Hang in there Patti! You know I'm there for you if you need anything. :hug:

Thanks!
We are waiting for the Insurance company to pre certify. I am hoping at the latest Tuesday. Ken is really struggling to breathe. The tumor is the size of a peach and wrapped around is airway. Inhalers are not helping. Even oxygen during the MRI didn't help.

Offering up continued prayers for you and Ken!

keeping you both in prayer.....:)

You are very welcome!! :)

Sending more prayers to both of you.

We have decided to go with a oncologist closer to home. After talking with the nurse at The Kellogg Cancer Center we decided Ken would not be up for the long drive downtown. We have an appt there tomorrow and hopefully the chemo treatment Friday or Monday. The oncologist comes highly recommended. I just want treatment to start so hopefully the tumor will shrink and make it easier for Ken to breathe. Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers.

Praying Ken can start treatment soon. Good to hear he has great doctors and a treatment center closer to home. Sending lots of prayers and positive thoughts for both of you.

Patti, I think that's a good decision to go with the one that is closer. Driving or riding in the car is awful when you don't feel good and just want to get home and rest. The treatment itself likely won't be different from one place to another.

Wishing Ken all the best, and praying for both of you.

Hi Patti
You are still in my prayers... hang in there girl !!

Get a social working or a case manager from your insurance, you need help with the extra stuff. They can order a special bed that will help

hugs

Praying for you and Ken. Keep positive and strong.

Thanks all anxious to go to the oncologist today and set a day for chemo. He is getting so weak I just had to give him a bath as he was too tired to shower.
Thanks I worked in medical insurance for 33 years and didn't even think to get a case manager on this. Your prayers are getting us through.

Stay strong Patti, you know the saying "When the going gets tough, the tough get going".

Hope a home health care agency will help you get additional items you will need. They will help you assess needs, get insurance approval, and work with the doctors when their approval is needed. You can rent a wheel chair to make it easier on him going from car to doctor appts, to conserve his energy.

Prayers and hugs are constantly going your way.

Thanks. Here's the latest! This new oncologist thinks there is a chance Ken's cancer is a 3B and not a Stage 4. Which he said could mean the difference between a cure and treatment. We are trying not to get our hopes up but I know all those prayers are working. He also thinks Ken can have some radiation to shrink the tumor and get some quicker relief with his breathing. Then do some chemotherapy concurrently. The reason he thinks it may not be Stage 4 is the first hospital gave me the CT scan report from Kens 2009 CT scan done in the ER (for a kidney problem) along with his current bone scan report by mistake. I noticed it last night when I was trying to organize the records for our visit today. On the 09 report it mentions that there is a 1.5 cm nodule on the adrenal gland which means it has been there for 2 years and not changed and therefore a good chance it is not cancer. They were concerned on the new scan that is was a spread of the lung cancer.
The oncologist on Tuesday must not have looked close enough to see the date difference on the report. I am also mad because the 2009 Ct report mentions 2 -7 cmm nodules in the left lung and it states at the end of the report should be evaluated for possible cancer on a nonemergency basis. No one ever mentioned that to us. Those 2 nodules plus another smaller one are still in his left lung so I am hoping hey also are not spread from the right lung mass. We go to the radiologist tomorrow if they can get us in and then a PET scan on Monday. After that the new oncologist meets with a whole team of doctors(surgeon, pathologist, radiologist etc) to go over Ken's case and then we will proceed from there. So thanks for your continued support and prayers. We are going for the cure! I will update after we meet with the radiologist.

Great to hear new opinions, maybe better, and darn those doctors who don't carefully examine all pre-existing scans & reports, along with the new. They seem to make you do all the leg work of record keeping.

So we are here with prayers to cheer you on to :cheer: Cure Ken :cheer: