Wendy

sorry I can't help you here, haven't run into this problem before .....let us know what you find out though. Wendy

I am taking Iressa but with similiar side effects. I too broke out in the rash and continue to battle it - several months now. Started on the face and neck, now goes down to my waste. First month was monsterous. My rash looked like massive acne - just like a 16 year old....at 39 lets say it wasn't a pretty site - never had acne as a teenager! The doc prescribed a med that has gotten it under control, still see a few spots here and there but good overall. DRY skin was huge also. Some was from the medicine for the rash, the balance was from the medicine itself. All I can say here is keep your checkbook out, I continually try to find something to keep the itchy skin under control. Stomach issues, only hit once a week or two so I use immodium when needed and it usually takes care of it. Overall, most of the symptoms for me lessened as I continued the use. I hope your reactions are only temporary and will get better in the days to come! Wendy

Thank you so much for reminding us that the statistics aren't always true! Cheers to continued good health! Wendy

One last piece of advise is to be good to yourself. Give yourself time to heal properly. It is really easy to push yourself too quickly and then you end up more miserable than you needed to be. When someone offers to give you a hand, let them. After the surgery, sleeping in a recliner might work better than trying to sleep in your bed. Last but not least, know that you will feel better eventually. This is just a set back - not a life sentence. My best to you for a speedy recovery. Keep us posted, Wendy

Your family was surely blessed. My prayer go out to the people that weren't as lucky as you were.

Sorry I cannot answer either question for you but I am sure someone will poke their head in and give you the info. Best wishes to a great holiday, Wendy

I initially thought that having the port put in, I would be considered a "sicky". I went for it anyways and didn't look back. The only drawback with the port is how much medical waste there is each time they use it or have to just flush it out. Sometimes I feel guilty about that....but it is still worth it. I did however get mine out about a month ago, since I am done with chemo (hopefully forever). The day they took it out, they tried to get an iv in 3 different times before they were successful - Let me tell you if I could have ran I would have. Since it has been taken out, I have had about 50/50 chance of getting stuck more than once - my suggestion is if you have one, keep it in awhile. ON THE PET SCAN VS. CT, I have had aobut 6 ct scans and 1 pet scan. The CT scan was much better viewing problem areas for me than the pet. Prior to my surgery I had a pet and was told that there was only 1 tumor in my left lung, the pet scan agreed with it. Once I had surgery they found 21 lymph notes positive that didn't show up on the pet. I had contradicting responses from my doctors as to why - 1 said that a few people just don't respond to the pet scan and give false negatives, the other said that the spread was too new to be detected. Either way, I am not crazy about having the radioactive glucose involved with a pet so CT it is for me. Wendy

All the best to you and yours, Wendy

Great idea! This site has been a blessing for me.

Thanks for the snow update, here in Minnesota the snow tundra capital we have a dusting on the ground. My husband is an avid snowmobiler so he is in mourning right now with no snow and none in the forecast. Enjoy the white stuff for us and happy holidays to you and yours. Wendy

Thanks for letting us know. Hopefully this will just be a night away from the kids for Beth and nothing more. Prayers being sent to her! Wendy

Thanks for making us all smile. You little one is adorable. Happy holiday, Wendy

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers, Wendy

Beth, My reaction to Iressa was similiar with the severe rash. I looked like a freak from hell. I was initially advised to try and wait it out and see if the rash would go away on its own - 3weeks into it I was about crazy from the itching, sores, wheeping, ugly, red, scary, massive, itchy itchy itchy, Sorry I started getting carried away there - I was able to get a prescription for an acne medication that helped tons. It unfortunately didn't go away over night though. It has taken about a month to really clear up well. I still have to use the medication every other day and have the rash down my chest but now it seems to be going away a little on its own. I also had some problems with the changes in my mouth. It went away after 3-4 weeks. In the meantime I used the magic mouthwash that people talk about here that has laticane in it. It seemed to eliminate the icky coating in my mouth for a while. Hopefully all of this is temporary and gets better for you. I know from my experiences it is almost maddening at times and I didn't have as bad of a reaction as you seem to be. Good luck and keep us posted, Wendy

Nothing better than a little one with a killer smile! I love Santa pictures - Enjoy the holidays. Wendy

This is definetly a blow to us all - especially those that have had the disease stabalized with Iressa. I had hoped that it would be one of those "miracle" drugs. It will interesting to see what changes will be made in the future to those that are responding with the med. I have my next doctors appointment on Tuesday, since I am on a preventative trial we will surely discuss it. Thanks for the information! Wendy

Cindi, Wonderful news!! It is so exciting that you like the doctor and she is paying close attention to all of the symptoms and looking further. I really think that that is half the battle. I don't envy your test schedule but along with the tests may come some answers - definetly worth the efforts. You will have to let me know how the pulmonary rehab goes. A friend of mine just went through it and her breathing improved considerably. Take care and keep us posted, Wendy

This has happened to me on many occasions since I had my surgery and had nerve damage in my throat, fortunately it is always with liquids so it dissolves on its own without problem. I had discussed it with my doc who said that if you notice something in the days following it that I should give them a call, especially if it was something other than liquids. On another note, when my son was 2 he inhaled a piece of a peanut shell and needed to have it removed from his lung because it was "rattling" around in his lung with the potential to cause pnemonia. (Don't ask about why he had the shell in the 1st place, he was one of those demon children that would crawl up on to counters and eat anything he could before he got caught ) In any a case, I could definetly give the doc a call and see what they think. It could be nothing and but it never hurts to check. Wendy

Hey Cindy, Haven't made it outside yet, but with your weather report I may just want to stay indoors - Brrrrr I agree with Beth that I am a big freeze baby since I have gone through treatment. The hubby is still whining about no snow so he hasn't been able to ride his snowmobile, but hey I am NOT complaining! I look forward to hearing what the doc said. Wendy

"Still clean" are such wonderful words! Congrat's, Wendy

I will be praying for no side effects and great results! Wendy

Cheryl, Being the last one in the trial I would consider a blessing - must mean that your body is determined to fight this thing. I will be praying that you be a responder to the proteins. Good to hear that the aranesp shot was started. I had them every two weeks during my chemo and it made me feel so much better and not so run down. Wendy

Great joke, definetely put a smile on my face.

I love it!

I agree that there are way too many people being afflicted with cancer - I will point out that there are more and more survivors too! I try to focus on the people with the survival stories, it gives me hope. Maybe I am not being realistic all of the time, but I feel if I concentrate on the positive I feel more positive too. New drugs, discoveries and potential cures seem to hit the news daily (thank goodness). Prayers for us all, Wendy