lunhs cancer

The heart may freeze or it can burn The pain will ease if I can learn There is no future There is no past Thank God this moment's not the last There's only us There's only this Forget regret � or life is yours to miss. No other road No other way No day but today - Lyrics from"No Day But Today" (from the musical "Rent") Scan time is looming large on the horizon, so in addition to trying to take my own advice (see " 10 Tips for Coping with Scanxiety "), I have been ruminating on the meaning of fear. Why is scan time so scary? First, there are lots of little fears that flit around my mind, such as... I'm scared the IV will hurt. I'm scared the contrast drink will make me throw up. I'm scared that I might have some weird allergic reaction to the injected contrast dye. I'm scared that when they inject the dye and it makes you feel like you wet your pants, that I might actually wet my pants. I'm scared that I migh...

You feel a lump.A bump. A something-isn't-right. You walk into the doctor's office. Your heart is racing. You can't breathe. You see your future disappearing before your eyes. Clipboard Forms Insurance Blood pressure Temperature Weight Check Check Check I wish my doctor knew check I wish my doctor knew check I wish my doctor knew check What it feels like check to be a patient check to have to be a patient check to have to be patient check White coats Cold hard statistics Medical jargon diagnosis Gobbledy goop prognosis            Protcols Hear me! Standard of care See me! Aggressive Know me! Maintenance Love me! Stable check check check check Know my fear. so scared Take my life in your hands. all control is you I am more than my diagnosis. know my heart You hold all the power. your words swim around my head I wish I was your one and only. please treat me like your one and only You don�t want to give false hope. it�s the only thing ...

"Can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Harry shook his head. "Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is.... It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you." - Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone I am one of the lucky ones who, despite a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer and the terrible prognosis that goes along with it, is doing remarkably very well on a targeted medication. Yes, I deal with side effects, like my ongoing stomach issues ("Mommy has a sore tummy") and I sleep much more than the average mom of three small children. Compared to where I could be, I am doing fabulously well. So well, in fact, that cancer often takes a back seat for our family. It is always there, of cours...