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Hi! If you do a google search on Tarceva, you'll find some really interesting articles about it. When it was combined with Avastin in a clinical trial most of the participants had good results -- like more than half had a positive response! Craig's oncologist told us that there appeared to a direct correlation with the severity of the rash and Tarceva's effectivness. He didn't say where he heard that, but I could ask. Craig's rash was horrid at first but seems to have tapered off for the time being. Now that I have read some of the posting on LCSC, I know that we can expect it to recur. Good luck with Tarceva!

Hello! It has been awhile since I communicated with you all at LCSC. Craig, my husband, has Stage IV NSCLC whihc has not been very responsive to the two standard regimens of chemotherapy he received: 1) carboplatin and Taxol and then 2) Taxotere. He primary tumor is really huge and it encircles the junction where the trachea and bronchial tubes meet. So it was inoperable and was crushing his right bronchial tube. The radiation treatments he received apparently did some good, as the pressure on the right bronchial tube eased somewhat and his breathing was better for a while. But he had two bouts of post-obstructive pneumonia, one during treatment with Taxotere, so his oncologist decided to try and replicate the Vanderbilt protocol of Tarceva and Avastin combined. Craig began that on 29 June. I would appreciate it if those of you out there that have been on either of these medications would tell me about your experiences. Craig got the "rash from hell" that was predicted and has some gastrointestinal discomfort ("bowels in an uproar" is how he describes it), but no real diarrhea. How long does the rash last? Has anyone found anything that helps with alleviating it or helping it to heal? I have been putting neosporin on his face and head, which seems to have helped the lesions to dry up and heal somewhat. And fewer of the "new" lesions are coming out now. The only other symptom Craig has had is extreme weakness/tiredness, but he had a URI just after he started the regimen, so we aren't sure if that infection caused this weakness, or if it is from one of these medications, or is this is from disease progression. Have any of you experienced such weakness/tiredness while taking either Tarceva or Avastin? Thanks so much for your help.

Hello everyone! My name is Amanda Currie Robinson. I am a newlywed at 52, having been married on 26 June 2004. Less than a month later, my new husband, Craig, was diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV with mets to the right adrenal gland. No sign of mets in the lymph system or the brain. The tumor is too large and too wrapped around the windpipe and right bronchial tube for surgery. And the radiological oncologist ruled out radiation treatments at this time. He began chemotherapy with carboplatin and taxol on 16 August 2004. So far he is doing well, with minimal side effects (tired, feels cold, and tingly/numb feet). Sunday his hair began to fall out, but he never had much hair anyway. We went to a nutritionist in Washington, DC, who believes that an important part of battling cancer is to starve the cancer, while boosting the patient's immune system to 1) fight the cancer and 2) minimize the effects of treatment. Prior to the cancer diagnosis, he had been diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which was making his life miserable already. He was so tired, and climbing the stairs in our three-level townhouse nearly did him in. He had daily coughing attacks -- in the early morning and around bedtime. It was awful. Then the cough CHANGED in nature, and he had blood in his sputum. So we went back to the pulmonologist, and she is the one who found the cancer when she did a brochoscopy. We think the diet is really, really helping! Even BEFORE chemo began, the new diet reduced his coughing and mucus production, and he was less frequently short-of-breath (SOB) associated with COPD. No more violent morning and night coughing attacks! He says he has more energy now than three months ago and he feels better, even though he now knows he has cancer. I have read that 40% of cancer patients die of malnutrition -- not their cancer -- because they loose their appetite and don't eat well, just at the time when their bodies MOST need good food to help them fight the cancer. It's a Catch-22. Thank you to all the folks who have already been clueing me in to what to expect from chemotherapy. Dave G's accounting of the intense exhaustion and all the other effects occurred exactly as he said it would. And that helped me a lot, knowing what to expect. Chemo #2 is the day after Labor Day. We are praying for all of you, so hang in there! God Bless You All! Amanda

And so uplifting. I hope they are happy together now. I was recently remarried myself and within a month, my new husband was diagnosed with NSCLC. So we have a bittersweet story ourselves -- we finally found our soulmates at 52/53 and now we are facing this new challenge. We have decided that we were meant to find each other to get Craig through this . . . that God didn't want either of us to be alone anymore. So, whatever, the outcome, we plan to make the most of of life together. God bless you parents remarriage. Regards, Amanda

Hi, Your story is very encouraging. Thank you for sharing it. My husband was recently diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. It is also considered inoperable and is crushing his right bronchial tube. He began chemotherapy Monday. Now I have more hope than before. God bless you and your family. May you have many years to be with them Regards, Amanda

Hi, Kidney stones are very common, especially on the east coast (hard water) and they hurt like hell. I have had 5 now, and I have never hurt so much in my life. My husband, Craig also has lung cancer, and he uses his experience with a kidney stone to compare pain to . . . so they hurt. My last one took three weeks to pass through my system. I hope she feels better soon. Amanda

Hi! My name is Amanda and my husband Craig also has NSCLC. We went to a nutritionist, who recommend a book called "Beating Cancer with Nutrition" by Patrick Quillin. He and his wife have a dietary plan for helping cancer patients not become malnourished. And he has a supplement called ImmunoPower that I think you may need ASAP. Call 1-800-247-6553 or 1-888-741-5433. You can find the book on Amazon.com and read the first half of the first chapter on-line. he says that more cancer patients die from malnutrition than from cancer. In the meantime, try this "milkshake" that you can make from some relatively easily found things. His recipe for the Dragonslayer shake is: 4-8 ozs of liquid (water, furit juice, vegetable juice, V-8, ice cubes, milk, soy milk, rice milk) 10-15 grams (1-4 Tablespoons) of powdered protein (health food store) 1/4-1/2 cup vegetables, cooked or raw 1-3 Tablespoons thickening agent (frozen bannana, apple sauce, agar, carregenan, guar gum, gelatin, ice cubes) 1-3 Tablespoons of other ingredients (ImmunoPower (see above), Perfect 7 (1-800-767-4776), flax seed oil (health food stor), or Essential Balance oil (health food store)) Put these things in a blender and blend until smooth. I hope this helps. Amanda