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Husband Doing well on Tarceva


JenkazMrs

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Hi,

My husband started Tarceva seven days ago. After three days he got a lovely rash all over his face and upper body. Is on no pain releif what so ever now and breathing has inproved. We live in the UK and are having to self fund. Currently fighting for use of this drug through our NHS. We are delighted that he has improved so early!

Deanne

http://www.lc-action4life.co.uk

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Deanne,

Glad to hear that your husband is doing well on Tarceva. I have been on Tarceva for 21 months with good results. I hope your husband has good results also. Sorry to hear the problems you have in geting the drug. Everyone should be able to get it.

Stay positive, :)

Ernie

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Sounds great to me. The sooner Tarceva is approved the better. No more trials for it down here either. I am helping in launching a campaign regarding treatment costs for lung cancer patients. Hopefully the right people will listen, nobody should have to pay for life saving health treatment, it's ridiculous.

Best of luck with it,

Sharon

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I don't pretend to know your financial situation but my mother is on Tarceva and at $3,400/month, this is likely to be impossible for most people and a tremendous strain on the rest.

Please try to reach out to whatever government agencies you can find that can provide the pills either at no cost or a reduced cost. Also, call the pharmaceutical company and see if they have any programs established to offer the pills to you at no cost - many pharmaceuticals have programs for their higher cost drugs for uninsured patients.

Tarceva has proven to be a wonder drug for my mother. I'm sorry others have not had as much luck. She is only on 100 mg/day (2/3 the recommended dosage) and hasn't been the most adherent patient in the world and, yet, her tumors are relatively stable.

I feel incredibly blessed with this treatment for her. When she was diagnosed, that awful oncologist assigned to her at the time ONLY talked of IV chemo and I was fiercely opposed. My mother is not in any physical condition to endure the ravages of chemo - Tarceva's side effects are more than enough, thank you.

Thankfully my oncologist friend recommended Tarceva and I switched her oncologist to a new one (my friend practices in another state so using him wasn't an option) who was completely on board with his recommendation - which is why my mom's first line and only treatment is Tarceva - the wonder drug! :D

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Hi Jane,

thanks for all the advice you have given. I'm sorry about your mum. It's just awful to have this finacial burden op top of everthing else. I am trying my upmost to get this noticed in the UK. So many people are in the same position fighting fo Drugs Tarceva is one of many. Have done 3 interviews with journalists so far 2 have gone to press and a magazine interview gets published in 2 weeks. I have the suppot of out local member of parliment too. The website I hace set up supporting this casue is gaining quite a bit of attension too!

Take care

Deanne

http://www.lc-action4life.co.uk

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I'm thrilled at the response your husband has had to Tarceva, and so pleased to see how much of an advocate you have become for ALL facing the $$$ problem of paying for it. It is already far enough to just deal with the cancer, this just goes so far beyond human compassion.

Keep up the fight and I wish you all the best. Wish we could see some of those articles. I'm giving you a rousing 'rah rah' from across the pond!

Kasey

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all,

thank you everyone for you replies and support. Jimmy continues to do well, Rash now under control. Still no pain at all, breathing is normal! Still doing my campaign and gaining quite a bit of attension. BBC TV local news interview today. We have BBC national TV coming next thursday to do an interview too. Hospital are non too happy all the bad press but hey! Who cares!

Take care

Deanne

x

http://www.lc-action4life.co.uk

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Deanne,

I just wanted to say congratulations, that I'm glad he's feeling better already, and good luck in mobilizing public support for you plight and that of many other people with lung cancer in the UK. Please know that many people in the lung cancer community are deeply troubled by the fact that NICE seems to be such an inappropriate acronym in the UK, that the denial of tarceva to patients with lung cancer there really represents a potentially significant lost opportunity for many lung cancer patients there.

-Dr. West

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm so glad you hubby is still responding well.

Hopefully some good will come of your fight for the Tarceva. It's unfair that the same treatment is not there for all. It's bad enough getting the news of our C word, but then to be told there is treatment, that is out of our reach really makes me ill.

Continued good luck, Jean

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