victor

Thanks Mint. I am now beginning to take some vitamins,etc ordered by Flori. He said that I should decide on the stomach tube at least a week before treatment begins. I must go into the hospital for several days for them to put in a ballon and then see how I do on it. Apparently when I go home, someone will come twice a day to feed it and clean the area. I personally, will have nothing to do with it. Also, my generalist who I saw today, offered to have a nurse with me at all times. I am really weak. Do not understand why someone did not catch the weight issue sooner. Last night as I was drinking a bit of wine, blood started flowing from my lower lip. Scared? You bet! My generalist said my whole body could just close down. Maybe I will not need to worry about any treatment. Sorry to be so glumy. I see another hospital stay in the near future.

Bonne annee Norman and group! Well, I was just released from Arnaud de Villeneuve on lundi after 7 days. Two and 1/2 of those days were spent in the ICU. Now there was an experience to forget if possible! I also went through the entire hysteria the hospital went through with the flu issue. Norman, Yesterday I spent a few hours with Dr. Flori and the doctor(Boisielier) who is in charge of the radiation treatment that I have finally decided to do. The tumor is still small enough for this treatment. The reason Dr. Flori is involved is that I now weigh only 37 kilo. I used to weigh 85 kilo.They are concerned about my ability to tolerate the treatment and that basically my body is using so much energy that only a tube will be able to provide enough nutrition for me otherwise my body could just shut down.If I recall, you and someone else had a stomach tube. Any advice? Dr. Flori has an interesting personality. I asked if he recalled an English Norman and he wanted your last name. How is it going Norman?

Norman, What if I do not have cancer? They have never done a biopsy. Or are the scans a type of biopsy? Michal

Norman, I have seen many doctors at Val d'aurielle and they have concluded that radiation therapy is the only course to follow because of the emphasema. I have never had any type of biopsy. They have made their determination based on several different scans. To date, the emphasema has caused me the greatest problem including a couple short hospital stays. In your opinion, is it possible to diagnose cancer this way? The radiotherapy doctor said the total treatment time would be three weeks and pre-treatment time two weeks. Part of me is just ready to say enough. I just want what I need to be able to breath: inhalers, O2 and a nebulizer. Compared to what you and others have gone through, I feel embarressed about my attitude. I wish I lived closer to Toulouse but all the treatment is only a few hours several days a week so it must be in Montpellier. I hope you are well as are the others suffering from cancer. Michal

idun, While working full time, and putting our son through a private lycee in Washington,(he is totally fluent in French and English, and is now learning Chinese), we did not have the time to learn French. Also, all our French friends only wanted to learn and speak English. However, somehow, I have managed to pick it up and have no problem communicating with the French doctors or otherwise. On the other hand, my spouse, had much more time to learn French and even here avoids joining male groups for sports. I think it is all in your attitude. Since I am the one who deals with all the administrative problems , he can just play games on the computer or fool around in his workshop.

idun, No need to apologize. I understood that you had misread my message. You are right though and I did apologize to the doctor after. Michal

Grecian, I have been investgating the B 17. I have a consultation next Wesnesday in Montpellier. I also want to have a consultation with the Doctor Norman referred to who specialices in cancer nutrition. If you get the seeds, they are hard,so how do you eat them? Need your advice. Michal If no one will agree to do the surgery and just take out the area around the tumor, I guess, it will just grow. Or maybe I will find someone to take care of my two dogs and leave this earth. I have several different plans of leaving. If I do my spouse says he will take care of the dogs, but I do not trust him. I am so depressed. And then today, my spouse got a ticket for not dealing with a roundpoint correctly. I feel like I am in a trap. My generalist gave me a test for TB as I have never had one. Cancer and TB are very similar. Who knows. If I order the capsules what should I order?

Théière, Where did you get the B17 and in what form? I am very interested in it. Michal

IDUN, It was not 4 minutes but 34 minutes. Generally, doctors and other people are late for many reasons. But he did not apologize. And to make matters worse, I am not a morning person. And no one mentioned their would be a delay.

Norman, I am sorry that Dr. Flori was not very helpful this time. I know that your travel time is very long. And, I cannot begin to even comprehend the trama you have been through for nine years. How are you doing? Are you still thinking of moving? And you are right, 34 minutes is not a long time to wait. My attitude was due to the fact that I was told to be at reception no later than 10:45 and that my appointment was at 11:00 and to be on time. I was in the waiting room and Begier who is a medical cancer doctor, was in his office and once in a while, he would come out smiling, walk casually down the hall, and slowly return to his office a few minutes later. I would not have been so brusque if someone had told me he was occupied or if he had apologized for being late. I have had to wait many times for judges, clients, medical appointments, etc. It is the attitude I responded to.

Norman, I suspect we may have crossed paths. Wish I could have met you! My appointment was at 11:00, and I waited until 11:34 before I went back to the admissions and complained, and Mr. Beguier showed up there and I told him off politely. After all I did have to leave home at 9:45. He did not even apologize. Anyway, I was in his office for about one hour, and he basically said I had no choice but radiation. He seemed unable to answer any of my questions like what stad was my cancer, etc. Maybe women are supposed to be stupid, and after all the doctor is king. I asked him about tests and all he could say was that even if they did a needle biospsy, my lungs would collaspe and I would die. He did not explain the basis of his conclusion. He said no radiadition, and you may have two years. Maybe Montpellier needs to use their expensive new machines. No wonder CPAM is in the red. Since my pumonologist had already said radiation was the only way to go daily for around a month, why did I even need to see him? What a farce. I will see my generalist tomorrow, and we will discuss the "visit". As you can tell, I was pissed. On the whole, I do not trust allopathic doctors. Guess that is obvious. My generalist and I discuss allopathic and other types of natural remedies for people and for our animals. I do want to ask him about seeing a chest surgeon and your Doctor Flori. Also interesting, the Doctor, my Doctor wrote to is in the same office as the pumo I saw, and I also noted that he was on the panel she presented my case at.

Norman, I suspect we may have crossed paths. Wish I could have met you! My appointment was at 11:00, and I waited until 11:34 before I went back to the admissions and complained, and Mr. Beguier showed up there and I told him off politely. After all I did have to leave home at 9:45. He did not even apologize. Anyway, I was in his office for about one hour, and he basically said I had no choice but radiation. He seemed unable to answer any of my questions like what stad was my cancer, etc. Maybe women are supposed to be stupid, and after all the doctor is king. I asked him about tests and all he could say was that even if they did a needle biospsy, my lungs would collaspe and I would die. He did not explain the basis of his conclusion. He said no radiadition, and you may have two years. Maybe Montpellier needs to use their expensive new machines. No wonder CPAM is in the red. Since my pumonologist had already said radiation was the only way to go daily for around a month, why did I even need to see him? What a farce. I will see my generalist tomorrow, and we will discuss the "visit". As you can tell, I was pissed. On the whole, I do not trust allopathic doctors. Guess that is obvious. My generalist and I discuss allopathic and other types of natural remedies for people and for our animals. I do want to ask him about seeing a chest surgeon and your Doctor Flori. Also interesting, the Doctor, my Doctor wrote to is in the same office as the pumo I saw, and I also noted that he was on the panel she presented my case at.

Here is my update. Saw the pumonologist the 10th of August and she said she was having a group consultation the 16th. When I was at her office she was very firm that radiology was the way to go because I was so physically weak. She made an appointment for me to go to Montpellier on the 19th to speak to an oncologist. I went this morning and had to wait over 30 minutes to see him. I gave him her letter and then asked him a few questions;e.g., what stage was the tumer, how did he know, and possible treatments. We spoke in English as I wanted to make sure both he and I understood. His only response was that due to the fact that my upper lungs were weak from emphasema, they could only do radiology. I asked why.His reply was that if they invaded the lungs, I would die. I asked how he knew the stage, etc, he said from the PET scan. Further, he said if I had a biopsy, I could die because of the weakness of my lungs. I could die even from a needle biopsy. Now one has 5 lobes and the Pet scan shows the tumor confined to the upper left lobe and less than 3 mm. He did not even address, any attempts to strengthen my lungs before doing tests that are valuable before any treatment decisions. His mind was made up! Since my pumomologist had already recommended radiation, I am at a loss as to why I wasted a whole morning going to Montpellier. He basically said his way, or maybe I had two years with no treatment. This was the first time that I had been told by anyone that my lungs could not withstand surgery. The tumor is only in the upper left lobe and the lower lobes are not very weak from emphasema. Will see my generalist Monday and ask about Toulouse. I know that no matter what, he will make sure that I do not suffer. Maybe, I should just continue smoking until the emphasema and or tumor kill me. Norman what, if anything, do you know , about the lung cancer unit in Toulouse. In my opinion, more tests should have been done, and surgery would be the most efficient method of getting rid of the tumor followed by work on getting the lungs stronger. I am aware that emphasema cannot be cured, but it can be controlled.

Hereford, When I filled it out, I had not been feeling well for a while so I may have made a mistake on the form. Just checking the avis they sent, it looks like they doubled our income. Even so we should not have been taxed on it because of the treaty. If any changes had occurred with the treaty, I would have been aware of them. The money we currently receive from the states has already been taxed once during our working lives. Then if it is over a certain amount, which ours is, we are again taxed on it every year after we retire. Appreciate your offer of checking out some things. Thank you!

We received our paper avis today. All our money comes from the US, and since I have been filing our amount owed in France has been zero because we pay plenty in the states. According to the Tax treaty between the US and France, we are protected on paying twice on the same income. This is the first year, we had to file online which I did. To my shock, we must pay almost 20,000 euros in French taxes. We receive no monies from France only from the US. There is no way my spouse can handle this. Given my physical situation, I am too weak to deal with the kind people at the impot office. I am at an absolute loss. Maybe, I should just take my exit now.

mogs, We are a little over two hours from Toulouse. I will check them out and perhaps Norman or others can respond if they have any knowledge regarding them. The major issue is the distance and being so far from my dogs. Montpellier is only 20 minutes away and my generalist is in the next village. Good to hear that you are in remission.

Norman, Actually, your post did not influence my decision. The reason that I wrote you about them was due to my own unease with the woman they assigned. My spoken French is not so bad, and my pomonologist is very patient. I felt uneasy about having this stranger involved in my doctor/patient relationship. My decision was primarily based on the fact that she felt that I had no right to know about her prior experience and training. I have emailed her to cancel the meeting and to demand that she shred all my personal information. By the way, I ordered that tomorrow be sunny for you.

Grecian, I would not characterize myself as brave, but rather unable to comprehend the possible consequences of being super sick and not being able to care for my dogs in a responsible manner. They need grooming and attention so badly.I no longer have the energy to care for them correctly. Actually, for a long time, I have been very disappointed the way my retirement which was my dream of finally living in France, turned out. Both my spouse and son have caused me too much stress and grief. There have been many times that if I did not have my dogs, I would just have cashed out.My spouse is a kind and gentle person, however, it has always been my responsibility to handle things. Maybe that is why he wanted to marry an attorney. We arrived in France about two weeks before 9/11. Guess that was not a good omen. I have read your post and others several times and you are all the ones who are brave. I have learned so much from each of you. Take care and will update soon.

Norman,et al. This Wednesday,10 Aout, I will meet with my pomonologist again. She is a beautiful intelligent woman from Brittany. The night before our apt., she will have a group conference at the CHRU where, as you are certainly aware, the whole team discusses treatment possibilities for their patients. I had contacted CSF over a week ago and the woman, I was assigned to offered to come with me. However, I do not feel comfortable with her (and perhaps my doctor may not either) as she refuses to disclose even the amount of training she has had to assist me in comprehending the discussion between me and my doctor and knows nothing about the Montpellier hospital system. I strongly believe that your experience and others on our site offer my best and trusted guides along with the doctors that I have interacted with to date. I will leave her a message tomorrow letting her know that I feel more comfortable going it alone and cut off contact with that group. It is very unnerving that they, total strangers, want all kinds of information from me, but then say it is their policy to maintain a "professional" distance. Furthermore, I do not appreciate the fact that it feels like she treats me as an invalid. I did not feel positive about her from our very first telephone discussion. As an attorney, I have learned to trust my instincts Anyway, I sure feel better now about my decision. I will send an update from my meeting soon. I also want to ask her about a possible consult with Dr. Flori who you recommended. Maybe he has some ideas about assisting me in getting stronger. A bien tot

Loiseau, I could not agree more that it is important to be able to discuss consultations and compare notes with your husband. I hope he came through it and that you are both enjoying life together. Did you use someone from CS at the consultation? If so how did you/they handle it? A big problem I have is why she will not discuss her training. This is a total stranger and is making a file on what I tell her. I guess the way to look at it is treat her as a translater. Maybe it is best that she is a stranger because I could never burden a close friend about my feelings and what I am planning. I have never felt helpless like this in my life even when I was in the middle of the Yom Kippur War. I am so embarrassed that I refuse to ever use oxegan in public.

Gardengirl, What is a Macmillan Coffee Morning? How are you doing now?

Théière, I knew about sugar and have never eaten junk food, soda, etc. But I do love to have a good piece of 70% or more of good chocolate once in a while. Actually, in our house we rarely use sugar. Copper? Now that is something I have never heard. What foods would it be in? Our pans have copper bottoms, but tableware is silver or sterling silver. Lemon juice freshly squezed (sp) is fanastic and and very healthy. Glad it helped your wife. How is she? When you have time please let me know about the copper.

I am in the process of reading about the site Norman referred to on immunotherapy. It appears that each type does have its side effects. Anyway, I did see the pulmonologist again last Wednesday and she had the full report of which she gave me a copy.The tumor is 8 cm. She told me that this coming Tuesday night she will be meeting with the whole consulation group that discusses all the patients and probable treatments. I will see her the next day. Her initial opinion is that I am too weak to have any surgery. I now weigh all of 40 kilo. My two dogs together weigh more that I do. It seems like each day, I am unable to do less and less. It makes me very angry to be in this situation especially knowing how many of you have gone through so much. Since last writing to the forum, I have contacted a group called CANCER SUPPORT FRANCE LANGUEDOC and have been assigned to an English woman called Karen. I have spoken to her over the phone and feel quite weird about discussing my issues with a stranger. Outside of this Forum, I have not even spoken to any of my friends, all French, about my condition. She has volunteered to go with me to see the pumonologist this Wednesday. Even my husband has never gone to any doctor visits with me. How will my doctor feel about this stranger? Does anyone know about this group or even used them. The reason she would be there is that my medical knowledge in French is quite lacking. I am also a little uncomfortable, but know that I need to make sure I understand everything my doctor says. Oh, and to make this last week more interesting, I managed to take a tumble on our salon floor which, of course, is all carrelage. Had an x-ray and just some terribly sore muscles and bones. On a sweet note, my generalist who is on vacation, offered to come and visit me and he lives one village over.

THANK YOU ALL for your support! and sharing. The people at ICM for the scanner were great. Apparently all the paperwork had been done, and the ambulance people just took me directly to the correct area where I was immediately placed in a small room with a bed. Within five minutes, I was being prepared for the procedure. After it was all over, I spoke to the radiologist, and she told me that I do have a serious large tumor near the top of the left lung. She found no other sites. Furthermore, she confirmed that I have emphasema. However, I did not ask if the cancer has spread nor did she mention the possibility. I was so exhausted since I had not eaten since 17h yesterday. Too worried. Because she did not mention it, I suspect that it has not. She did say that I had no other cancer sites in the lungs. I did not receive anything in writing, and she kept the scan that I had done a couple weeks ago. Wednesday I will see my pumonologist who will have received the full report. We did discuss the fact that nothing can be done about the emphasema. Well, actually that was me that stated that and also that I would probably not do anything further. Again, I cannot begin to express how much your support has meant to me. We are rather like a family. Merci mille fois!

Norman, I received a confirmation call from the ICM on Friday. During the call, I asked if I would be speaking with the radiologist after the scan, and the woman said yes. So that will give me the opportunity to ask questions. I did make an appointment with the pulmonologist for the following Wednesday. I will be taking an ambulance as I need oxegen. My fear is that during the scan I will have a breathing problem and start coughing. I will mention this possibility to them. It seems that now every morning, I now need the more powerful machine to stop the coughing. I do sleep with the oxegan. Weird but if the wind is not too strong, I can still swim in our pool with the younger dog. Have not tried running yet. LOL! Our older caniche will only go down one step, hates the pool. My spouse and I are discussing finding a housekeeper who can cook and clean and is not afraid of dogs. We fortunately have a studio next to the house where she/he could live. Hope all is well with you.