Oh boy ... :(

[ScantyNebula]

A while ago, I posted about my uncle who hadPulmonary Fibrosis (http://noairtogo.tripod.com/ild.htm) .. and died not long after he was diagnosed. Well today my mom said she was diagnosed with the same disease. I'm just so overwhelmed right now .. it doesn't seem real .. to say that its a fatal disease ... and at such a young age. :( :mad: I know my uncle died quickly because he was at the last stages before they caught it .. mom says she is in the early stages but from what I've been reading up on there is still not much of an expectancy and its almost impossible to diagnose how long a person with the disease will remain healthy...

I'm sure a lot of you have dealt something like this before .. I'm looking for a little something to know that I can and will accept this .. I'm just so shocked and upset right now. As well, I now have thoughts that maybe this is hereditary too .. if both my uncle and mom got it ...

This is just too much! :(

[carole]

Sweetheart I can only imagine how frightened you must feel right now, and anxious, I wish there was something I could say to comfort you right now.

Perhaps it is best to go with your mother to the doctor and find out as much as you can, so that you know exactly what you are dealing with and what to expect.

I just want you to know my heart goes out to you right now, and I sincerely hope that it has been caught early and your mother will be ok.

My thoughts are with you, big hugs and lots of love.

[ScantyNebula]

Thank you so much ... you know what makes this situation worse is I am a 8 hour flight away from my family. I can't even afford to go home anytime soon.

The thing that just gets me is I don't think catching it early will make a big difference anyway .. it will still have the same outcome. I can't believe this is happening .. and so soon after losing an uncle to the same thing.

Thanks again carole. I really appreciae it :(

[Jods]

I'm so sorry. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts. I'm thinking if your Mom sayd they caought it in the early stages they may be able to treat it. I found a website for you and they have a support group if you want you could go there and find out the information you need to know. Good luck.

http://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/

[popcornbird]

Oh Johanna. I cannot imagine your fear. :( I'm so sorry to hear your mom has been diagnosed with this disease, but I hope and pray that with treatment, she will be able to live her life normally, and that she'll have her whole lifetime ahead of her. I wish there was something I could say that would be more comforting to you.

{{{hugs}}}

:(

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

This is terrible news, Johanna.... ! Knowing that a beloved person has a life-treatening disease, is one of the hardest things to accept. I hope and pray for you that your mom was in time to stop or slow down this disease!
I feel so sorry for you!!
{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

[Vermontcat]

I'm sorry to hear this about your mom.:(
I hope that it was caught early enough that the treatment can be successful enough to have her around for a long time still.
Hugs to you.

Maybe this will cheer you up a little bit, Lily is a star.:)
Lily (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68859)

[Karen]

I hope that they will find a way to treat your mom, and that she and her doctors will be able to manage it effectively. It sound very scary, but as you said, they caught it early in her case, that's got to be better.

Your mom will be in our prayers.

[cookieluver7]

I'm really sorry to hear about your mom. It has to be hard for you. But things will get better. If your mom caught it at an early stage than I'm sure she should be okay. Your mom is in my prayers.

[shutterbug0303]

Oh, Honey...I'm so sorry to hear about this. I can remember that same shock when I found out my dad was stage 4 pan. cancer. I think I just lived in some "dream/nightmare" world for the first few weeks, trying to absorb what the options were and what this disease meant. It really helped me to join a support group online and to read, read, read. It was very scary to find the statistics of my dads illness, but it helped prepare me to. I hate that you are so far from family now...that makes it even tougher. And the hereditary issue is enough to throw anyone over the edge. I have that same fear for my older brother, and younger ones. Hang tight sweetie. Talk to your mom a lot and read, read, read. Join that group that Jods posted. Please keep us updated. Many prayers coming your way.

[ScantyNebula]

Thanks everyone. I'm trying not to worry too much right now because she still has tests to do and hopefully they can give us a better idea of how quickly this disease may progress... Its so weird because out of all of us, my mom is the one who is just fine with all this. She believes that there must be a reason this is happening and she's just accepted it. .. that if the worse happens she is going to a better place. But to me its so unfair .. to have this happen in her early 40's .. thats too young. :( But I guess its good that she's positive about all this .. it can only help.
I can't imagine how Dad is dealing with this .. I haven't talked to him yet.

[Corinna]

Hugs and prayers for you and your family. You never know what sience will come up with and when. Its good to be informed proud of you to search it out. Maybe you'll find some thing that Docs have missed in all the new results of research.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Johanna, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom and about your uncle's passing.:( Hopefully your mom will respond well to the treatment so she'll be able to live a long healthy life. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent your way. Please take care. {{{HUGS}}}

[Vio&Juni]

I hope that being cought early, it will be treated easier. We'll be thinking of your Mom.

[Tonya]

I am sorry to hear that. I will be praying for you family.

[shais_mom]

how scary
Prayers on the way!

[Miss Meow]

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle's passing and your mum's diagnosis. Sending positive thoughts to your mum and your family {{{hugs}}}

[NoahsMommy]

Oh honey. :( I can only imagine what horrible news this was for you. :(

My only advise would be to try and stay positive. I know its hard, but it might make you feel a tiny bit better.

I'll be praying for you and your family.

Take care,
Kelly

[Kater]

I think I have a similar experience and I hope that I can help you feel more hopeful about this situation.

My uncle (Dad's younger brother) was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and then a few years later my Dad was diagnosed with the same disease. I remember feeling so numb, just not knowing how to deal with it or what to say or what to do. I was in high school at the time, and I took a bunch of photos of him the evening he told us the news. Pictures of him at his desk, pictures of him watching TV, pictures of him reading in bed and so on. I wanted to preserve him somehow, the "everyday version" of him. That same week I went online and did research on CLL. I remember crying bitterly when I read that people with CLL usually live somewhere between 2 and 10 additional years after diagnosis (it is not a very acute type of leukemia).

However, like your mother, his diagnosis came early in the stages of the disease. This really has made a world of difference! I hope it will be the same for your mother. :) He has been good about seeing the doctor and following their advice. So far he has responded well to treatment and while it is most unpleasant (understatement), our support has helped him get through the chemotherapy.

I've learned that you can't let numbers scare you. While it's important to have a good understanding of the disease, you have to maintain hope. Once the initial shock starts to wear off, you may be ready to do some more research, but please don't let it dishearten you greatly.

I'm crying as I write this because those numb and foreboding feelings come back to me so easily as I recall that period when we were first told of his diagnosis. I'm sorry your family has to go through this pain.

I will keep your family in my thoughts and prayers. I'm so sorry about the loss of your uncle. :(

Please feel free to PM me anytime.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

Kate