macwhee

Hi. Sounds like You and I are at about the same point in the battle. I thought I had a mold allergy, which is what led me here. Coughing. Congestion. No biggie. A chest xray showed the mass. Right lung. 7 cm. When I heard "small cell" and my brain kind of went "pop" Because...that is what killed my Grandfather. And I knew it's a vicious mutha. I know the long term survival rate. I just refuse to accept it. As far as the Chemo...I breezed through the first two rounds. The last three have been a bit rougher. Nausea and digestive issues come with the territory. I've just been lucky It hasn't been severe. That that third treatment in every cycle? THAT, leaves me wobbly. I try to avoid taking too many meds, as I'm sure we're beating the hell out of my Liver and Kidneys, and I've managed pretty well. Diet seems to help. Especially avoiding sugars. I live with "Holistic Girl", so We're always trying things Her way, anyway. Juicing, veggies, organic, non GMO...the whole works. Green tea with Honey instead of coffee. Now, she is swearing by Garlic and Cumin. Slips it into meals, left and right. Which may or may not do anything but stink up the kitchen. And me. We'll see. I feel like a lab rat at dinner time. I'm never sure what exactly I'm eating. I make fun of it, but...if it works, I'm game. Up to a point. Looking at starting Radiation now, so that's a whole new set of challenges. And...more research. And...more experimentation from Holisitc Girl. Don't be afraid to look at alternatives to meds. or even alternative treatments. What my nurse keeps telling me: "anything that works". I chose the "standard" course of treatment. Because I wanted to thwack this tumor right away. I may try clinical trials or holistic / natural treatments after this, go forward. Not ruling anything out. Good luck!

Hi all I am recently diagnosed with stage 2 sclc, and it has been a bit of a whirlwind initiation for me, as the diagnosis truly came in from "out of the clear blue", right after Thanksgiving, and I have been pushing things along, in order to get a course of treatment underway at a very tough time of year. I went in to my Primary for sinus infection, really. I thought I had mold allergies that had been haunting me all Summer long. On my third visit in, He ordered a chest xray, even though my breathing sounded good. It had just been going on too long without resolution. I'm sure others in here know that moment all too well.The one where you KNOW something is very wrong. They had me do a CT on my chest, right after they got the XRat back. I knew it wasn't good. I also knew what that look in the Doctor's eyes meant when he finally came back into the room. ..Not good things. So there it was. I have smoked, on and off, pretty much all my adult life. I was shocked....but not, really, either. You play, you pay. The only thing was to plow ahead and try to put the hammer to it. Like I said...whirlwind. MRIs, CT scans, numerous tests...Biopsies..and the bad news kept piling up. It was in my Pancreas. and in the left lung, too. Non operable. I felt like I was taking body blows at every step. And hell, I'm paying dearly for the priveledge, which made it suck not one iota less. Funny thing. I felt fine, outside of the annoying post nasal drip...until I got hit with the diagnosis. My Doc was more shocked than I was. I seemed to be in better health than I had any right to be. An old bull, destined to roll on for years to come. I was rarely sick, outside of an artery clog, ten years before. Normal for a fiftyish guy who did most things wrong and got lucky, genetically. Try and sleep with this hanging over your head. You can't. Mortality is a hell of a thing to wrestle with at two AM. Any time, really. But it likes to wait until everyone else is asleep. Oh yes... I was avergaing two hours a night, and feeling steadily worse. But, I got into chemo.The dust is settling, I'm figuring things out as I go. And, actually sleeping and eating again. Probably because I was so exhausted, it was a relief to get going on treatment. Anything but more damned tests. Which is why I needed to get on here. I have people I know who have been through this wringer, for different flavors of C, so I do have some points of reference...but, all situations are unique, too. I have a particularly nasty form. Fast and mobile. In my case. we have to be hyper aggressive in going after it. Hold your breath and hang on for dear life, as it were. All I knew is what to expect out of Chemo. They were right on, there. I have a caring family and My partner, Penny, who have a slew of questions, all the time. Not going to put up with not knowing everything. Unlike myself. They are right, though. Not a time to be passive. It is literally the fight of my life. And I'd like to hang around another twenty years or so, thank you very much Hence.... here I am. And, at some point, I hope I can help others out, along the way, too. Thanks! MacWhee 12/30/14