Re: I'm back

[Guest guest]

What is Polar Care? Thanks.

[Guest guest]

Dianna,

I can't say that I blame your mother as far as the radiation goes. I'm glad

she doesn't have any side effcts from the chemo as of yet and hopefully she

won't. It sounds like your mother has what is called CCU or ICU anxiety. It's

very common in people who have been in either one of those units because it's 24

hrs of constant care and monitoring and people especially the elderly seem to

get their days and nights mixed up. When a person is in either one of these

units their bodies don't get the rest they normally would if they were in a

regular room or at home so their bodies and minds have become accustomed to

being awakened at various times during the night therefore setting another

wakening pattern. It takes them a long time before they can finally get back to

normal.

Percodan is a strong pain killer and can become addicting if a person is on

it for any length of time and medication effects the elderly differently than it

would me or you. I would try to get the doctor to give her some Tylenol with

Codiene # 3 as long as her liver is ok. It can also be addicting but it's not as

bad as Percodan and it's not as strong.

Paxil is a good drug also but I'm not sure how much help it will be for

anxiety. It's usually used to make people become more socialable and it doesn't

sound as if your mother has any problems socializing with people but the doctor

knows more than I do. I would give the Paxil at least 2 weeks to a month to

start working though. Just keep in mind that all these drugs work differently on

the elderly and be aware of the side effects.

This has to be very hard on your mother. Think of what she's going through

and the stress she's under just dealing with the diagnosis. Her life has changed

drastically. I had the same thing when my mother became sick and could no longer

do for herself. It was hard for her to give up her independence and she hated

relying on someone else to make sure she went to the doctor and had enough foood

etc. It's very stressful living in a house where someone is very sick but you

have to make the best of it.

I denied my mother's illness for a long time because I always thought my

mother would be around forever and when I saw the signs that she was becoming

more dependent I ignored them. I mean she beat breast cancer twice so why not

Liver disease? She never let anything get her down. She held up so good when my

father died suddenly then a month later her son died. Little did I know she

started dying a little each day after that. The fight was gone. I wish now I had

paid more attention to her needs because I would've done the shopping and went

to Bingo with her and out to lunch more often but I thought as long as she was

doing them she was ok.

After reading your email I don't blame you for not giving up smoking. It's

a stress reliever for you. You might be one of lucky ones and never get lung

cancer or emphysema. My aunt has been smoking all her life and she's 72 now. She

just was in the hospital because of a questionable stroke and they did all kinds

of tests on her and she has nothing wrong with her heart or lungs. Hopefully

that will be the case for you.

I can't imagine what it was like for you to lose your son at such a young

age. I was devastated after I found my father dead and then died. I know

how you feel when you say you thought you had a death wish because I got to the

point after my mother died that I didn't care about my health or anything. I

figured everyone I loved was dead so why bother? If I go then I'll be with them

but then I thought of 's youngest who I helped raise and is like my

daughter. She has been through so much in her young life and I didn't want to

add to her grief. We are very close and I wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

She's 16 now and she's a great kid.

I'm glad you remarried and want to stick around for a long time. See things

are starting to look up for you. You thought your colonoscopy was going to be

bad but it wasn't so that means your work here is not done. I tell everyone that

when they asked me how I survived 1994 and especially since I was the one who

found my father. I just say " I took one day at a time and I still do. " Some

days are better than others though. I still have days when I miss them all so

much especially . We were so close and losing him was tough and still is.

Life sucks sometimes. Take care.

Dianne

Dianna Brendle wrote:

Dianne, my mother refused radiation, she'd have had to go everyday, 5 days a

week for 6 weeks, she couldn't face that. She has had 3 chemos, 1 a week, and

seems to have no side effects so far. She has no colostomy, and has healed from

the surgery well, she had part of her rectum removed and has some bowel

problems, mostly having to go often. But it's not too bad. She is having a big

problem with anxiety (this began right after the surgery in the CCU) and can't

sleep at night, she gets breathless. She was taking percodan for pain and found

that it helps her anxiety at night. She was taking 4 a day, is now down to 1.

But she just ran out this week, her surgeon released her and wouldn't prescribe

them anymore. Her oncologist prescribed Paxil for her yesterday and she had a

real bad night last night, she can't relax, she feels restless all over, her

breathing is fast, alot of anxiety. I looked it up, they are all symptoms of

percodan withdrawal. But her anxiety did start in the hospital

right at the beginning. Her oncologist today prescribed the percodan for her

again to relieve her, she lives with a sister and neither of them can deal with

this, it's too stressful for my sis and mom. The doc said absolutely not more

than 1 a day, and he hopes when the Paxil begins to work she can get off the

percodan. Does that sound like percodan withdrawal to you? My mom is very

depressed and hates everything that is happening to her. She hates going to

doctors, going anywhere except to bingo. I hope we can get this worked out for

her. She is so unhappy.

I don't know if i can ever quit smoking, my son died 5 years ago, he was only

14, it was a sudden death, I have a real hard time living without him, I smoke

alot, my crutch it seems. It's just taken so much out of me, I have difficulty

with stress too, I can't deal with it. I just want to find peace. My health was

always great until he died, it's been one thing after another since then, so the

good results from the colonoscopy amazed me. I'm always waiting for the next bad

thing to happen because I sure know it can. At first I had a death wish, just

wanting to be with my son, but I've remarried and would like to stick around for

a bit longer now. I kind of live one day at a time. Life can be so very hard

can't it? You take care too and thanks again for writing. ~~Dianna

[Guest guest]

This is , Dave's wife. I feel I could write 30 pages, but the one

thing that caught my eye was regarding Paxil. My psychiatrist says that

Paxil does cover anxiety whereas Wellbutrin does not. I think Paxil is a

great antidepressant (although I stopped after gaining 15 pounds and

switched to something else!)

Re: I'm back

Dianna,

I can't say that I blame your mother as far as the radiation goes. I'm

glad she doesn't have any side effcts from the chemo as of yet and hopefully

she won't. It sounds like your mother has what is called CCU or ICU anxiety.

It's very common in people who have been in either one of those units

because it's 24 hrs of constant care and monitoring and people especially

the elderly seem to get their days and nights mixed up. When a person is in

either one of these units their bodies don't get the rest they normally

would if they were in a regular room or at home so their bodies and minds

have become accustomed to being awakened at various times during the night

therefore setting another wakening pattern. It takes them a long time before

they can finally get back to normal.

Percodan is a strong pain killer and can become addicting if a person

is on it for any length of time and medication effects the elderly

differently than it would me or you. I would try to get the doctor to give

her some Tylenol with Codiene # 3 as long as her liver is ok. It can also be

addicting but it's not as bad as Percodan and it's not as strong.

Paxil is a good drug also but I'm not sure how much help it will be for

anxiety. It's usually used to make people become more socialable and it

doesn't sound as if your mother has any problems socializing with people but

the doctor knows more than I do. I would give the Paxil at least 2 weeks to

a month to start working though. Just keep in mind that all these drugs work

differently on the elderly and be aware of the side effects.

This has to be very hard on your mother. Think of what she's going

through and the stress she's under just dealing with the diagnosis. Her life

has changed drastically. I had the same thing when my mother became sick and

could no longer do for herself. It was hard for her to give up her

independence and she hated relying on someone else to make sure she went to

the doctor and had enough foood etc. It's very stressful living in a house

where someone is very sick but you have to make the best of it.

I denied my mother's illness for a long time because I always thought

my mother would be around forever and when I saw the signs that she was

becoming more dependent I ignored them. I mean she beat breast cancer twice

so why not Liver disease? She never let anything get her down. She held up

so good when my father died suddenly then a month later her son died. Little

did I know she started dying a little each day after that. The fight was

gone. I wish now I had paid more attention to her needs because I would've

done the shopping and went to Bingo with her and out to lunch more often but

I thought as long as she was doing them she was ok.

After reading your email I don't blame you for not giving up smoking.

It's a stress reliever for you. You might be one of lucky ones and never get

lung cancer or emphysema. My aunt has been smoking all her life and she's 72

now. She just was in the hospital because of a questionable stroke and they

did all kinds of tests on her and she has nothing wrong with her heart or

lungs. Hopefully that will be the case for you.

I can't imagine what it was like for you to lose your son at such a

young age. I was devastated after I found my father dead and then

died. I know how you feel when you say you thought you had a death wish

because I got to the point after my mother died that I didn't care about my

health or anything. I figured everyone I loved was dead so why bother? If I

go then I'll be with them but then I thought of 's youngest who I

helped raise and is like my daughter. She has been through so much in her

young life and I didn't want to add to her grief. We are very close and I

wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She's 16 now and she's a great kid.

I'm glad you remarried and want to stick around for a long time. See

things are starting to look up for you. You thought your colonoscopy was

going to be bad but it wasn't so that means your work here is not done. I

tell everyone that when they asked me how I survived 1994 and especially

since I was the one who found my father. I just say " I took one day at a

time and I still do. " Some days are better than others though. I still have

days when I miss them all so much especially . We were so close and

losing him was tough and still is. Life sucks sometimes. Take care.

Dianne

Dianna Brendle wrote:

Dianne, my mother refused radiation, she'd have had to go everyday, 5 days a

week for 6 weeks, she couldn't face that. She has had 3 chemos, 1 a week,

and seems to have no side effects so far. She has no colostomy, and has

healed from the surgery well, she had part of her rectum removed and has

some bowel problems, mostly having to go often. But it's not too bad. She is

having a big problem with anxiety (this began right after the surgery in the

CCU) and can't sleep at night, she gets breathless. She was taking percodan

for pain and found that it helps her anxiety at night. She was taking 4 a

day, is now down to 1. But she just ran out this week, her surgeon released

her and wouldn't prescribe them anymore. Her oncologist prescribed Paxil for

her yesterday and she had a real bad night last night, she can't relax, she

feels restless all over, her breathing is fast, alot of anxiety. I looked it

up, they are all symptoms of percodan withdrawal. But her anxiety did start

in the hospital right at the beginning. Her oncologist today prescribed the

percodan for her again to relieve her, she lives with a sister and neither

of them can deal with this, it's too stressful for my sis and mom. The doc

said absolutely not more than 1 a day, and he hopes when the Paxil begins to

work she can get off the percodan. Does that sound like percodan withdrawal

to you? My mom is very depressed and hates everything that is happening to

her. She hates going to doctors, going anywhere except to bingo. I hope we

can get this worked out for her. She is so unhappy.

I don't know if i can ever quit smoking, my son died 5 years ago, he was

only 14, it was a sudden death, I have a real hard time living without him,

I smoke alot, my crutch it seems. It's just taken so much out of me, I have

difficulty with stress too, I can't deal with it. I just want to find peace.

My health was always great until he died, it's been one thing after another

since then, so the good results from the colonoscopy amazed me. I'm always

waiting for the next bad thing to happen because I sure know it can. At

first I had a death wish, just wanting to be with my son, but I've remarried

and would like to stick around for a bit longer now. I kind of live one day

at a time. Life can be so very hard can't it? You take care too and thanks

again for writing. ~~Dianna

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for the information. I wasn't too sure about the Paxil being used for

anxiety. It's used where I work (I work for the State of NY) with the

developmentally Disabled and it's used more to make the clients more sociable so

I guess in a way that's treating anxiety. I never really researched it because

it's pretty new to me. I never had anyone on it.

I learned something today.

Dianne

Bitnerda wrote:

This is , Dave's wife. I feel I could write 30 pages, but the one

thing that caught my eye was regarding Paxil. My psychiatrist says that

Paxil does cover anxiety whereas Wellbutrin does not. I think Paxil is a

great antidepressant (although I stopped after gaining 15 pounds and

switched to something else!)

Re: I'm back

Dianna,

I can't say that I blame your mother as far as the radiation goes. I'm

glad she doesn't have any side effcts from the chemo as of yet and hopefully

she won't. It sounds like your mother has what is called CCU or ICU anxiety.

It's very common in people who have been in either one of those units

because it's 24 hrs of constant care and monitoring and people especially

the elderly seem to get their days and nights mixed up. When a person is in

either one of these units their bodies don't get the rest they normally

would if they were in a regular room or at home so their bodies and minds

have become accustomed to being awakened at various times during the night

therefore setting another wakening pattern. It takes them a long time before

they can finally get back to normal.

Percodan is a strong pain killer and can become addicting if a person

is on it for any length of time and medication effects the elderly

differently than it would me or you. I would try to get the doctor to give

her some Tylenol with Codiene # 3 as long as her liver is ok. It can also be

addicting but it's not as bad as Percodan and it's not as strong.

Paxil is a good drug also but I'm not sure how much help it will be for

anxiety. It's usually used to make people become more socialable and it

doesn't sound as if your mother has any problems socializing with people but

the doctor knows more than I do. I would give the Paxil at least 2 weeks to

a month to start working though. Just keep in mind that all these drugs work

differently on the elderly and be aware of the side effects.

This has to be very hard on your mother. Think of what she's going

through and the stress she's under just dealing with the diagnosis. Her life

has changed drastically. I had the same thing when my mother became sick and

could no longer do for herself. It was hard for her to give up her

independence and she hated relying on someone else to make sure she went to

the doctor and had enough foood etc. It's very stressful living in a house

where someone is very sick but you have to make the best of it.

I denied my mother's illness for a long time because I always thought

my mother would be around forever and when I saw the signs that she was

becoming more dependent I ignored them. I mean she beat breast cancer twice

so why not Liver disease? She never let anything get her down. She held up

so good when my father died suddenly then a month later her son died. Little

did I know she started dying a little each day after that. The fight was

gone. I wish now I had paid more attention to her needs because I would've

done the shopping and went to Bingo with her and out to lunch more often but

I thought as long as she was doing them she was ok.

After reading your email I don't blame you for not giving up smoking.

It's a stress reliever for you. You might be one of lucky ones and never get

lung cancer or emphysema. My aunt has been smoking all her life and she's 72

now. She just was in the hospital because of a questionable stroke and they

did all kinds of tests on her and she has nothing wrong with her heart or

lungs. Hopefully that will be the case for you.

I can't imagine what it was like for you to lose your son at such a

young age. I was devastated after I found my father dead and then

died. I know how you feel when you say you thought you had a death wish

because I got to the point after my mother died that I didn't care about my

health or anything. I figured everyone I loved was dead so why bother? If I

go then I'll be with them but then I thought of 's youngest who I

helped raise and is like my daughter. She has been through so much in her

young life and I didn't want to add to her grief. We are very close and I

wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She's 16 now and she's a great kid.

I'm glad you remarried and want to stick around for a long time. See

things are starting to look up for you. You thought your colonoscopy was

going to be bad but it wasn't so that means your work here is not done. I

tell everyone that when they asked me how I survived 1994 and especially

since I was the one who found my father. I just say " I took one day at a

time and I still do. " Some days are better than others though. I still have

days when I miss them all so much especially . We were so close and

losing him was tough and still is. Life sucks sometimes. Take care.

Dianne

Dianna Brendle wrote:

Dianne, my mother refused radiation, she'd have had to go everyday, 5 days a

week for 6 weeks, she couldn't face that. She has had 3 chemos, 1 a week,

and seems to have no side effects so far. She has no colostomy, and has

healed from the surgery well, she had part of her rectum removed and has

some bowel problems, mostly having to go often. But it's not too bad. She is

having a big problem with anxiety (this began right after the surgery in the

CCU) and can't sleep at night, she gets breathless. She was taking percodan

for pain and found that it helps her anxiety at night. She was taking 4 a

day, is now down to 1. But she just ran out this week, her surgeon released

her and wouldn't prescribe them anymore. Her oncologist prescribed Paxil for

her yesterday and she had a real bad night last night, she can't relax, she

feels restless all over, her breathing is fast, alot of anxiety. I looked it

up, they are all symptoms of percodan withdrawal. But her anxiety did start

in the hospital right at the beginning. Her oncologist today prescribed the

percodan for her again to relieve her, she lives with a sister and neither

of them can deal with this, it's too stressful for my sis and mom. The doc

said absolutely not more than 1 a day, and he hopes when the Paxil begins to

work she can get off the percodan. Does that sound like percodan withdrawal

to you? My mom is very depressed and hates everything that is happening to

her. She hates going to doctors, going anywhere except to bingo. I hope we

can get this worked out for her. She is so unhappy.

I don't know if i can ever quit smoking, my son died 5 years ago, he was

only 14, it was a sudden death, I have a real hard time living without him,

I smoke alot, my crutch it seems. It's just taken so much out of me, I have

difficulty with stress too, I can't deal with it. I just want to find peace.

My health was always great until he died, it's been one thing after another

since then, so the good results from the colonoscopy amazed me. I'm always

waiting for the next bad thing to happen because I sure know it can. At

first I had a death wish, just wanting to be with my son, but I've remarried

and would like to stick around for a bit longer now. I kind of live one day

at a time. Life can be so very hard can't it? You take care too and thanks

again for writing. ~~Dianna

[Guest guest]

I've tried a number of anti-depressants, and have found that it does take

some " tweaking " to find the one that works best for you. One thing to watch

out for is that some anti-depressants can trigger a manic reaction for those

with bi-polar disorder. I currently take Lexapro and Wellbutrin.

Depression is more my issue. I had taken Prozac for years, but started to

feel really sluggish. And, I was having some short-term memory issues with

the generic Prozac. (Yes, there can be differences between brand name and

generic!). So, I went off of Prozac and switched to what I have now.

Wellbutrin is also much less likely to have sexual side-effects and weight

gain. It also is now available in an extended time relief form. The

original only lasts 6 hours, so you have to take it 2X/day. It's worked

really well for me. I've also tried Zoloft, but it made me feel really

emotionally flat. Anyway...hope this helps!

Re: I'm back

Dianna,

I can't say that I blame your mother as far as the radiation goes. I'm

glad she doesn't have any side effcts from the chemo as of yet and hopefully

she won't. It sounds like your mother has what is called CCU or ICU anxiety.

It's very common in people who have been in either one of those units

because it's 24 hrs of constant care and monitoring and people especially

the elderly seem to get their days and nights mixed up. When a person is in

either one of these units their bodies don't get the rest they normally

would if they were in a regular room or at home so their bodies and minds

have become accustomed to being awakened at various times during the night

therefore setting another wakening pattern. It takes them a long time before

they can finally get back to normal.

Percodan is a strong pain killer and can become addicting if a person

is on it for any length of time and medication effects the elderly

differently than it would me or you. I would try to get the doctor to give

her some Tylenol with Codiene # 3 as long as her liver is ok. It can also be

addicting but it's not as bad as Percodan and it's not as strong.

Paxil is a good drug also but I'm not sure how much help it will be for

anxiety. It's usually used to make people become more socialable and it

doesn't sound as if your mother has any problems socializing with people but

the doctor knows more than I do. I would give the Paxil at least 2 weeks to

a month to start working though. Just keep in mind that all these drugs work

differently on the elderly and be aware of the side effects.

This has to be very hard on your mother. Think of what she's going

through and the stress she's under just dealing with the diagnosis. Her life

has changed drastically. I had the same thing when my mother became sick and

could no longer do for herself. It was hard for her to give up her

independence and she hated relying on someone else to make sure she went to

the doctor and had enough foood etc. It's very stressful living in a house

where someone is very sick but you have to make the best of it.

I denied my mother's illness for a long time because I always thought

my mother would be around forever and when I saw the signs that she was

becoming more dependent I ignored them. I mean she beat breast cancer twice

so why not Liver disease? She never let anything get her down. She held up

so good when my father died suddenly then a month later her son died. Little

did I know she started dying a little each day after that. The fight was

gone. I wish now I had paid more attention to her needs because I would've

done the shopping and went to Bingo with her and out to lunch more often but

I thought as long as she was doing them she was ok.

After reading your email I don't blame you for not giving up smoking.

It's a stress reliever for you. You might be one of lucky ones and never get

lung cancer or emphysema. My aunt has been smoking all her life and she's 72

now. She just was in the hospital because of a questionable stroke and they

did all kinds of tests on her and she has nothing wrong with her heart or

lungs. Hopefully that will be the case for you.

I can't imagine what it was like for you to lose your son at such a

young age. I was devastated after I found my father dead and then

died. I know how you feel when you say you thought you had a death wish

because I got to the point after my mother died that I didn't care about my

health or anything. I figured everyone I loved was dead so why bother? If I

go then I'll be with them but then I thought of 's youngest who I

helped raise and is like my daughter. She has been through so much in her

young life and I didn't want to add to her grief. We are very close and I

wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She's 16 now and she's a great kid.

I'm glad you remarried and want to stick around for a long time. See

things are starting to look up for you. You thought your colonoscopy was

going to be bad but it wasn't so that means your work here is not done. I

tell everyone that when they asked me how I survived 1994 and especially

since I was the one who found my father. I just say " I took one day at a

time and I still do. " Some days are better than others though. I still have

days when I miss them all so much especially . We were so close and

losing him was tough and still is. Life sucks sometimes. Take care.

Dianne

Dianna Brendle wrote:

Dianne, my mother refused radiation, she'd have had to go everyday, 5 days a

week for 6 weeks, she couldn't face that. She has had 3 chemos, 1 a week,

and seems to have no side effects so far. She has no colostomy, and has

healed from the surgery well, she had part of her rectum removed and has

some bowel problems, mostly having to go often. But it's not too bad. She is

having a big problem with anxiety (this began right after the surgery in the

CCU) and can't sleep at night, she gets breathless. She was taking percodan

for pain and found that it helps her anxiety at night. She was taking 4 a

day, is now down to 1. But she just ran out this week, her surgeon released

her and wouldn't prescribe them anymore. Her oncologist prescribed Paxil for

her yesterday and she had a real bad night last night, she can't relax, she

feels restless all over, her breathing is fast, alot of anxiety. I looked it

up, they are all symptoms of percodan withdrawal. But her anxiety did start

in the hospital right at the beginning. Her oncologist today prescribed the

percodan for her again to relieve her, she lives with a sister and neither

of them can deal with this, it's too stressful for my sis and mom. The doc

said absolutely not more than 1 a day, and he hopes when the Paxil begins to

work she can get off the percodan. Does that sound like percodan withdrawal

to you? My mom is very depressed and hates everything that is happening to

her. She hates going to doctors, going anywhere except to bingo. I hope we

can get this worked out for her. She is so unhappy.

I don't know if i can ever quit smoking, my son died 5 years ago, he was

only 14, it was a sudden death, I have a real hard time living without him,

I smoke alot, my crutch it seems. It's just taken so much out of me, I have

difficulty with stress too, I can't deal with it. I just want to find peace.

My health was always great until he died, it's been one thing after another

since then, so the good results from the colonoscopy amazed me. I'm always

waiting for the next bad thing to happen because I sure know it can. At

first I had a death wish, just wanting to be with my son, but I've remarried

and would like to stick around for a bit longer now. I kind of live one day

at a time. Life can be so very hard can't it? You take care too and thanks

again for writing. ~~Dianna