Barbcard

Hi Barbcard. You are not alone in this journey. We at WhatNext are here to support you at all times. Make sure to surround yourself everyday with positive friends and family and lean on them. Wishing you all the best in the days to come.
Elaine

Hi Barbcard: You've come to the right place for support and camaraderie. I know things can seem grim, but there is always hope and there is always someone here to lean on. You are never alone. Good luck with your move and I'm sending you wishes for better days.

Welcome to WhatNext Barbcard, You have found the best place to be because there are so many wonderful people that are here to support you and stand by you. I can guarantee you that as long as you are here, you are never alone. As far as dealing with your doctor, please remember that you are a person and not a statistic. If he is not willing to provide you with care that includes both your physical and mental well being, then I suggest you find another doctor. Just because he may be an excellent doctor, he may not realize that his bedside manner needs work. Not all doctors get that their medical knowledge is not all it takes when treating a patient. Talk to your family doctor and see if there is another oncologist in your area that they recommend for you. There also may be people here are WhatNext who live near you and can recommend someone for you. If you have a Cancer Treatment Centers of America near you, call them. They also have a website you can go to and talk live with a counselor. I hope that you realize that we are all here to help you when you need us so just log on and we'll be here for you. Take care and remember that life is worth living and fighting for so stay strong and don't ever give up or give in the cancer because it's not worth it. You are not your cancer, you are a person with a lot of life to live so it's time to kick cancers butt with all of us here to help you do just that.

Hey Barb, Welcome to WhatNext. Sorry to hear you're having a rough time. When we find out we have cancer, it's a serious blow to our emotions. So naturally, anything else that happens just compounds everything. It's good to talk though these things. I encourage you to reach out to any of us here on WhatNext. Speaking for myself, I love chatting about anything and everything. I hope today is better for you. Stay Strong.

Barbcard, If your doctor is cold and distant, maybe it's time to find a new doctor? Your relationship with your doc is very important through this journey.

Hi Barbcard and welcome. You've found a great site. Lots on info here and lots of support. I know it's hard, but keep your chin up. I remember what I learned at one of the first support groups I went to. They said, "Remember, there is no stage of any cancer that someone hasn't come back from." Don't listen to statistics. You aren't a statistic.You can do this. I agree with the post below. Better days are ahead. Stay strong! We are now here for you. I was given a 15% chance, even though my cancer was different from yours and I'm still here. Keep going!

Hello Barbcard, you will find lots of information, experience and support here...I certainly understand the depression that comes along with a cancer diagnosis...and it does not help that your doctor is cold and distant...any chance of changing physicians when you move? I see you live in Bethesda and I would imagine there must be several excellent centers in the area...I know it is a nuisance to switch providers but you owe it to yourself to be comfortable with your provider...I would also consider some integrative therapies like massage, meditation or acupuncture to relieve some of your emotional lows...I am on my way for a massage in a few minutes and it is offered at my cancer center for a remarkably discounted price...then there is also medical/drug intervention if you feel stuck in your depressed mental state...as far as your medication finding you when you move, that will happen seamlessly as soon as you notify them of your new address, just be sure to give them the date of your move...we all have days when this all seems overwhelming but you need to be able to have hope and surround yourself with positivity...I retired a year ago as a nurse practitioner but had worked with a wonderful physician who was diagnosed with lung cancer with mets to her brain over 10 years ago! She is still working and still wonderful!!! She has seen her young daughters grow into young women, seen one off to high school and the other to college...there is ALWAYS hope...find something to laugh at today and get those endorphins flowing ( I never watched Seinfeld when it was on regular TV as I was always at work when it was on, after being diagnosed with breast cancer I started watching reruns and laughed myself silly...it really helps)... I am sending along best wishes, blessings, and a sincere welcome....visit us often.

Hi! I was also diagnosed EGFR and my onc put me on Tarceva right after radiation. She told me (and the literature states) that one should take Tarceva and not chemo. I did take the Tarceva for 17 months before it stopped working, so now I am taking chemo. It appears that the Tarceva added months and I appreciate that. Regarding receiving it once a month, I did that for awhile, and it is scary to receive it that way. I go thru Caremark. I was allowed to contact them each month and set up times for delivery. If you are going away, etc., you can negotiate the delivery dates. After awhile,Caremark offered me a 3 month prescription.

If you're having a problem with the onc, suggest you go for a 2nd opinion. My original hospital insisted that I did not have EGFR, and suggested chemo right away. My second opinion told me all about EGFR, and she insisted on a report. If I hadn't gone to her, I would not have been taking Tarceva in lieu of standard chemo. In the beginning, some of the cancer cells died. After awhile, they figured out how to get around the Tarceva blockage.

There is another lung website, Inspire, that has many comments and questions strictly on lung cancer. There is a "Tarceva Divas and Dudes" group where you can ask the specific questions.

Good Luck!.

Hello and welcome, we are glad you found us. Please feel free to join in the conversations. Here is a link to our cancer dx page for your type of cancer. Take a look at it to get you started on some information. You will notice at the bottom of that page 4 of our active users who have had that journey already, you may wish to contact them for their experience and wisdom. Also, I encourage you to go to the questions page now by clicking on the questions tab at the top of the page and post what is the most pressing issue you have right now. This will introduce you to the community and get you started on the help you need right now.

https://www.whatnext.com/conditions/cancer/lung-cancer

There are also subtypes listed on this page to narrow down the type of cancer to match your dx.

Also, if you can take a few minutes and fill in some details of your journey so far, it will help others as they try to answer questions for you, it also helps others as they search through the data base to find someone like themselves. Confirming your email will allow you to receive updates and notices from the site when someone answers your questions or writes on your wall.

Thanks for being with us and let me know if I can help you find any information on the site. After you have an opportunity to look the site over and see what great things there are here, we encourage you to invite your friends, family or anyone you know that may be helped by the connections on WhatNext to join the site also. Just click this link to invite them to join. http://www.whatnext.com/recruit-a-friend

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GregP 3X Survivor
Team WhatNext Community Mgr

Barbcards,
Keep your chin up...better days are coming. Best of luck to you, Carm RN.

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter