Looking for someone like me - 41 year old non smoker

[terrih]

I am a 41 year old mom of a 7 year old and 12 month old son. I have never smoked nor lived with a smoker. I've just been diagnosed with stage 4 nsclc. I am desperately looking for anyone who has survived this. Mine is in my right lung, lymph and right shoulder. I have had one round of taxol/cp. If there is anyone out there who can offer some inspiration I would greatly appreciate it.

Terri

[dadstimeon]

Hi Terri,

I’m very sorry to hear about your diagnoses. I to was diagnosed in May 2002 with Stage IV NSCLC. I have had great success with (see my signature) chemo and will start Iresssa in middle of January for maintenance. Be pro-active. Learn as much as you can. Stay focused and positive. Stay with this board. Great people and information and support. Join a support group also. They have them for people with lung cancer. They are a great source of information and support as well. My prayers are with you and both of your children, Peace, take are and God Bless.

Rich

*************************************************************

The Power Of People Helping People / The Power Of Knowledge / The Power Of God / The Power Of Believing / The Power Of Positive Thinking / The Power Of Never Taking No For An Answer / United We Stand, Divided We Fall / That’s The Key

*************************************************************

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 008,00.asp (PLWC Feature: Financial Support Resources)

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/healt ... hqcanc.htm (Best Hospitals)

https://www.alcase.org/advocacy/sign_the_petition.html (Advocacy /Sign the Petition)

http://www.cancersymptoms.org (Oncology Nursing Society)

http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 08,00.html (Questions to Ask the Doctor)

http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html (With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information / Free)

http://www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org (The Cancer Survival Toolbox / Free / From NCCS)

http://www.centerwatch.com (Clinical Trails Listing Service / Center Watch)

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&editi ... ung+cancer (Lung Cancer In The News)

http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/pro ... /guide.asp (The Wellness Community / National Cancer Support, Education And Support / Free)

http://www.drugs.com (Drug Information Online)

http://www.alcase.org (ALCASE / Alliance For Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, Education)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov (Unites States / National Library Of Medicine)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html (Health Information / Medical Encyclopedia)

http://www.google.com (Great Search Engine)

http://blochcancer.org (R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc. / Please read: A Letter to all newly diagnosed cancer patients)

http://www.cancer.org (American Cancer Society)

http://www.cancer.gov (Cancer Information Service / NCI)

http://www.cancerresearchcenter.org (Cancer Research Center)

http://www.aicr.org (American Institute for Cancer Research; Nutrition Hotline / AICR)

http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org (Cancer Hope Network)

http://www.acor.org (Association of Cancer Online Resources / Free Online Lifeline For Everyone Affected By Cancer & Related Disorders)

http://www.meds.com/lung/lunginfo.html (Lung Cancer Information Library)

http://www.lungusa.org (American Lung Association)

http://www.ama-assn.org (American Medical Association)

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... g%20Cancer (Doctor’s Guide / Lung Cancer)

http://www.healthfinder.gov/Scripts/Sea ... ?topic=506 (Healthfinder)

http://www.medicinenet.com/Lung_Cancer/article.htm (Medicine Net)

http://www.cancerindex.org/clinks2l.htm (Cancer Index / Lung Cancer Resources Directory)

http://www.nfcr.org/site/PageServer?pag ... ncers_lung (National Foundation For Cancer Research)

http://www.patientadvocate.org (Patient Advocate Foundation)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/effects ... fects.html (Lung Cancer Online / Hematologic (Blood) Effects)

http://www.cancerlinks.org/lung.html (Lung Cancer Links)

http://www.cancer-free.com (Cancer Free Connections)

http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/C ... ung_cancer (Health Insite)

http://www.lungcancerclaims.com (Lung Cancer / Lung Cancer Information Page)

http://www.cancerlifecenter.com/engine. ... =dictionar (Cancer Life Center/ Cancer Dictionary)

http://www.canceryellowpages.com/Resour ... G%20CANCER (Cancer yellow Pages)

http://icare.org (ICARE / The International Cancer Alliance)

http://www.vh.org/index.html (Virtual Hospital)

http://www.lungcanceronline.org/support/financial.html (Lung Cancer Online / Financial, Legal & Insurance Issues)

http://cancernews.healthology.com/focus ... cancernews (Cancer News)

************************************************************

If I Could Catch a Rainbow:

If I could catch a rainbow, I would do it just for you, And share with you its beauty, On the days you’re feeling blue. If I could build a mountain, You call your very own, A place to find serenity, A place to be alone. If I could take your troubles, I would toss them in the sea, But all these things I’m finding, Are impossible for me. I cannot build a mountain, Or catch a rainbow fair, But let me be what I know best A friend that’s always there. Author Unknown

*************************************************************

[Lisa O]

I don't know how much inpiration I can provide but I was diagnosed stage IV over a year ago. After progresing after my second surgery I was stabilized by Iressa. My quality of life is very good --- which is the best gift since my home is filled with children constantly. You have found a great forum... with many fighters willng to share their personal triumphs and tips. I wish you the best.

Lisa

[karen335]

Terri,

Welcome. You will find a lot of support here. The people are very kind and knowledgeable. We are all survivors here, there are many stages of survival here. You need to keep a positive attitude and as Rich said, learn as much as you can about this disease. It is a bumpy road, but this disease is survivable. There are over 800 people here and they will be able to help. I find this website a comfort and a lot of support. There is a chat on Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 5:00PM. Depending on where you are located there may be a time difference. I live in California and when I join the chat it is 8:00 for someone on the east coast, or two hours in the midwest, etc... I wish I could be more help as far as your treatments and what to expect. It is an individual thing. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

Please come here as often as you can and let us know how you are doing. Let us try and answer your questions and we can share our experiences with you.

Warm hugs and God Bless

Karen

[Don Wood]

My wife can be an inspiration for you. She was diagnosed with NSCLC with bone mets in Oct. 2002. She had chemo (Taxotere/Carboplatin) and radiation. Has not had a treatment since June of 2003, except the once a month Zometa for strengthening bones and warding off bone mets. At this point, she has only one small spot on a rib, which the onc is watching. As he put it, "there is no fire in the house". She has survived systemic septic shock from staph and bilateral pneumonia in this time period. The main met on her upper spine has caused her some loss in her left hand motor skills, yet she still sews, a favorite hobby of hers. She is planning to take training in March to be a one-on-one support for cancer patients here locally, and we are planning a week's trip to Scotland in May. Best to you, Terri. Don

[karen335]

Hi Don,

Did Lucie have Taxol/carboplatin and then the Taxotere? When she had the Taxotere, did she get it weekly or every three weeks? You and Lucie are such an inspiration to all of us. It will be nice when Lucie can start posting here on the site. How is she doing with her new computer. Prayers and blessing to you both...

Thank You

Karen

[Don Wood]

Lucie never had Taxol. She had Taxotere, conbined with Carboplatin,and it was every 3 weeks for six treatments. She is doing pretty well on the computer. I am not pushing her to post here -- that has to be her idea. Thanks for checking in with us. Don

[Joe B]

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)

[Guest DaveG]

Teri:

Welcome to our group. I am sorry that you have to be here, but you are definitely amongst 800 friends. Everyone here is either a survivor and/or family member. Each of us have had to learn to deal with this disease we share. For me, this group, Lung Cancer Survivors for Change, has become a big part of my life.

In March I will be a 2-1/2 year survivor. I was diagnosed with Stage I adenocarcinoma in Sepptember 2001. I had surgery in October 2001. Things went along real well for the first 10 months, but then, what appeared to be another tumor, was detected in the lower lobe of my right lung, in the same area as the first tumor. I went through a second rounf surgery and found that this was a benign tumor. At my 6 month surgery follow-up, April 2, 2003, several "hot" lymph nodes were discovered in my medialsteinal area of my chest. My oncologist ordered a PET Scan and it was discovered that the cancer had spread throughout much of my lymphatic system. A needle biopsy, of one the tumors in my neck, confirmed adenocarcinoma, lung cancer, and because of the extensiveness, I was restaged to Stage IV. I went through 6 cycles of carboplatin/taxol from May 2003 to September 2003. My September CT Scan revealed that the lymph nodes had either shrunk or had become stable. In November, a CT Scan detected a new tumor, this time in my liver.

I started in a clinical study December 2, 2003, testing the efficacy of a new drug, ZD6474, against Iressa. The latest scan, yesterday, showed that there has been no progression of the liver tumor and it is remaining stable.

The key to survival is attitude. Establish a good attitude about yourself, and you will be amazed how that effects treatment out come. Many of the members have similar stories to yours. I call lung cancer the "politically correct" cancer as it crosses all socio-economic boundaries. It dosen't care if you male or female, white or black, a housewife in your 40's or a student in high school, a smoker or non-smoker (non/never smokers have exceeded the number of smokers with lung cancer). It doesn't care if you are the CEO of a large corporation or the laborer on the assembly line. Lung cancer is the cancer for everyone.

You will find that there are many here who have become advocates/activists for lung cancer. For far too many years, lung cancer has been stigmatized by the smoking issue. As with AIDS, 10-15 years ago, the public is suddenly discovering that lung cancer is not the cancer associated with behavior. We don't quite have the momentum that AIDS does, but the momentum has started. It has started because many of us here, refuse to "crawl in our little hole" and stay there. No one deserves lung cancer.

Please use this board to rant and rave, if you must, to ask questions, and definitely let us know what is happening with you. Many of us have exchanged email addresses and telephone numbers, so that if someone doesn't appear on the board for awhile, we have the means by which we can follow-up. That's how close many of us have become.

[jane]

My sister is 48 and a nonsmoker diagnosed in July of 2002 with Stage 4 NSCLC. She is an inspiration. Everyone is right about attitude and perseverence. She refuses to "listen" to statistics and puts her faith in God. She has had a variety of treatments, and has responded positively to each one. It has been 18 months since her diagnosis, and except for her very short hair (which is different "look" than her usual), a stranger would never know that she has cancer.

Shane has tried very hard to eat healthy, exercise when possible, and takes a variety of minerals and supplements. I feel in my heart that those choices have also helped her endure the side effects of the treatments. Recently, the news has become grimmer than it has been in quite a while, but we have the faith that changing her treatment yet again will change that to the good.

I'm so sorry that you and your family are having to grapple with such a serious disease. My heart goes out to you, and to your children.

Jane