will be even more tiring and perhaps depressing when he realizes how limited
his life is given the fatigue and breathing problems.
I wish you all success with your own personal battles and hope good
things lie in store for us all. Love, Bess
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