Laralyn Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Hi--I'm Laralyn. I was treated for HPV+ SCC in my tonsil and soft palate in 2012, and was all clear until discovery of lung cancer in October. I was diagnosed with Stage IIIa NSCLC (HPV+ SCC again). I completed 6 weeks of chemoradiation on December 29th, and am having two consolidation chemo treatments with Carboplatin+Taxol starting the end of January. I've been looking for active forums to ask questions and for a sense of community with other lung cancer patients. I went to the CSN forums during H&N cancer treatments (which are super active) but the lung cancer forums there have almost no activity. I'm glad to have found this community! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Hi Laralyn. Glad you found us. Sounds like you have had some good treatments so far. You say they have more schedules in a short time. At least you had a few weeks of rest I hope. Your town has been on the news . They say the Rams are coming back. Looks like you've been getting lots of rain too. Have you got friends and family close by to help you? All that radiation and chemo can take a lot from you. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Feel free to ask questions. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Laralyn, I join Donna in welcoming you to our forum. This is the place to ask questions about lung cancer and many here will be able to help. Since you were diagnosed and successfully treated in 2012, I'll venture you know a thing or two about cancer treatment. We share a diagnosis - NSCLC Squamous cell. I also had Taxol and Carboplatin, in fact 18 infusions. There were few chemo alternatives available and Taxol Carboplatin kept knocking back my tumors so my oncologist kept using it. Unfortunately, I've acquired what is known as "Taxol Toes" or a painful burning sensation in my feet and particularly my toes. For some, this is a short lived side effect but I had so much Taxol it still persists 12 years later. I echo Donna by asking to let us know how you are doing with your treatment. Questions? Ask away. Stay the course. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laralyn Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi, Donna and Tom! Thanks for the welcome! Donna, we don't have many friends and no family where we live, so it's just me and my spouse going through this. Our friends and family are very supportive remotely, though, which does help. Tom, it's great to know the Carboplatin and Taxol worked for you! I'm hoping it works for me too. I have some anxiety about the consolidation chemo treatments (which start in two days) because I haven't ever had a full chemo dose. Both times I had chemo (in 2012 and then for this), it was the lower weekly doses you get when you're also having radiation. I remember having a lot of anxiety over my first chemo in 2012 and I probably was anxious before the first chemo last year too, but I just have to go and get through it. It's hard not to get discouraged by statistics and odds, but I'm doing my best to hang in there. --Laralyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyA Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi Laralyn, Welcome to the LCSC message boards. I know the statistics too, however I know so many people personally who make those statistics seem unreal! Thanks to better treatment options more people are living better with lung cancer. I hope reading and chatting with some of our survivors and caregivers in here will help give you some hope. Please let me know if I can help you with any of LUNGevity's support resources. I look forward to getting to know you more. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Laralyn, Statistics you say! They are indeed sobering, so much so, that I fell prey to their gloominess. I studied a lot about statistics and promptly forgot most of what I learned when diagnosed. Dr. Stephen Jay Gould reminded me that a statistical projection may not apply to me. Here is a youtube of his essay The Median is not the Message that you might find helpful in putting statistics into prospective. Clinicians and practitioners are well intended but cancer survivor statistics are not very precise indicators. Remember, that you are "in the variation" as an individual cancer survivor and the aggregation of data to determine a mean or median may be of academic interest but it does not necessarily pertain to your situation. Stay the course. Tom CindyA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laralyn Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 Thanks, Cindy! I debated whether to send my information to LifeLine but I tend to be fairly shy so I hesitated. Tom, it's funny that you should post The Median Isn't The Message. I blogged as I went through head and neck cancer treatments in 2012 and that was one of the first things I blogged about! Yet somehow I lost track of the spirit of that article in the intervening time. Thank you for reminding me of it--it was timely, since my consolidation chemo starts tomorrow and I've had some anxiety about it. Tom Galli 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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