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Karen, Sorry about your posting difficulty. No tutorial that I know of but it is a good idea and I'll send it up the chain. Don't worry about where you post (in discussion boards), we'll find you. There is a gray (I'm color blind so anything not black is gray) tab called unread content that most of us check to find the new posts. Indeed, that is how I found yours. Sophisticated, yes in a comprehensive and caring prospective but not high-browsed sophisticated. Any lung cancer survivor or care giver gets automatic entry and attention. All have a tough row to hoe and all are equally valued and important. Take a look at Lung Cancer 101 on the Lungevity.org website. That is the most comprehensive presentation on lung cancer I've seen but is easily understood even by this medical phraseology challenged civil engineer. Stay the course. Tom

Judy, Sorry I missed your post. I had four rounds of cisplatin/alimta last year and had some side effects but did not have edema. But...I just finished 8 rounds of taxol/carboplatin and I have watched my weight tick up and my body swell like crazy. The oncology nurse told me that between the steroids used during and after treatment, and the side effects of the treatment, it was not unusual to see weight gain and swelling. My oncologist doesn't even bat an eye at my weight. I'm almost 3 weeks out from my last chemo but had steroids much longer than expected so I'm hopeful that my swelling will diminish and I can see the scale start going the other direction.

Hi Karen, Welcome here! And hang in there. There is hope here. You will probably hear from others who have had a lot of things go wrong in their lung cancer journey and who have survived and are having good lives years later. Maybe you've read some of their stories already. My lung cancer was adenocarcinoma Stage 1A, and everything went OK with my surgery in November 2016. I don't need any more treatment now,, only regular CTs to look for recurrence. I've had chemo, though, for a different (rare form of cervical) cancer that was Stage 3. My lung nodule was discovered in a routine CT scan that I had to watch for possible metastasis from the other cancer. I may be the only person you will ever hear say she was relieved that it was "only" lung cancer. A metastasis would have had a much worse prognosis. Lung cancer of any stage is bad enough. My neutrophils also crashed twice during chemo, once was to zero. I had neulasta with no side effects from it, fortunately. I had plenty of side effects from concurrent chemo and radiation, though, so I understand how discouraging it all can be. I'm 7 years out from my Stage 3 cervical cancer diagnosis and also 9 years out from a breast cancer diagnosis. I'm now NED on all three cancers. My life is really full and happy these days. For me the difficulities of treatment, including those that are still hanging around, have been worth it. I wish you all the best. Bridget

Lori, As noted in my profile, I had a 4 cm tumor in my right upper lobe of lung in the apex of the lobe. It was pressing on nerves going down my arm and also on the lining of my lung. It was giving me chest pain and pain down my arm. I had just moved back to Minnesota and I thought I had injured myself during the packing and unpacking. I called the doctor and said I wanted an Ortho appointment. They said " You are having chest pain, you are 50 yrs. old ? You had better go to the ER right away. " Well they did the EKG, blood tests, etc. but luckily they also did a chest x-ray ! They saw the tumor. I was referred to an Oncologist right away! In just a couple of days I was started on chemo and daily radiation . Eventually I had that lobe of lung removed and after recovery more chemo. If you go to " Share Your Lung Cancer Story " I entered my story there on July 3 , 2004. It is called " Through the Valley to the Mountain." Donna G

Hang in there, you two--your husbands are lucky to have you. Make sure you keep taking good care of yourselves! Teri

Peg won't know about MRI for a couple days.oh I hope Lee gets fixed that is so painful then have to go through another round of chemo. I pray that it is doing its job and shrinks everything. Yes all these appointment wear your then when u don't have one your ( I) to tired to do anything else. Good luck at primary hope he does something before chemo. Thinking of you....

Hi, there, I'm a big believer in e-cigarettes in preference to smoking. They are the ONLY things that have kept me off cigarettes for the past year and a half (over a year before cancer diagnosis). I've told my doctors about my vaping and they list me as a "former" smoker. I'm convinced that my lung function is far better now (just had lobectomy last week) than it would have been had I not switched. Depending on where you purchase the e-liquids, the ingredients are the same (except for the nicotine) as that used in inhaler-type devices and in the "fog machines" used at concerts. I noticed a huge improvement in my breathing/lung function since switching. That said, once I was diagnosed I researched a bit more carefully, and though there is universal agreement that nicotine isn't itself carcinogenic, there is theory/speculation that nicotine MIGHT provide a more hospitable environment for cancer cells once they have become cancer cells. IOW, it might encourage growth. Given that, I am in the process of tapering down to zero nicotine. I've gone, in the past three weeks, from 1.8 percent e-liquid (equivalent to a very light nicotine cigarette--without all the harmful products of combustion) to .6 percent. I should be down to zero in a couple more weeks. So I would encourage your mom to discuss it with her doctor, and maybe suggest she research it for herself. If she absolutely would be smoking if e-cigarettes were not available (and let's face it, the stress of a cancer diagnosis is exactly when it's hardest to quit a deeply ingrained nervous habit), then I'm not sure it's your place to tell her doctor. Best to express your concern but keep the dialogue open. Teri