Rower Michelle

Thank you all for the support. I’ve been in a very dark place these last days. I’ve reached out to a therapist for me to see about all the issues in my life. The cancer and all the stress that comes with it and this breakup that has hit me really hard. I’ll check in when I can, hope everyone is doing good. 

Breakups suck.  I know this is not comforting right away however better now than later.  You want every one in your circle to give 100% when you need support.   We love you and will be here for you, no matter what.  

Breakups suck.  I know this is not comforting right away however better now than later.  You want every one in your circle to give 100% when you need support.   We love you and will be here for you, no matter what.  

Breakups suck.  I know this is not comforting right away however better now than later.  You want every one in your circle to give 100% when you need support.   We love you and will be here for you, no matter what.  

Breakups suck.  I know this is not comforting right away however better now than later.  You want every one in your circle to give 100% when you need support.   We love you and will be here for you, no matter what.  

Breakups suck.  I know this is not comforting right away however better now than later.  You want every one in your circle to give 100% when you need support.   We love you and will be here for you, no matter what.  

Ale,
I remember when all of this started for me having been discharged from the hospital with broken ribs from all the coughing not having had a good nights sleep in months.  It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.  We’ve all been there.  One day at a time, one step forward two steps back but eventually you will start to pull ahead...

PS- I did a quick search on line & found something that could help
 
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-to-eat-when-nauseous#TOC_TITLE_HDR_13

First you need to loosened up the phlegm. What I do to break up the phlegm is drink something spicy & hot. It’s kinda gross but I boil water, place some lemon juice with Tabasco & honey together.   That might help.  Toast, saltines also help with nausea. Sometimes plain white rice or plain oatmeal helps settle my stomach.  I stayed away from dairy as that can cause an increase in phlegm too.  

Hey all,
I've been feeling much better thankfully. All side effects from the vaccine have subsided. Mucus is still a pain in the rear but I can manage, plus I spoke to my doctor about managing it and she gave me options. Today is my second infusion so wish me luck! I have scans soon to check on the status of everything so hopefully they’ll be good. 

Hi Mike, 
Welcome to the Durva Club.  While I'm sorry you find yourself here, this is a good place to learn from a number of others who have crossed the Durva finish line.  
I'm very familiar with Jane's program.   Here is the US, it's considered fairly controversial.   She's a big supporter of Metformin, and I've had physicians over here in the US take a deep dive into the research.   It's all inconclusive.  Supplements with lung cancer treatment can become very tricky.  One of my peers took a DIY approach and ended up unintentionally impacting the effectiveness of his treatment plan because it washed the chemo out of his system too quickly. 
I am treated by a Board Certified Physician in Integrative Medicine. There are a number of supplements that I take that were reviewed and approved by both my clinical pharmacist and my oncologist.  My oncologist will generally go along with what the pharmacist recommends.  I am taking one off label drug, Low Dose Naltrexone (which is mentioned in the footnote of Jane's book).  LDN does have clinical evidence to support it's efficacy.  I've been taking that now for two and  a half years.  My labs and supplements are carefully monitored.  In the beginning as my treatment plan was initiated there were quite a few and as my cancer stabilized, many of them were discontinued to hold in reserve if there is a recurrence.  
 I think physicians's attitudes are starting to change about some of the alternative/integrative medicine approaches.  I've had lengthy discussions with my oncologist about this, at first he was skeptical, then he was curious, and now he says, let's not do anything different without talking to your Integrative Doctors.  
Here's a resource from NY, Memorial Sloan Kettering for you to take look at: 
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
I hope you find this helpful.  
Michelle 

Hey Barb!
It’s a weird anniversary someone outside our circle of friends here would understand so a big hug of congratulations to ya!!! That’s great!  

Hey Barb!
It’s a weird anniversary someone outside our circle of friends here would understand so a big hug of congratulations to ya!!! That’s great!  

Hey Barb!
It’s a weird anniversary someone outside our circle of friends here would understand so a big hug of congratulations to ya!!! That’s great!  

Ale,
I remember when all of this started for me having been discharged from the hospital with broken ribs from all the coughing not having had a good nights sleep in months.  It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.  We’ve all been there.  One day at a time, one step forward two steps back but eventually you will start to pull ahead...

Ale,
I remember when all of this started for me having been discharged from the hospital with broken ribs from all the coughing not having had a good nights sleep in months.  It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.  We’ve all been there.  One day at a time, one step forward two steps back but eventually you will start to pull ahead...

First you need to loosened up the phlegm. What I do to break up the phlegm is drink something spicy & hot. It’s kinda gross but I boil water, place some lemon juice with Tabasco & honey together.   That might help.  Toast, saltines also help with nausea. Sometimes plain white rice or plain oatmeal helps settle my stomach.  I stayed away from dairy as that can cause an increase in phlegm too.  

PS- I did a quick search on line & found something that could help
 
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-to-eat-when-nauseous#TOC_TITLE_HDR_13

Hi Mike,
Biomarker test can be done from a blood draw.  Durvalumab did not work for me.  I was not tested for PDL1 prior to the infusions.  I had 8 infusions and ended up with a Pleural Effusion.
I recommend finding an NSCLC specialist to get a second opinion and request the liquid biomarker test. 
 
🦅
 
 

Alright Ale, time to get this show on the road!  We are all routing for you!  Miralax was an absolute must for me- the steroids you will receive might make you feel pretty jittery.  My floors were never cleaner.   Lock and load.  

Hi Mike, 
Welcome to the Durva Club.  While I'm sorry you find yourself here, this is a good place to learn from a number of others who have crossed the Durva finish line.  
I'm very familiar with Jane's program.   Here is the US, it's considered fairly controversial.   She's a big supporter of Metformin, and I've had physicians over here in the US take a deep dive into the research.   It's all inconclusive.  Supplements with lung cancer treatment can become very tricky.  One of my peers took a DIY approach and ended up unintentionally impacting the effectiveness of his treatment plan because it washed the chemo out of his system too quickly. 
I am treated by a Board Certified Physician in Integrative Medicine. There are a number of supplements that I take that were reviewed and approved by both my clinical pharmacist and my oncologist.  My oncologist will generally go along with what the pharmacist recommends.  I am taking one off label drug, Low Dose Naltrexone (which is mentioned in the footnote of Jane's book).  LDN does have clinical evidence to support it's efficacy.  I've been taking that now for two and  a half years.  My labs and supplements are carefully monitored.  In the beginning as my treatment plan was initiated there were quite a few and as my cancer stabilized, many of them were discontinued to hold in reserve if there is a recurrence.  
 I think physicians's attitudes are starting to change about some of the alternative/integrative medicine approaches.  I've had lengthy discussions with my oncologist about this, at first he was skeptical, then he was curious, and now he says, let's not do anything different without talking to your Integrative Doctors.  
Here's a resource from NY, Memorial Sloan Kettering for you to take look at: 
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
I hope you find this helpful.  
Michelle 

Hi Mike, 
Welcome to the Durva Club.  While I'm sorry you find yourself here, this is a good place to learn from a number of others who have crossed the Durva finish line.  
I'm very familiar with Jane's program.   Here is the US, it's considered fairly controversial.   She's a big supporter of Metformin, and I've had physicians over here in the US take a deep dive into the research.   It's all inconclusive.  Supplements with lung cancer treatment can become very tricky.  One of my peers took a DIY approach and ended up unintentionally impacting the effectiveness of his treatment plan because it washed the chemo out of his system too quickly. 
I am treated by a Board Certified Physician in Integrative Medicine. There are a number of supplements that I take that were reviewed and approved by both my clinical pharmacist and my oncologist.  My oncologist will generally go along with what the pharmacist recommends.  I am taking one off label drug, Low Dose Naltrexone (which is mentioned in the footnote of Jane's book).  LDN does have clinical evidence to support it's efficacy.  I've been taking that now for two and  a half years.  My labs and supplements are carefully monitored.  In the beginning as my treatment plan was initiated there were quite a few and as my cancer stabilized, many of them were discontinued to hold in reserve if there is a recurrence.  
 I think physicians's attitudes are starting to change about some of the alternative/integrative medicine approaches.  I've had lengthy discussions with my oncologist about this, at first he was skeptical, then he was curious, and now he says, let's not do anything different without talking to your Integrative Doctors.  
Here's a resource from NY, Memorial Sloan Kettering for you to take look at: 
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
I hope you find this helpful.  
Michelle 

Hi Mike,
As a former Durvalumab user, I wanted to ask if you had your biomarker testing done before starting on the Immunotherapy? I too had the chemo and radiation and was then started on Durvalumab. After receiving 18 infusions, a CT/PET indicated a possible progression, so my ONC had a lung needle biopsy sample sent off for Biomarker testing. This testing confirmed that I was PDL1 negative, and ALK positive, so the Durvalumab had little or no chance of working. About the only good thing from the Durvalumab treatments was that I got to meet many great people here in the Lungevity Forums. Eighteen months ago I then switched to an oral Targeted Therapy drug, Alectinib. It has its own unpleasant side effects to deal with, but not quite as many as I had with Durvalumab. Just saying that if you haven't yet had the biomarker testing done, you should discuss with your Oncologist about doing so. Best Wishes.
-Ron

Hi Mike, 
Welcome to the Durva Club.  While I'm sorry you find yourself here, this is a good place to learn from a number of others who have crossed the Durva finish line.  
I'm very familiar with Jane's program.   Here is the US, it's considered fairly controversial.   She's a big supporter of Metformin, and I've had physicians over here in the US take a deep dive into the research.   It's all inconclusive.  Supplements with lung cancer treatment can become very tricky.  One of my peers took a DIY approach and ended up unintentionally impacting the effectiveness of his treatment plan because it washed the chemo out of his system too quickly. 
I am treated by a Board Certified Physician in Integrative Medicine. There are a number of supplements that I take that were reviewed and approved by both my clinical pharmacist and my oncologist.  My oncologist will generally go along with what the pharmacist recommends.  I am taking one off label drug, Low Dose Naltrexone (which is mentioned in the footnote of Jane's book).  LDN does have clinical evidence to support it's efficacy.  I've been taking that now for two and  a half years.  My labs and supplements are carefully monitored.  In the beginning as my treatment plan was initiated there were quite a few and as my cancer stabilized, many of them were discontinued to hold in reserve if there is a recurrence.  
 I think physicians's attitudes are starting to change about some of the alternative/integrative medicine approaches.  I've had lengthy discussions with my oncologist about this, at first he was skeptical, then he was curious, and now he says, let's not do anything different without talking to your Integrative Doctors.  
Here's a resource from NY, Memorial Sloan Kettering for you to take look at: 
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
I hope you find this helpful.  
Michelle 

Hi Susan- wow that post was a looong time ago!   I’m still here, in remission, 27 months on therapy.  Never let go of your hope!!
Michelle