Terribirdy

My husband was diagnosed in April 2014 with stage IV non small cell lung cancer and thanks to some of the new developments in treatment, he is doing well. Tom is right - persistence. That first month was holy hell - totally overwhelming.  Scary survival statistics from the web and a sense of panic. Here are a few things that have helped me -  First - make sure your wife is going to research hospital where they are familiar with the latest and greatest treatments and can help find clinical trials that may be appropriate. If you or your wife has questions, write them down and find out how to get in touch with the treatment team, and bring all them to your appointments. Make sure the hospital, doctors and insurance have authorization for sharing all information about your wife's treatment.  There are times when you'll need to track down appointments, test results, and straighten out billing and insurance problems.  Be positive without negating her feelings. We asked our friends for recommendations for funny movies and watch them, especially when waiting for scan results.  Keep up physical, social, and career activities when ever possible. My husband rides his bicycle with a group of guys, usually doing 20-30 miles 4 or 5 days of the week. The days he doesn't ride, he goes to the gym to swim and workout. He plays poker once a month and meets with a book club monthly. He is still teaching at a university -- all of this keeps him sane.  Fortunately his treatment lets him keep this up.  Whatever she liked to do before the diagnosis, encourage her to keep it up or adapt to whatever she can do.  Same thing for you - find something that you enjoy. I've really improved my meditation. Hope this helps --  please keep in touch