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Hi Everyone, I first came to this site in 2005. My father (73)had been diagnosed in November 2004 with NSCLS. It was inoperable. He underwent Chemo in March and immediately following that, over one month of radiation. Following that, he was off to Vienna for a conference. All the while, every day he drank powdered barley grass with juice, took vitamin c, drank essiac tea and tried a host of things that might keep him well in the interim. When he got back from the conference, he was feeling pretty good and a scan determined that he was 'cancer free'. We were all so very excited, but by November he'd developed a terrible cough, which turned out to be radiation pneumonitis (a type of pneumonia which occurs during the radiation, scarring the lungs). From there, things started to go downhill. He had to take prednisone, hydrocodone and use inhalers every day, just to be able to breathe. This weakened his system tremendously and the cancer came back with a vengeance and went to his liver. I had read about the use of a drug, invented for the purpose of preventing pneumonitis, but later when I contacted the University where it was developed, they said that it was still not perfect and it wasn't widely used (but why they don't at least try in ALL cases, was my question). He passed 8 months later in June 2006. The reason I'm writing this to you now is because I believe that the alternative things he used did REALLY help him a lot (that coupled with the fact that he kept a positive attitude throughout). While I'll never know how much the chemo and radiation did help toward shrinking the tumors, I DO believe that had he not used some of these alternative measures, he may not have lived a 1 1/2 years from diagnosis of Stage 3. What I've determined is, if you've chosen not to use the route of 'cutting, burning, or poisoning' then it is imperative to change your diet COMPLETELY, following some of the many guidelines for alternatives and diets which you can find online. I firmly believe that these things really helped my father complete the writing of his third book and do some of the things he would otherwise not have been able to do. I'll never know whether he would still be here, had he not used the radiation, but I'd like to believe that we can find answers without using those 'barbaric' means of destroying the cancer. I liken chemo and radiation to George Bush invading Iraq and while he may have been attempting to get rid of the enemy (cancer cells), many innocent lives (healthy cells) have been destroyed in the process! All the best to each and every one of you, whether you are dealing with this 'beast' yourselves, or if you have a loved one who is. Please never give up the fight, and hopefully one day they will spend some of those billions of cancer dollars raised to really find good healthy alternatives toward healing, instead of still using them to find alternative ways to administer different types of chemo and radiation 'therapies'!

Hi Everyone, I haven't posted here in some time. My father was diagnosed with NSCLC in January 2005 and after one round each of chemo and radiation he was cancer free. Within a month, though, he had developed radiation pneumonitis and has been on Prednisone since then. It's been a struggle for him, having many moments of breathlessness and non-productive cough, but he is a fighter and doesn't break stride. He lives alone and still goes to work every day. He is in the completion stages of his 3rd book. He is 75. He quit smoking 15 years ago, but has worked in a building containing asbestos for many years. They began the process of removing the asbestos several years ago. A colleague of his died of lung cancer 2 years ago. I don't know how they check to see whether or not asbestos was a factor (as well as smoking). Well - what could have turned out to be winning half the battle, has now turned into a diagnosis that the cancer is not only back in his lung but has spread to his liver. I'm just looking for some possible suggestions on how people have dealt with this. I'm sure the prognosis can't be good, and of course we're terribly worried once again. As I said, he is a fighter and doesn't spend a lot of time discussing his illness. While he is still living, he wants to live. I am glad for this attitude, but I'm afraid, living so far away from him. I wish I knew what he could expect, and when I should think about, perhaps going to spend some time with him. We do have other family living in close proximity to him, but as long as he keeps the attitude that he wants to be alone, they will respect that. He's had a semi-stroke, blacked out for 2 hours once and several other things that lead me to believe that he should not be alone, but he doesn't want anyone to come to his aid until he decides he needs them. This is just hard on me, because I wish there were something I could do. Any input would be helpful. Thanks for listening.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I have not posted since coming here a few months back. My father is still suffering with pneumonitis and it's been over 5 months now. He is on 20 mg. of prednisone daily and takes hycodan syrup occasionally, when he can't breathe. He continues to get exercise and stays strong. He made it through a bad cold, so that is a blessing. We are still wondering if there are any new suggestions out there to try, instead of the prednisone. as of course this is taxing to his system. He doesn't want to use oxygen therapy, because the thought of an oxygen tank in the house is pretty scary to him (although I wish he would just have it on hand). I've spoken to him on the phone after he has walked up the stairs just before the phone call, and it's pretty scary being 1500 miles away and hearing his raspy breathing. He sometimes wakes up in the night feeling as though he is suffocating and this is disheartening to me, especially since he is going this alone. He is not worse, but he is not really getting better. It's kind of stabilized itself, but it definitely dampens his quality of life. Any new suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks

Hello Everyone - I'm new here , My father (74 years old) was diagnosed with stage 3b NSCLC in January 2005. After all the tests, he went on two rounds of chemo and one round of radiation, finishing in mid July. He went on a trip to Europe for a conference for a month after that and felt great for most of it, but returned with a choking cough. He received scans in October and all of his tests were clear. We were so excited about this, but he has since been diagnosed with Radiation Pneumonitis. I've read a ton of information on this, but it goes anywhere from it clearing by itself to death from it. He was prescribed predisone, which he took faithfully for a month and then did the taper as required, but then the choking cough came back with a vengeance. He said he almost passed out on several occasions. He has now gone back on the prednisone and it is working somewhat. This is very scary for me because he lives alone. I have asked if he wants me to come and stay with him, but he doesn't want anyone 'fussing' over him. I worry he is going to choke to death, as when I am on the phone with him, he has terrible coughing fits. I'm wondering if there are other people here who have gone through the same exerience and how they have dealt with it. Thank You for any insight you may provide