TAnn

Tarceva is very drying to your body. I had the worst experience with my nose drying out and bleeding. Could be you are just dry, try drinking alot of water or sucking on a mint. It may help... TAnn

It's been a while since I've given an update. I just had my 5th Alimta treatment on Tuesday. I had some problems after the first 2 treatments, but since then have handled the chemo fairly well. I had a CT scan just prior to the 5th treatment and it shows that everything is "stable". (there's that word again ) I'll take stable, but I was really hoping that after 4 treatments I would see some tiny sign of shrinkage. Oh well, if I think of the alternative....stable is good! I'm still giving myself the Lovenox shots everyday for the pulmonary embolism they found back in July. My doctor says I have to keep taking the shots for 6 months. I'm running out of space to stick, trying to avoid all the bruises.. But this too shall pass. I have my 6th treatment scheduled and then another scan to see how we are doing. My doc says if I'm tolerating the Alimta well, he would keep me on it past the usual 6 treatments. TAnn

Cindi, I've been looking for an update and finally found it here! Sorry so late in responding. I'm so glad there is no cancer! That's the great news. The bad news is the asthma is stealing your breath and we have to get that taken care of. I hope getting off the prednisone and starting the new meds along with some therapy gives you some relief. 43% is nowhere near good enough. Take it easy and get lots of rest. TAnn

I also had 10 treatments of WBR. I didn't start losing my hair until the day after the 10th treatment. That was October of 2004. I'm just now getting hair back. (1 year later) So I guess you could say it's not permanent, but realllllly slow! TAnn

Pat, I just walked in the door from having my 5th Alimta treatment. I hope and pray that Brian doesn't have any reactions. They have to start him on Folic Acid, which I take in a regular daily vitamin and give him a B-12 shot. The Alimta drip only lasts 10 minutes. They give you a dose of decadron before that and then it's over! That's the best part! Keep us posted. TAnn

Hopefully, once they get the right antibiotic, he will be outta there and on to Florida! Sending prayers. TAnn

Here's to another year!!!! Congratulations and enjoy your special day.... TAnn

Prayers have been sent for you both. Adding my hopes with the others that this is a simple fix and you will be on your way to the wedding! TAnn

That is amazing. And music to my ears as I am about to get my 5th Alimta treatment on Tuesday. Congratulations! TAnn

Very well put Fay. We all have different experiences with treatments, and I know for me, it is invaluable the information I get from all of you. It's good to know the negative so we can look for those side effects. The good news is that your dad did not have progression while on Tarceva, so it must have been doing something!! TAnn

I loved the pic. Thanks for the laugh! TAnn

I love that your surgeon "rocks"! You are in my thoughts and prayers. TAnn

Cindi, Thinking of you and sending prayers your way. TAnn

Eppie, Your dad sounds alot like me. I was having random pain "points" in my head and finally asked my doc for a brain MRI, discovered I had 6 mets, all very small. I had WBR and it worked! All mets are now gone or barely there. I think your dad will be able to zap those 2 mets with no problem. The worst part about WBR is the steroids. They make you feel grumpy, hungry and really crazy sometimes! TAnn

Eileen, It's good to hear from you and sounds like you've been busy! Rescuing the animals of New Orleans is a huge task, and I applaud your commitment to such a wonderful cause. Hope all else is well, thanks for checking in... TAnn

Cindi, I hate to hear this. I was hoping they took care of this fluid issue with the talc procedure. On the other hand, I hope it is just fluid causing your SOB instead of heart problems. Either way, I'm praying for you! TAnn

Eppie, I'm glad I saw your post & am able to help. If they found cancerous cells in the fluid from the pleural effusion, this is a malignant pleural effusion and an automatic stage IIIb. It is inoperable because the pleural effusion is considered a part of the circulatory system and microscopic cancer cells could be anywhere in the body. It is usually treated with chemo, which sometimes shrinks the effusion and like your dad had, the talc procedure. However, it does not cure the malignant pleural effusion, even if the effusion is gone. In my case, they did the pathology on the fluid and discovered the nsclc Adenocarcinoma cells and was how I was diagnosed. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions that I can help you with. TAnn

Joyce, I am so sorry to hear of Steve's condition. I will keep you in my prayers. You have been an incredible support to me and I thank you for all of your kindness. I know this is a difficult time for you and you still sent us your hopeful thoughts. Thank you and God Bless... TAnn

Sending my good wishes that the door blows wide open! TAnn

Eppie, I'm wondering why they staged him at IIIb at diagnosis? Is it because he had the nodules in both lungs? I may have missed this info in a previous post, sorry. Is his pleural effusion malignant? If not, then his stage may not be IIIb. I was diagnosed with a primary tumor in my right lung and a malignant pleural effusion 2 1/2 years ago. I'm still here and doing pretty well. If he is truly at stage IIIb and they are treating him with Taxol/Carbo, then he is getting systemic chemo, meaning it is attacking any cancer cells that may be around in any part of the body. In fact, my doctor says they prefer not to do PET scans at my stage (which is now stage IV) because it would not change the course of treatment. I think your dad will do well, he sounds like he is very strong, and has you giving him great support. TAnn

Happy Retirement Don! Now you have plenty of time to spend in Cindi's pub Enjoy..... TAnn

I also had a very dry nose while I was on Tarceva, and I also had the Tarceva "bumps" inside my nose. Saline nasal spray helped some, "Ocean Drops". Unfortunately, this is one of the unpleasant side effects from Tarceva. TAnn

Talk about a big sigh of relief! Cindi, I am so happy for you. Now if we can just figure out what this fibrothorax thingy is and get that all taken care of..... Oh and by the way, I'm just going to let all my loved ones "fight" over what I leave them.....MY BILLS!!!! HaHa! Keep us updated! TAnn

Oh my goodness Cindi! When you see it for yourself, it's alot different than reading the radiologist report! Your anxiety level is a 3???? Well, I hope your surgeon has called today, if not I'm sure you are at about a 5 by now ..... Sending prayers TAnn

Jen, I am praying that the news the "expert" gave you is the correct news. Always take the good news!!! Sounds like a horrible time and confusing as well. I wish you much better news the next time around. By the way, when I went through the WBR, my doc originally said I had 6 mets, then after WBR they would not give me an exact number. He said that the radiologists rarely like to give a number, I don't know why...... Best of luck... TAnn