LindaD

Hi Paula.  Any one diagnosed with lung cancer, with all that stress, the treatment you go through can get depressed.  I did.
To your question does anyone ever live more than 1-2 years.  I have a friend Janet I met in a local support group back in about 1999 and
she had SCLC I am still able to talk to her, she has survived.  She had months and months of treatment , chemo and radiation. 
Doing things that put you in a good mood is really good for you.  It raises good hormones that help you heal. 
Please keep in contact and let us know how you are doing.
Donna G
 

Hello. My name is Michelle and I am new to this forum. I am a 3 1/2 year survivor of non-small cell squamous cell lung cancer, and 1 year since recurrence at stage 4 with mets to my pelvic bone, spine, kidney, a couple lymph nodes, and 2 nodules in my lung again. I've been through chemo twice, radiation, surgery, Opdivo, Tarceva, and now getting ready to start Keytruda.
I take each day as it comes, thankful for another sunrise. I've lost my hair twice, (as well as my eyebrows and eyelashes), but I didn't let it get me down. I just learned how to crochet hats and waited for it to grow back! The side effects have been rough, and they have taken a lot out of me but with the help of a couple great caregivers (my husband and my son, and my puppy), I have managed.
I look forward to reading and sharing with others on the forum!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Caroline,
A sunny island indeed!
And it looks like some of that sun is shining on your treatment.   CEA markers are moving in the right direction and Iressa is having a positive impact on your cancer.
So, you are concerned about how long Iressa will keep working.  I knew a woman who took a similar drug, Tarceva, to treat her lung cancer.  It worked for about 10 years and might have worked longer but she passed from a heart attack.  Your fear is completely understandable.  I've felt it.  But, none of us know how much time we have left in this world.  More than 12 years ago, I was once told I might have 6 months to live.  Moreover, none of us can control the future.  It took me a long time to wrestle with my fear and you might benefit from my experience.  The more I tried to wrestle with it, the more frightening my fear became.  So, I just stopped thinking about it and focused instead on enjoying each day.
Today, I try and find a little joy in each day and succeed most days.  I let the future take care of itself.
You are not ranting at all and as far as feeling unmotivated, well that's understandable.  You are in cancer treatment.  How could that be exciting!
Stay the course.
Tom

Polly,
 
True, cancer cells can mutate and become resistant to drugs.  This didn't happen to me.  My cancer came back 3 times after chemo, but each cycle of treatment saw a reduction is number and size of tumors.
 
If it does happen, your doctor will notice unfavorable scan results.  Often, a change in chemo drugs, or addition of an additional chemo drug is ordered to combat the mutation.  I've read good things about gefitinib.  I hope it works for you.
 
Stay the course.
 
Tom

I have been on gefitinib since last October and I have not had many side effects from it. Had a CT scan this morning and my condition is stable. Tomorrow will be another good day.