Hi, Kay. Yes, she is going through all of the paperwork, and she is getting a bit overwhelmed. My dad left everything to her, and my sister-in-law, who is an accountant, is the executor of the will. She is doing most of the work, but they are waiting on the official death certificate before the house can be put in my mom's name. She can't sell until that is done. She also has to get rid of the car, since she doesn't drive, but one of my brothers needs a trade-in, and he is going to buy the car from her ( at a fair market price, of course). My dad did have his affairs in order, and all of the investments were in my mom's name anyhow, so she doesn't have too much to do. Right now she is slowly going through the house getting rid of things she won't need in an apartment. They lived in the same place for 44 years, so it's quite a big job, although in recent years they did begin to clear out a lot of junk. The biggest job is already done. My dad was into model trains, and had a huge set-up in two rooms in the basement. He had literally hundreds of cars, plus little villages, etc. He kept all of the boxes, but it still took us the better part of a week to dismantle the whole thing. The trains are going to be divided up between my brothers, and my mom didn't have to do a thing. We have been very fortunate that there have been absolutely NO arguements over money or disposing of posessions. I have heard so many stories about how a death in the family can bring out the absolute worst in people, but this is not the case for us. All of my brothers and I just want our mom to have as smooth a move as possible, and to end up with as much money as she can get. She is anxious to sell, she finds there are just too many memories in the house, and she wants a fresh start. Hopefully, she can be settled in her new place before the winter weather begins.

i wish i could hold you and comfort you. there are no words adequate to express my deep sorrow for your loss. i, too, lost my husband, my best friend, the light of my life, to cancer. at this point, you are still in shock, denial. you know he's gone but you are not ready to accept it. i can only tell you it takes time. your grief, like my own, will never go away but it will get "different", more tolerable, as time goes on. i wish there were words that would help but i know there are none. ((((hugs))))

I think this article about Cancer pain management from http://www.themesotheliomalibrary.com may be useful for your read Most lung cancer patients fear the pain resulting from it, rather than the cancer itself. Pain management theories were developed to help patients control or minimize their pain while undergoing cancer treatments. About 80% - 90% of cancer patients control their pain through a combination of pain medicines & other exercises. In order to successfully control pain from cancer, it is important to understand where that pain originally derives from. Cancer pain occurs when malignant tumors slide or press on internal organs such as bones, nerves and the lymph nodes. The extent of pain also depends on the location of the tumor and what organ it is pressing on. For example, a small tumor pressing on a vital organ of the body such as the lungs can cause lots of pain, while a large tumor elsewhere could cause little pain. Pain also derives from cancer treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Pain from these cancer treatments has more chance of occuring in patients whose immune system has been damaged as a result of these therapies. The 3rd source of cancer pain derives from other common illnesses such as headaches, pain in the kidneys, arthritis, muscle strains, etc. Types of Cancer Pain There are 3 most common types of pain resulting from Cancer. They are: i) Acute pain: Acute pain lasts a very short amount of time, but can be very severe and comes as a surprise. ii) Chronic pain: Chronic pain lasts over a long period of time and can be mild to severe. iii) Breakthrough pain: Breakthrough pain occurs in patients who have chronic pain and can be controlled via cancer medicines. Pain Control & Medicines The type of medicine & proper dose procedure given to a cancer patient depends on the extent of the cancer and its source. Below are a few types of medicines that are given to cancer patients. i) Mild to Moderate Pain: Nonopioids - Nonopioids are over-the-counter medicines that can be purchased without a prescription. They include drugs such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen. Be sure to consult your doctor before using these medicines, especially if you are already undergoing chemotherapy. ii) Moderate to Severe Pain: Opioids - Opioids are types of drugs that can be purchased with a prescription only. They can be used in conjunction with nonopioids to lessen pain. Examples include morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, oxycodone, meperidine, codeine, and methadone. iii) Breakthrough pain: Rapid-onset Opioids - These are drugs that can quickly relieve sudden pain and are available by prescription only. Examples include oral morphine. They can also be used to cure persistent pain that pops up as a surprise.

Kathy....GREAT NEWS!!! I'm so happy for you and your Mom. I hope and pray you get a good result from the blood and PET scans. If I could , I would do a cartwheel with you, but I've always been a klutz. Love, Dottie