Ros

Hi Thanks for the response,yes, they are proposing to do this at the stump of where his right lung was removed. Ros

Hi all Can anyone out there help me by telling me their experiences with Brachytherapy, good, bad & response etc...please? It has been offered as a potential treatment for Dave and we want to try and understand from someone who has had it done or supported someone through it. Also is there anyone who has had lung removed and now has recurrence at stump who has had this treatment? Thanks Ros

Hi Thanks for this he is taking Doxycycline daily and I will ask Doc about this antibiotic. maybe a change is due? Do other Tarceva takers take regular weeks off if break out gets too bad?? Ros

Hi All Well here we are just thinking all is going well with Tarceva and rash under control and manageable, when.... yes you guessed it!! It's back with a vengeance and poor Dave's face is swollen with it and it seems to have marched off the beard and moustache area where it has always been to nose and forehead now!! I wouldn't even describe it as a rash when it is this bad, more like an infection when all facial area has erupted! I wonder why after almost 5 months it is back so badly? No amount of creams help at this stage, it seems that it is best to allow it to dry up naturally and it is too sore for him to apply anything.He is still taking antibiotics and steroids, maybe they are not working anymore? His splits in fingers healed well with the superglue but his heels are still very split and sore anyone else out there get this and if so suggestions please? Otherwise he is doing well on this drug and last scans showed tumour shrinkage, weight has come back on and fatigue has lessened. Ros

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to respond to my plea. You don't know what a difference it makes just knowing there are other people who are dealing with the same/similar emotions and situations. Thankyou for giving me back a little bit of perspective about some of the crazy situations we have found ourselves in. THANKYOU . After writing all of this down and posting it yesterday it did provide an outlet and maybe that's what I needed to prompt me to stop being childish and go sort this situation out. So I went upstairs and ran him a bath, got him out of bed and held him, cried, told him I loved him and was sorry, so did he. I helped him take a bath and we talked reasonably. I can't say this won't happen again as memories fade, however, we agreed some ground rules for how we treat each other. One of the biggest things we agreed was how mad we both were that we had changed roles and I was now doing some of the "man" chores that he did and can't now manage and I need to understand this from his point of view and be sensitive to it as well! I think I also finally started to accept that I have to do some things and go to some places on my own now as he can't manage them, that's a tough one as we have always enjoyed doing everything together. I have to remember I am not ill,so stop limiting my own life so much So I guess the saga of the menopausal wife and the Tarceva taking man will continue in peace until the next time.I will respond to those of you who have included personal email addresses as it has helped me so much to deal with this. We saw the Consultant last night and he prescribed some steroids again to give him a boost and help to put on a bit of weight, some antibiotics for Tarceva rash, it is coming back again so we will see if it gets as bad as last time or hopefully manageable this time. Next visit to Consultant is scheduled for 4 weeks time when we will be able to do the scans to see if liver secondary and Bronchial primary have shrunk from both Radiation and Tarceva.

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to respond to my plea. You don't know what a difference it makes just knowing there are other people who are dealing with the same/similar emotions and situations. Thankyou for giving me back a little bit of perspective about some of the crazy situations we have found ourselves in. THANKYOU . After writing all of this down and posting it yesterday it did provide an outlet and maybe that's what I needed to prompt me to stop being childish and go sort this situation out. So I went upstairs and ran him a bath, got him out of bed and held him, cried, told him I loved him and was sorry, so did he. I helped him take a bath and we talked reasonably. I can't say this won't happen again as memories fade, however, we agreed some ground rules for how we treat each other. One of the biggest things we agreed was how mad we both were that we had changed roles and I was now doing some of the "man" chores that he did and can't now manage and I need to understand this from his point of view and be sensitive to it as well! I think I also finally started to accept that I have to do some things and go to some places on my own now as he can't manage them, that's a tough one as we have always enjoyed doing everything together. I have to remember I am not ill,so stop limiting my own life so much So I guess the saga of the menopausal wife and the Tarceva taking man will continue in peace until the next time.I will respond to those of you who have included personal email addresses as it has helped me so much to deal with this. We saw the Consultant last night and he prescribed some steroids again to give him a boost and help to put on a bit of weight, some antibiotics for Tarceva rash, it is coming back again so we will see if it gets as bad as last time or hopefully manageable this time. Next visit to Consultant is scheduled for 4 weeks time when we will be able to do the scans to see if liver secondary and Bronchial primary have shrunk from both Radiation and Tarceva.

I am a horrible person! Why am I being so mean to my husband at the time he needs me most? I think I know it's the disease which is making him nasty,selfish etc.. but I can't help rising to it and being selfish by saying "what about me" you are destroying everything we have and you don't care how this is impacting on me. I am no longer a wife with a partnership, I am now a maid, nurse and verbal punchbag responsible for everything that is wrong with you and you are going to sit in your chair and die without fighting for yourself. We keep fighting when we should be united, maybe for the first time in over 20 years we are together non stop for 24 hours a day, no other people around us, no escape into work and we have created our own intense nightmare. Maybe it's because I am being selfish and wanting some awareness of how tough it is trying to look after him and manage the rest of our lives as well, carrying the worry over money etc.. all he wants to do is surf on line most of day and make unessential purchases. Had a major fight on Sat and we said some nasty things, he threw cup of coffee at me across room and covered all of the newly renovated house which I had just finished cleaning, with it! I pushed him in anger and he fell backwards, got up and was OK. How could I do that? I wwas so angry! I then spent the rest of the afternoon wiping it off walls, furniture etc.. and cleaning sticky floors. We have not spoken since, he has gone upstairs to bedroom and I went out to escape from him.It is now Monday am and I am still angry and upset. Is it the Tarceva? This is his second attempt taking this at 100mgs now after 150 mgrs caused him too many problems.We are 2 weeks into this second attempt with Tarceva.Is it the Cancer? Is it just being so inside himself he has forgotten I have some basic needs of civility,warmth and affection or is that too selfish of me to want that? Why now after 15 months of looking after him and fighting his cancer? What's wrong with me? We have had arguments over what I feel to be his sarcastic comments, he thinks I am inventing it and doesn't see and won't discuss my points. Do we need marriage guidance, I hear you asking yourselves? Sometimes I want him to die sooner rather than later to get this over with whilst we still have a marriage. I worry that as the fight goes on our marriage won't survive and maybe we weren't as strong as we thought to get to this stage after only a short period of time being tested?? I think I must be a very bad person to feel like this and be demanding something for myself instead of giving 100% unconditional support, why can't I do that, what's wrong with me? I'm only human so please don't judge me too harshly just send me some messages if you have ever felt like this and ideas on how you managed to turn it around.

Hi All I found this site late last year and read so many inspiring stories and great messages of support so I came back in the New Year to join. Hy husband has stage 4 NSCLC and after a traumatic year of treatment in 2006 we are starting the New Year with another round of treatment. Just wanted to say hello and meet other carers to help me keep positive and smiling for him.