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Mommy's girl

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Mommy's girl last won the day on April 13 2017

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  1. Thanks Don! Will definitely check these out! God bless!
  2. Thank you Tom, Katie, Lauren, and Ashley for all your replies. I wasn't aware of them until I searched the word "Tarceva" in this forum. I apologize. My mom started taking Tarceva 150mg on April 13th. So she has just been on it for a month or so. Her oncologist prescribed it to her after her molecular test returned a positive result for egfr mutation. She was taken to the ER on March 1st because she had difficulty breathing and non stop coughing. The fluid they drained from her lungs was about 1.5 liters. Two days later she was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. A week later a pleural catheter was placed in her chest cavity so they can drain her further. No treatment plan was discussed just yet because we were still waiting for the results of the molecular test, which I was told would take a while to complete. Two weeks after she was discharged, on March 29th, she was back to the ER because of intense pain in the catheter site. The doctor decided to have the catheter removed because there wasn't much fluid that was draining from her lungs. On April 4th that was when my mom's oncologist announced that she got the results and the cancer cells were positive for this egfr mutation. She also told us that the mass on her left lung has grown to about 4.2 cm. That's big! She said the tumor has spread to her right lung and nowhere else. The first few days she was on Tarceva her coughing completely stopped. So we enjoyed a few nights of uninterrupted sleep because of that. But then her nausea started, and then vomiting. But it went away after a while. The cough returned 2 weeks into the treatment, as well as the pain in her side. And that has been the case until today. All these things and she still going to her dialysis treatments 3 times a week. She's had 2 blood transfusions since started treatment because kidney patients do not produce hemoglobin anymore, and it's made worse by the cancer treatment. My mom's will to live is what's keeping her going. She lives with me and was the one who took care of my daughter when she was little. Taking care of my mom is the least I can do for her to repay her for all her sacrifices. She always tells me she wants to still be around when my daughter goes to college. My daughter is only 9 years old right now. We are now living day to day, thankful that I still have my mom with me when we go to bed at night. But I can see how cancer has taken a toll on her already frail body. I'm torn between giving up and fighting on. We are fighting this war on all fronts - physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological. We are begging friends and family for prayers. I don't want to suffer anymore than she already has. Dialysis itself takes a lot out of her, and then this? But she wants to live. And I will support her all the way.
  3. Dear Taxmeless, Thank you so much for sharing this link. It did make my day! Somehow I got an idea about how others with NSCLC are being affected by this medication. I hope and pray my mom will respond positively to Tarceva as well. There aren't many, though, that reported dry, hacking cough and itchy throat. This coughing is particularly severe at night, causing the entire family to lose precious sleep. Her oncologist prescribed a medication and a throat spray to relieve her, but they're not working. I'm still looking for a way to relieve her of this side effect. Initial reactions are constipation, slight skin itching, weakness, nausea, and weight loss. She's still eating well, but keeps losing weight. Next month she's going in for PET and CT scans. I hope Tarceva will work miracles for my mom.
  4. Hi, This is my second time to post here. The first thread I started did not generate as much response, probably because my mom's case is a bit unique. Ok to back track a bit. I'm the primary caregiver of my mom who was diagnosed with Stage 4 NSCLC on March 3rd. She had pleural effusion on her left lung that needed to be drained. The fluid that was removed was sent for testing and came back positive for adenocarcinoma. More testing was done and about a month later the results came back positive for an egfr mutation that made my mom a good candidate for Tarceva. She started taking it on April 13th. We're a bit anxious about the side effects because my mom, who is 78, is suffering from a host of other medical issues. She has end stage renal disease dialyzing 3 times a week, is a diabetic, hypertensive, and anemic. I was hoping that there's someone in this forum who is in a similar sutuation as her who could share his/her experiences with us, but so far no such luck has come to us. This time I'm hoping I could get replies from forum members who are taking Tarceva on how they coped with the side effects. I would like to know what they did to relieve themselves of this dry cough and scratchy throat that's been my mom's main complaint so far. I know the side effects vary from person to person but I'm curious if NSCLC sufferers have general similarities in their side effects from this targeted therapy. Also, does Tarceva have a life span when it comes to efficacy? I have so many other questions because this is the first time someone in the family was diagnosed with this disease, but right now getting answers is more important. Thank you so much for taking time to read my post.
  5. Hi Lauren, Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my thread. We're really at a loss and still devastated with my mom's recent diagnosis and I've been praying that someone would actually care to respond to me with any information about this disease. Up until this time we thought lung cancer doesn't run in the family, but guess what, now it does. Just to give you an update, today is the 8th day my mom is taking Tarceva 150mg and I must say she's responding very well to it. So far she's not complaining of any side effects, and the good thing about it is her persistent cough is all but gone. She can go for several hours without her oxygen tube, and her appetite is still very good. Her oncologist will repeat her pet scan in 8 weeks to see if Tarceva is shrinking her tumor. Yes I would love to get more information about targeted cancer therapy. I read in this forum that Tarceva has an efficacy lifespan. How long does it take before an alternative treatment needs to be considered? Because she's a dialysis patient and with her age we are ruling out chemotherapy and radiation for her. Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. God bless you and this community.
  6. Hi, My mom, who is 78 years old, was diagnosed with Non small cell carcinoma, stage 4, on March 3rd. Based on her pathology results she is a good candidate for Tarceva. I've read about the scary side effects of this medication. Another cause for worry is how this drug would work with medications my mom is taking as a kidney dialysis patient. I would appreciate any information that anyone could share about this. Thank you and God bless.
  7. Hi! I'm so happy to have discovered this community. Last March 3rd my mom, who is 78 years old, was diagnosed with Stage 4 non small cell lung cancer. It was a devastating diagnosis for us because on top of this, my mom has end stage renal disease (she goes on dialysis 3x a week) and other chronic illnesses. She will soon be started on Tarceva. I would appreciate any help or info about how Tarceva could affect someone on kidney dialysis. Is there any member who is in the same, or similar situation? Thank you and God bless.
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