Joe B

good post Dean...... Lets really try and be driven by FAITH. What do u put your faith in? Others, Doctors, yourself? God almighty! yes! The shortest chapter in the bible (KJV) ? Psalm 117. The longest chapter in the bible ? Psalm 119. The middle chapter of the entire bible? Psalm 118. The middle verse of the entire Bible? Psalm 118:8 "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Man" .. and finally the middle two words of the entire bible "the Lord" Coincidence? Certainly lets not put our faith in fear. Fear is the enemy. Joy is possible even in the most trying of times, a belief in the hereafter is essential for continous joy..... regardless of the outcome, when u have faith in God-- you can have joy knowing that His grace is sufficient for you. God Bless, and here is to Deans great suggestion for a spirit pool ! BTW- the shortest verse in the entire bible? "Jesus wept"

Terri, Seems there has been recent increases in this diagnosis in never smokers. I myself am a never smoker. I was 42 years old at diagnosis. I have 3 girls 15,14, & 11. It could be due to all the chemicals we use in our society, the pollution, and poor diets (ie. high sugar, red meat, very little whole foods, high ingestion of processed foods in the american diet) There are many sucess stories, and very lucky for you non-smokers generally have better statistics in survival (both never smokers, and those that quit before or immediately after diagnosis)

well said.... surgery is definitely not the only route. I have seen many examples of long term survivors that have beat this thing with radiation, chemo , and good nutrition. Even in advance stages.

Karen, I was originally suppose to have 4 rounds (q 3 weeks) of Cisplatin & Etoposide.... per a european study that demonstrated statiscally significant a 5% survival advantge in stage I, II, and IIIA resected patients that had that regime (improved 5 year survival from 44% to 49%). I had surgery, they originally thought I was a stage I, but they found 1 lymph node positive (1cm) when they did the pathology of 7 lymph nodes taht were taken out. Really weird the ones closest to the lung & tumor were fine, one in the chest was positive. Also the tumor was extensively "neucrotic"- meaning it was pretty much dead. We decided to swtich because I had concurrent radiation & chemo, and he felt it was appropriate to scale things back a little. there is a study with 3B patients (no surgery) that had concurrent radiation and Cisplatin/ Etoposide (2 cycles) and then either continued with 2 more cycles of Cisplatin / Etposide OR switch to Taxotere for 3 rounds (SWOG study). The Taxotere group did statistically significantly better than those that continued on with Cisplatin & Etoposide. The theory is that throwing something new at any residual resistant cancer cells is a more effective approach... hope this helps

we decided on the taxotere. I had my first round yesterday (1.5 hours chair time only!).. the final two will be 1/26 & 2/15. the good Lord willing I will be done and cured for good ! God Bless everyone. Joe

I am praying for your Father ... May the good Lord keep your Dad under His protective wing, may He allow healing and recovery for your Dad... and may it prove to be used as a means of Glorifying the name of our Lord and Savior to others.

Cheryl. You are in our prayers. Have faith, could be nothing or could be something that can be treated effectively. Stay positive. joe

yes , u can be positive- and you should be! There are many, many lung cancer survivors (long term). One thing to keep in mind is that as people get farther from diagnosis..... they tend to get on with their lives and probably either quit visiting these type of online forums, or check in very infrequently. There is hope fo sure, and with each passing month- the research helps to solidify better treatment options..... I am a big advocate of using conventional medical care- AND also helping yourself by following complimentary stratgeies. Diet, attitude, meditation, hypnosis, prayer, excercise.... rest... etc - all play an important role. things we CAN control. In the meantime- I plan on focusing on my precious relationships, and knowing that in the words of St paul " to live is Christ, and to die is gain" .. .Life beyond today is not guarnteed for ANYONE.... but the thought of being in heaven with the Lord Jesus some day makes living SO much better & easier..... I would like Him to say "well done my good and faithful servant"....

FYI, for those interested in juicing for improved health. My wife found brand new jack lalane juicers on e-bay for $73. They do get u for $30 for shipping- But its still much better than th TV advertised $150 (and you still get hit with $30 shipping). We received ours, & one each for my parents a my good friend Mike --without any problems or delays. Joe

a very pretty baby.. congratulations ! God Bless. Joe

Wow, Thats awesome news Dave.... God bless. Joe

Thanks Fay.. I can relate...It took me two rounds to put 2+2 together.... both times on the Tuesday following the chemo I just felt so cranky & down and didnt know why....I finally asked the Onc about it, and he said "oh yeah, thats probably from the steriods" Becky & Rochelle- I really will not know whether the Taxotere works or not- I have no measurable disease (since I was fully resected & have no mets) I have to just go on faith that if anything microscopic is left it will be zapped. I am REALLY ready for this to be over- the Cisplatin/ Etoposide was worse than surgery- or radiation.....

Thanks Fay, let me know how the scans go..... I feel like I am in the home strech now... hopefully I sail thru these last few taxotere treatments.... The drug you mentioned receiving prior to treatments, was that the steriod component? I will be taking decradron (sp?) b4 & after. He is tapering me off slower, since I had some significant irritability, & emotional downtimes when coming off the IV steriods after the two rounds of Cisplatin & Etoposide. Joe

Hi all, I met with the oncologist yesterday, we are switching to Taxotere for 3 rounds (every 3 weeks). Then, the good Lord willing, I will be completed with my treatments for good. The question I have is whether anyone has experience with taxotere by itself? If so, what are the effects of this drug? What can I expect as I go through treatments? I know the Cisplatin & etoposide (VP16) made for a pretty tought 6-8 days after administration. I am hoping taxotere wil be a little more "kinder & gentle" (in the words og G Bush senior) Joe

Teresa, Merry Christmas to you - as well. very nice post.... God bless ... Joe

Fay, Mine is growing back in as well... it is a very fine white peach fuzz as well, I am wondering when my "real" hair will start growing in... It has been 2 1/2 weeks since my last chemo round..... Joe

Cheryl, I can relate. Sneezing was the worst, but that only lasted for about 4-5 weeks tops. Now I sneeze and dont even think twice about it. Don't be too quick to read anything into the back pain.....The pain u feel in your back could very well be due to the surgical position. I had numbness and shooting pains in my R leg for about 4-6 weeks following surgery... A good friend of mine is a physical therapist (PT), she said that the surgical position often times creates problems with back, legs, neck... ect... for quite some time, esp. if you were very active b4 surgery... and then were laid up after the surgery...you might consider consulting with a PT. I am 10 weeks out now, and I am running/ walking 2 miles a day, and lifting weights (about 50% of normal - until Jan 1- per sugeons orders) just like I did b4......

Great attitude Bob! Doc sounds real good..... Glad you found em early... Frick & Frack are going DOWN ! Joe

Thanks Cheryl... I am glad things look so positive for you. I have a very good feeling about my outcome as well. I am leaning towards taking abreak until mid January, and then finishing off treatment with two rounds of taxotere..... 2 docs (one at Karmonos in detroit, and the other at MD Andersen) both stated they provide a 3-4 week break after Radiation is complete. The one Doc that I saw at MD andersen says this is what he would do (taxotere 2-3 rounds) -- he is strictly a Lung oncologist -- whereas my guy, while Harvard trained , is a general oncologist...... I am ready to be done !

Amen.......

Thanks MO SUGAR! Cheryl. Very similar (all 3 of us). I was originally thought to be a stage I, they found an involved lymph node after surgery when the Path report was done. I have had two cycles of Cisplatin & VP16 (every three weeks-- 80 cisplatin, 100 VP16), and just finished 28 radiation treatments. My Doc wants me to have 2 more Cisplatin/ VP 16 cycles. I have talked to 2 other oncologists that say I should take 3-4 weeks off now, and then do 2-3 rounds of taxotere. I really dont want anymore of the Cisplatin & VP16... Makes me feel awful, and my blood counts have really dropped low on both rounds.... I have no measurable disease right now .. there was a very small uptake on my PET scan (2.6) (done 11/5/03) that is either another lymph node (5mm) or inflammation from surgery. It was in the radiation field ... I meet with him next week..... Joe

my prayers are with you Andrea.....

Great news!! Wonderful news, I am so glad that you both can sigh a sigh of relief and enjoy Christmas together...... Joe Carleen, please pass along info on the complimentary treatments group to Keith. I personally am a strong advocate of strict nutritional strategies to go along with conventional treatments......

I havent done the test yet, not sure where you would find it... If you locate it let me know, because I want to buy some as well. Maybe a GNC? or at least they may know where it can be bought.... Merry Christmas ! Joe

ALKALIZE FOR HEALTH, A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR CANCER PATIENTS Balancing Body pH for Better Health and how this relates to cancer. In a nutshell - maintaining proper body tissue pH is critical for staying healthy. The pH (parts/percentage Hydrogen) scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Most people are born into this world with a pH near or at 7 (neutral pH). If you can keep your body tissue pH somewhere between 6.5 - 7.0 it is very difficult to get sick. A near neutral pH (green-blue range) is the goal. This is why most of the health and wellness folks are always eating green foods in abundance; these foods are loaded with alkaline elements to keep the pH balanced. Alkaline tissue holds 20 times more oxygen than does acidic tissue and this oxygen rich environment is critical for maintaining health and snuffing out the bad guys (anaerobic bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.). Blood serum pH never changes (always a 7.37) if it changes more than .2 up or down you will die. However your body tissue pH will fluctuate constantly based on your diet and the foods/drinks consumed. Most every cancer patient tested will show a pH of 4 - 5, very acidic! This acidity of body tissue drives out the health giving oxygen. Low oxygen = an environment ripe for cancer. Cancer thrives in an oxygen deficient environment. Acidic pH = cancer magnet! HOW TO GET A GOOD pH READING? One of the best ways to get a fairly accurate reading of one's tissue pH is to pass a litmus paper through a urine stream first thing in the morning. The 1st urine in the morning is a pretty good indicator because the body has had all night to process the entire days nutrient ingestion and balance itself out- hence a good indicator of real body tissue pH. Do not be surprised if you test acidic. Most folks initially will test very acidic in the yellow zone (pH 4 - 5). Time to make changes to move this into the green zone (pH 6.5 - 7). Urinary pH is always more acidic than the saliva. A normal urinary pH reading in the morning should be somewhere between 6.0-6.4 while in the evening hour a healthy range is considered to be somewhere between 6.4 - 6.8. The pH of the saliva should be slightly more alkaline than that of the urine. A healthy pH for saliva fluctuates somewhere between 6.6 - 7.0. The best way to make your pH more alkaline is to stop consuming things that make acidity levels greater in the body- cola soda pop is a 2.0! It takes 32- 8 oz glasses of pH 8 water to counter balance 1 can of soda pop! Coffee is a 4! Most beer is somewhere between 2.5-4.2 depending on the brand. Folks that consume huge amounts of soda pop and/or beer are usually acidic and are magnets for most illnesses including cancer. Potassium and sodium are both 14 on the pH scale, calcium registers a 12 and magnesium is 9- all alkalizing elements for the body to shift the pH alkaline. Shifting pH normally takes some time so do not become discouraged in your climb out of the acid tank. Young children with high vitality levels will normally be alkaline and if they are not will normally return to an alkaline tissue pH in a matter of just a couple of weeks on the Eniva minerals along with minor dietary changes (eliminate soda pop and all sugar for quickest change). Adults take longer. You are probably looking at 3-4 months in your endeavor. Every mineral has an optimum pH that it likes and performs best in. Iron for example will perform best when the body tissue pH is between 6.0 - 7.0 while iodine has a much more narrow band width of performance (6.3 - 6.6). If the tissue pH is further out than this the body cannot maximize the mineral nutrient to effect the healing it should. http://www.rainbowminerals.net/Rust/rot_rust_tour5.html