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garywatters

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Hi, my name is Gary, I recently joined LCSC, however I have been an avid reader for the past 9 months.

My wife Denise was diagnosed with NSCLC in March of 2008. Non smoker, in good health but had back pain in December of 2007. By the time Denise was diagnosed, the disease had spread to her Liver, Kidney, Lymph Gland in her chest, and multiple spots on her spine, ribs, and a spot on her skull.

6 months of chemo and radiation treatments and then they qualified Denise for a clinical trial of Tarceva.

The tumor in her Lung has shrunk from 5cm to 2.5cm. and the other organs are stable, however there has been a spread of the disease in her bones, femor, pelvic, hips and shoulder.

Tarceva so far has been great as the side effects are minimal and the diease has stabilized somewhat.

We have 3 boys aged 22, 19, and 17. It has been rough however Denise has been extremely positive. The boys and myself are the same, posiitve and our friends have been unbelieveable.

It is is hard to imagine where we would be without the support from our family and friends.

Thank you to all of you for sharing your experiences. We all know the impact of getting real information from the community. It is invaluable.

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Welcome to a place no one wants to be but is glad they found ! Ask questions whenever you need to and for Medical advice we have the support of Dr West at http://cancergrace.org/ This is our resident oncologist who donates his very minimal free time to helping our members with medical questions. We can provide the emotional and mental support and He provides the scientific and medical support!! Many of our members have dual citizenship in both forums so You will see a bunch of us there also.....

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Hi Gary-

I am glad you found us. Tarceva is an amazing drug for some people. It kept my husband stable a long time. It is hard going through cancer with someone you love and it certainly helps to get all the support and help you can.

I am glad you came out of lurker land and joined in!

Rochelle

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Welcome Gary, also glad you found us but sorry you needed too. I like Ry's "lurker land." It's amazing how many of us start there. Please keep us posted as you find time and we will offer what info and support we can. Am glad you report support from real life family and friends. It is so important to Denise's recovery.

Judy in Key West

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Hello Gary and Denise and welcome

I am glad you've joined us and that you have been able to find support and information here!

Please keep us posted and let us know how we can help. There is always someone here that is willing to lend an ear or offer advice.

Warmly

Christine

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Thanks for joining and sharing, Gary. At any given time there are several times more unregistered "lurkers" browsing the site than there are registered members online. Nothing wrong with that, and I imagine many people who haven't been motivated to search out an online support group before want to make sure they're in a safe place before signing up. Aloha,

Ned

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Welcome Gary-

Glad to hear that Denise is doing well. And I am very very happy that she is receiving support from both family and friends - that is so important.

Please feel free to come here with questions, if you need to vent, anything at all. We will be here for you.

Hugs - Patti B.

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Welcome Gary. I'm also glad you made it out of "lurker land" and decided to join us. It is great to have such supportive family and friends. That goes a long way. I am happy to hear that Denise has stablized somewhat.

Keep us posted.

Another

Denise

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Hello Gary,

Welcome to the club no one wants to join, but becomes treasured as a great support community.

My husband is currently on Tarceva, and he has a metastasis in his right shoulder. The node in his neck has become greatly diminished. The shoulder met hasn't been assessed as yet, but if the Tarceva holds things stable, we will be considering that a plus.

You are so very fortunate to have family and friends in there rooting for you both.

My sister and her husband have been our social rescue team. They drag us out to lunch as much as possible, and we are able to laugh and "get away" from the daily routine and the thinking.

Our children keep abreast of things, as well. Our daughter, Jeanne, visits every Sunday for dinner, and has been over the last four years. Sometimes, we just order Chinese, and we relax and chat. Life is a "new normal," and we hold onto it as positively and proactively as we can.

Let us know how things are going, Gary. You and Denise are blessed being surrounded by so much love.

Barbara :D

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Welcome Gary to the place no one wants to come to. But as you see we are a very caring family here.

I am so sorry to hear about your wife, but she seems to be responding to treatment and any shrinkage is good news. Her attitude is also helping her get through along with the love and caring from you. I know first hand how hard it is to be a caregiver as we watch our love ones in pain and we feel helpless. But then we feel the triumpant feelings when you get good results from treatments! So you have to take the ups with the downs and always encourage with confidence that she can beat this monster.

Please know that we are here for you if you have questions, we have answers and can help your through this. If you need support or prayers we are here for that also.

Many people on here were told gloom and doom stories and have beaten the odds and are doing fine today. You can read stories in the good news forum.

Keep us posted on her progress.

Maryanne

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