Does Anyone Remember Starbug???

DaveinOlyWA · 03-11-2006, 10:43 AM

i have some really bad news to report here. Starbug who used to be an active member here and still is a Prius enthusiast, although because of finances she opted for a used Honda, is having a family crisis.

her father is in the hosiptal with stage 4 cancer. he is barely 50 and most likely does not have a lot of time left. my prayers are with her and her family

hdrygas · 03-12-2006, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DaveinOlyWA@Mar 11 2006, 07:43 AM
i have some really bad news to report here. Starbug who used to be an active member here and still is a Prius enthusiast, although because of finances she opted for a used Honda, is having a family crisis.

her father is in the hosiptal with stage 4 cancer. he is barely 50 and most likely does not have a lot of time left. my prayers are with her and her family

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I remember. I kept hoping that she would rejoin us at least to talk. I don't care what anyone drives as long as they are a kindred spirit. My best to her father. Forgive me for being clinical but what is the primary Lung or Colon? I will send my prayers and energy to her father give her my best. I have her signature hanging in my office under the map of the Milky Way with the you are here arrow pointing to Sol. Tell her that! Please give her my best.

V8Cobrakid · 03-12-2006, 11:22 PM

o wow... i remember her. prayers are with her father and with her.

jchu · 03-13-2006, 01:40 AM

I remember her too. Loves hot food!!! I know what she is going through and can only wish her the best. It is hard when someone you are close to receives a terminal diagnosis. An infinitely helpless feeling especially so young.

Starbug, if you are listening, hang in there. I really do know what you are going through.

Jon

hdrygas · 03-13-2006, 10:04 PM

Dave, How is she doing. Is there some thing we might do to help?

DaveinOlyWA · 03-13-2006, 10:24 PM

i havent talked to her since she told me about her dad. i tried calling her but if she is at the hospital, she probably will be hard to contact. tomorrow im going over to pick up some RC car parts so will be able to talk to her boss. i am gonna try to find out where she is at and swing by to see how she is doing

DaveinOlyWA · 03-14-2006, 10:41 AM

here is an update from Angela (starbug) she sent me. she gave me permission to reproduce her email

be pre-warned... she was very very graphic in her description

My father has colon cancer that spread to his liver, lymph nodes, pancreas (sp??), and lungs. He is in Stage 4, and has had the cancer for 5 years. He always believed himself "indistructable" and extremely healthy, so never saw a reason to see a doctor for any reason at all. He was never as healthy as he claimed to be, and we always told him to see the doc for a complete physical. When he turned 50 we told him to have a colonoscapy (sp?), and when he started having odd aches and pains that never went away we told him (again) to see the doc (we now know it was the beginnings of cancer). He always refused, and now pays for that with his life at the young age of 55.

We rushed him into the hospital a week ago when the doctor's bloodwork and CT scans revealed cancer, and the doc called early that morning (he was supposed to call that afternoon) and said GET HIM IN NOW. It was estimated that he had two weeks to live because the tumor in his colon was nearly completely blocking his intestines up. He could not eat or drink anything without throwing it back up, as it had nowhere else to go once in the stomach. The hospital stuck a tube up his nose and into his stomach, and promptly suctioned out 4 liters of bile/fluid. A couple hours later he went into sevier shock, turned blue, and nearly died. I have never before seen someone turn blue, and I hope I never do. The next day he had surgery to remove 25% of the colon and restore his small intestine so that food can pass through, and to remove his lymph nodes (they couldn't touch the one behind his pancreas). They kept the stomach tube in for the rest of the week, and continued to pump out liter after liter of deep sickly-green fluid/bile. His bone marrow and immune system have both shut down, he had internal bleeding from the tumors (fixed during surgery), and is jondiced (sp?).

All this time he's had a REALLY bad case of the hick-ups, which we are told is a symptom of liver cancer. They go on 24/7 non-stop. It is so bad that Sat he could not even breathe because one hick-up imediately followed the other without even a second's delay. He ended up vomiting at that moment too, and has continued to since (previously stoped after the stomach tube was put it, but now it's back).

The doc in charge of the chemotherapy told us that he's terminal. Without chemo, he's got no more than 3 months left. But since we are going to do chemo (3 weeks from now, after his bone marrow has been made to produce blood cells again, and his immune system is back) he's going to have about 12-15 months life expectancy. Everybody I've talked to that had a reletive go through this too has said their reletive died a year after the surgery, so that's the ball-park and anything else beyond is a bonus.

I am on leave of absence from work til my dad comes home from the hospital, so I've been spending every day there.

Walker1 · 03-14-2006, 10:51 AM

This morning my wife got a call from her mother. Her brother Steve, who is 54 is dying of liver and lung cancer. He, too did nothing until he literally dropped. He smoked cigarettes until 3 months ago and had a smokers cough for at least 2 years. My wife is flying out to AZ to say goodbye to him. I suspect he will be gone within a week.

I'm very sorry to hear about the man you were talking about. I am 55. I hope tomorrow is a better day for everyone.

Starbug · 03-15-2006, 02:28 AM

Hi guys! Yes, it has been a looonnnggg time since I last posted. Had login issues, then simply got busy with work.

An update on my father: this morning his blood pressure dropped again (it goes up and down)... it went to 86 over 43. He was passing out big-time. Tonight, they desided to let him come home tomorrow morning. So after 8 rough days in Evergreen Hospital, he gets to sleep in his own bed. In 3 weeks he'll start the chemo.

Starbug · 03-15-2006, 05:40 PM

My dad is home as of noon today. He's laying on the couch now. So far, so good.

03-14-2006, 10:41 AM	#7
DaveinOlyWA Opps !! I Did it Again!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Puget Sound, WA Posts: 9,529 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	here is an update from Angela (starbug) she sent me. she gave me permission to reproduce her email be pre-warned... she was very very graphic in her description My father has colon cancer that spread to his liver, lymph nodes, pancreas (sp??), and lungs. He is in Stage 4, and has had the cancer for 5 years. He always believed himself "indistructable" and extremely healthy, so never saw a reason to see a doctor for any reason at all. He was never as healthy as he claimed to be, and we always told him to see the doc for a complete physical. When he turned 50 we told him to have a colonoscapy (sp?), and when he started having odd aches and pains that never went away we told him (again) to see the doc (we now know it was the beginnings of cancer). He always refused, and now pays for that with his life at the young age of 55. We rushed him into the hospital a week ago when the doctor's bloodwork and CT scans revealed cancer, and the doc called early that morning (he was supposed to call that afternoon) and said GET HIM IN NOW. It was estimated that he had two weeks to live because the tumor in his colon was nearly completely blocking his intestines up. He could not eat or drink anything without throwing it back up, as it had nowhere else to go once in the stomach. The hospital stuck a tube up his nose and into his stomach, and promptly suctioned out 4 liters of bile/fluid. A couple hours later he went into sevier shock, turned blue, and nearly died. I have never before seen someone turn blue, and I hope I never do. The next day he had surgery to remove 25% of the colon and restore his small intestine so that food can pass through, and to remove his lymph nodes (they couldn't touch the one behind his pancreas). They kept the stomach tube in for the rest of the week, and continued to pump out liter after liter of deep sickly-green fluid/bile. His bone marrow and immune system have both shut down, he had internal bleeding from the tumors (fixed during surgery), and is jondiced (sp?). All this time he's had a REALLY bad case of the hick-ups, which we are told is a symptom of liver cancer. They go on 24/7 non-stop. It is so bad that Sat he could not even breathe because one hick-up imediately followed the other without even a second's delay. He ended up vomiting at that moment too, and has continued to since (previously stoped after the stomach tube was put it, but now it's back). The doc in charge of the chemotherapy told us that he's terminal. Without chemo, he's got no more than 3 months left. But since we are going to do chemo (3 weeks from now, after his bone marrow has been made to produce blood cells again, and his immune system is back) he's going to have about 12-15 months life expectancy. Everybody I've talked to that had a reletive go through this too has said their reletive died a year after the surgery, so that's the ball-park and anything else beyond is a bonus. I am on leave of absence from work til my dad comes home from the hospital, so I've been spending every day there. __________________ My 2006: Last tank 463.1 miles @49.2 pump (49.4 computer) 4.22 cpm winter mpg 50.70 summer mpg 54.59 lifetime: 33,038.3 miles 52.79 mpg pump (54.04 mpg computer) 5.74 cpm My 2007 Zenn Driven 5849 miles, 2.00 cpm/ 105 mpg (at $2.05/gal), 4.04 miles/ Kwh Savings over my Prius $300.79 The Corolla...567.79 The REAL SAVINGS from not driving Corolla 657.39 +Prius= 958.18 (excludes maintenance costs...would be unfair to ICE vehicles) My Plate: DUALPWR (Dual Power)

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03-11-2006, 10:43 AM	#1
DaveinOlyWA Opps !! I Did it Again!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Puget Sound, WA Posts: 9,529 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	i have some really bad news to report here. Starbug who used to be an active member here and still is a Prius enthusiast, although because of finances she opted for a used Honda, is having a family crisis. her father is in the hosiptal with stage 4 cancer. he is barely 50 and most likely does not have a lot of time left. my prayers are with her and her family

03-12-2006, 11:22 PM	#3
V8Cobrakid some guy... Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,527 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	o wow... i remember her. prayers are with her father and with her.

03-13-2006, 01:40 AM	#4
jchu Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nampa, ID Posts: 1,063 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I remember her too. Loves hot food!!! I know what she is going through and can only wish her the best. It is hard when someone you are close to receives a terminal diagnosis. An infinitely helpless feeling especially so young. Starbug, if you are listening, hang in there. I really do know what you are going through. Jon

03-13-2006, 10:04 PM	#5
hdrygas Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Olympia Wa Posts: 3,650 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Dave, How is she doing. Is there some thing we might do to help?

03-13-2006, 10:24 PM	#6
DaveinOlyWA Opps !! I Did it Again!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Puget Sound, WA Posts: 9,529 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	i havent talked to her since she told me about her dad. i tried calling her but if she is at the hospital, she probably will be hard to contact. tomorrow im going over to pick up some RC car parts so will be able to talk to her boss. i am gonna try to find out where she is at and swing by to see how she is doing

03-14-2006, 10:51 AM	#8
Walker1 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: FL Posts: 881 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	This morning my wife got a call from her mother. Her brother Steve, who is 54 is dying of liver and lung cancer. He, too did nothing until he literally dropped. He smoked cigarettes until 3 months ago and had a smokers cough for at least 2 years. My wife is flying out to AZ to say goodbye to him. I suspect he will be gone within a week. I'm very sorry to hear about the man you were talking about. I am 55. I hope tomorrow is a better day for everyone.

03-15-2006, 02:28 AM	#9
Starbug Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 684 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Hi guys! Yes, it has been a looonnnggg time since I last posted. Had login issues, then simply got busy with work. An update on my father: this morning his blood pressure dropped again (it goes up and down)... it went to 86 over 43. He was passing out big-time. Tonight, they desided to let him come home tomorrow morning. So after 8 rough days in Evergreen Hospital, he gets to sleep in his own bed. In 3 weeks he'll start the chemo.

03-15-2006, 05:40 PM	#10
Starbug Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 684 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	My dad is home as of noon today. He's laying on the couch now. So far, so good.