Today was the last Treatment

Today I had the fourth chemotherapy treatment which starts the last of the four three-week treatment cycles. 

In three weeks, I will begin the maintenance phase, which still involves chemotherapy, but only one drug instead of two.  Otherwise the maintenance phase is pretty much the same as the treatment phase. I'll still receive an anti-nausea and a steroid drug through the IV prior to the chemo drug being administered.  I'll still have some fatigue, although somewhat less, a few days after the chemo.  I will still be on the once every three week cycle for at least the next nine weeks.  Eventually, it may extend to once every four weeks and then continue in that format as long as the chemo keeps working. 

I will have a CT along with the first maintenance chemo on July 2.  Hopefully, the CT will show even fewer and smaller lesions than the last scan done on May 19th.

The doctor shared some promising research that was all the buzz at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) convention held in Chicago recently.  The third generation of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (the drug line that uses the same approach to fight the cancer as Tarceva had been doing for me) is showing some really good success in current clinical trials and the trials are now being fast-tracked. The new oral drug may be available to the public as early as six months from now but should be available no later than sometime in 2015.  It has been showing a 50-60% success rate and appears to have gentler side effects than Tarceva.  So maybe that will be something for me once it becomes available.


That's all the news for now. 

Good Results from CT and 3rd Chemo Today

Good news!  The chemo appears to be working well.  Today's CT scan showed several of the lesions had some shrinkage and some of them may even have gone away.  Dr. Bonomi was very pleased with the results.  So we continue with this chemo program for six more weeks before moving into a maintenance chemo mode. 

I had my 3^rd of 4 chemo treatments today and that went very smoothly as well.  Doug took the day off of work to be with me for everything, which was really nice.  We are both relieved and very happy to have this day behind us and to get such positive results.

2nd Chemo Treatment Today

I had my second chemotherapy treatment today and all went smoothly.  My friend Nancy kept me company and the time went by very pleasantly, thanks to her. 


The blood work looked pretty good.  A few things are just slightly above or below normal range, but Irene, my oncology nurse, is "0%" concerned about any of the results, so nothing to worry about.


Irene said my reaction to the chemo should be the same as it was for the first one.  That means I will likely feel some fatigue starting this Wednesday midday and continue to have some midday fatigue Thursday and Friday.  By Saturday, I should feel totally normal.


Next chemo, May 19th, will also include a CAT scan of the lung so we should get a sense at that time for how the cancer is reacting to the chemotherapy treatment.  Hopefully, we will see some reduction in number and/or size of the cancer lesions.


Stay tuned!

A Good Weekend

The last of the chemo fatigue wore off by midday Friday and so I had a very nice weekend with normal energy and activity.  If this is what the other cycles will be like, I can live with it.


I never had any nausea.  The fatigue I felt during the week was pretty mild and typically occurred midday and then went away by evening.  My sleep is also improving.


So a good weekend overall!

1st Chemo plus 3 days

OK.  So today I finally felt fatigued right around noon for the first time.  In spite of that, I still managed to walk the dogs for a couple of miles and ride the recumbent stationary bike for 45 minutes in addition to a couple of naps and couch time reading.


Up until this afternoon I was feeling pretty normal, other than some fitful sleeping.  I blame the steroids for that.  Only one more day on a steroid for this cycle and then I'll be done with them until the next round.


I'm hoping the fatigue subsides a bit for tomorrow as I have a lot of activities planned. I will cancel some of them if I need to but I'd rather not.


So it hasn't been bad so far.  Let's hope it doesn't get any worse.  :)

First Chemo Treatment is Done

Today I had my first chemotherapy treatment.  It went pretty well.  I had no discomfort.  The needle went in smoothly (hopefully, that means I won't need a port); there was no nausea or other effects I felt.  I am tired, but that may just be the stress of the day.


The real test of how I manage will be over the course of the rest of this week.  The fatigue and potential nausea supposedly kick in around Wednesday and may last as little as a day or as long as a week.  The drugs they gave me today included a couple to prevent nausea and boost energy.  I also will be taking pills over the next three days to do the same.


I will post at least once more this week to let everyone know how I'm coping with the side effects.

Lung Cancer Statistics You Should Know

Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer for both men and women in the United States.  Yet the funds for lung cancer research are the lowest in funding per cancer death.


Click on this link for a quick summary of lung cancer statistics. 


In the United States for the year 2012, 73,000 women died of lung cancer while 40,000 died of breast cancer, one of the best funded forms of cancer.  For specifics on lung cancer in women, see the statistics here. 


For specific statistics on the occurrence of lung cancer is non-smokers, see this link.


Please share this information with others.  We have got to raise awareness, break down myths, and turn these trends around.


Please help!