Blackmama

Blackmama did you try the salt inhaler and how did you find it...? I am intrigued. I'm stage 4 Breast Cancer with mets to lungs and wondering if a salt inhaler could help manage smptoms longer term...? As a complementary therapy rather than alternative... xx

Thanks for the alert, Blackmama. I will speak to my oncologist this Tuesday while I'm there for an exam, and get more information. I am scheduled to begin chemo on the 26th, so hopefully I will not need surgery at this point. (praying).

Hi! I am new to the site and still trying to figure things out, so I hope I'm doing this right. I have small cell lung cancer and am "doing" cisplatin and etoposide and experiencing the same ringing in the ears/tunnel thing that you are, or were (I searched and found your question from Oct.). I have completed three cycles now and each time it has gotten progressively louder/worse. Have you stayed with your same chemo regimen, or did y'all change? Have your symptoms gotten worse? I'm torn between wanting to kill the cancer and being afraid that the next round will bring a constant screeching in my ears. Thanks. gijanet

Hello Blackmama, I was just thinking of you today and hope you are doing well. I am just waiting to get a brain MRI next week to see if the brain tumor came back . This at least gets me to worry about something other than the lung scans in June lol. Hope you have an enjoyable week and that your scans go well next week. dls

Are you changing your eating protocol?
Check out my profile for some ideas of getting yourself back to radiant health. WE are part of the team and must do our part. Can't just sit around till the next Doc Visit.....ugh
Good Luck!
Barry

I haven't heard from you and was wondering if you are okay. I hope and pray so. Hugs. Janet

Just wondering how you are doing. Have you gone through PCI yet? I just finished 4th round of chemo and now they are wanting to zap my brain............ugh!

How are you doing? I haven't been on this site for a long time...my husband is still in the battle. Going on a year since his diagnosis. He too had surgery...recovery was rough. He had 3 rounds of Chemo which was very hard on him. He's in radiation right now...wont know how it did till later. Be strong and say positive

Hang in there, sweetie. You will feel much less overwhelmed once the folks at MD Anderson finish reviewing your biopsy report and start giving you some solid answers. You're in the right place for now. Everyone here is very supportive.

Do you have a social worker at your local treatment center? The treatment center I go to has all kinds of programs like financial aid, massage, counseling, and general assistance.

If you haven't checked this one out, please do. It is called cleaning for a reason. I live too far from civilization for them to come to me but you might have someone close to you. Here is the web link: http://www.cleaningforareason.org/ They'll come to your house once a month for 4 months and clean your house

Let me know you need any help looking for resources. That's one of the things I like to do. I'm a nut when it comes to looking for financial aid and support services..

read a book, start a journal about your cancer journey, start a diet log. Amazon.com has some really nice diet and exercise log book, cheap.
Give yor friends and loved ones a telephone call.I get my chemo at the VA hospital, "i'm a veteran. I bring an extension cord for my cell phone. We also have a TV at our chemo station. My chemo is 4 1/2 hours a day so I got lots of time to kill. Can your friends come and visit you?

Hi Blackmama,
Sorry, I am not an RN. I just have gone through what you are going through now. Lots of difficult decisions to make. Lots of unknowns and all very scary.

Before I had my lobectomy my oncologist asked if I wanted to get into a trial called the SWOG S0819 Study. It was a randomized phase III study of Carboplatin/Taxol or Carboplatin/Taxol/Avastin with or without the test drug Cetuximab (Erbitux). I went for the surgery, lobectomy instead. After my tumor was removed, they had nothing to guage their progress with in the trial.

After my lobectomy I was asked about joining another trial but was not eligible for the test drug since I did not have Avastin previously. My oncologist could give me the same drugs that I would have had in the trial, with less paper work and less scans. (Don't want too many scans since that can cause cancer also.)

I do believe your oncologist could give you the other chemo drugs, if that is what he/she thinks would be best for you. Read about the chemo drugs you will be having. - Google them if you don't have information about them. As far as radiation therapy, I think it depends on your situation again. I was told I could not have radiation therapy for my lung tumor (tumor was in bad location - now I have no tumor), but if my bones get too painful it could be used there. Talk over your concerns with your oncologist. That is what I did, and we all felt better afterwards and we then had an action plan.

Chemo will not be easy, but there are many new medicines to help with the side effects that come with chemo. You will find the nurses and the patients are very caring people. They do understand what you are going through. You might like to write in a journal while going through all of this. Many people find that helpful. You also have WhatNext for support.

Hope I was able to help. Good luck to you, and keep us posted.
--Journey

Hi Blackmama,
I think it is the oncologist that orders these tests done. It is not a blood test, but from the tissue of the tumor. Perhaps your oncologist has already ordered the tests done. I understand MD Anderson is very good. A lot of new research is being studied on the DNA mutations and such. When you learn about the pathology report, ask for a copy. You may like to refer to it once you get home or at a later date. (I generally try to get copies of all my tests and scans since I was diagnosed with cancer.) The information that I got from the mutation tests was told to me by the doctor, not in writting. She told me that I had no evidence of ALK, no K-ras mutations, and no EGF-R mutations. At the time, I had no idea what she was talking about. I had never heard of these things before and did not know if that was good news or bad news. I later figured it was neither good nor bad news. Let me know if there is anything else I might be able to help you with. Best wishes.
--Journey

Sounds like you're having a rough time with your surgeon, is it possible to go to a different center/hospital for a 2nd opinion and possible treatment? The most important thing is for you to feel comfortable with and trust your team.

Hi Blackmama,
I have Non Small Cell Lung Cancer and had a lobectomy of my lower right lobe. I live in Northern California and had the best thorasic surgeon, with a lot of experience (general surgeon as well as vascular & thorasic surgeon), do my surgery at our local hospital - Alta Bates Hospital. It was a major surgery and I was in the hospital 5 days. They took very good care of me and got me up to walk around the floor just a few days after surgery. Shortly after I came home from the lobectomy I started chemotherapy (4 rounds - Cisplatin every month & Navelbine every week) and also had Zometa infusions or Xgeva shots every month for 2 years. I am now about 3 years out from diagnosis. At this point my PET/CT scans show no new malignancies and I will be having my chemo port removed this coming Tuesday morning. Try to relax and stay calm, though I know that is not easy. Best wishes to you.
--Journey

Re; Dearest friend,

My name is Nanthana Chansithipongse, I want to donate part of what I have to
the needy through. You could be surprised why I picked you. But someone has
to do it. I have been diagonalized with Breast and Blood disease which has
defiled all forms of medical treatment and I have been told by my doctor
that my days are numbered on earth.

I have been touched to donate from what I have made from this World to
charity through you for the good work of humanity, rather than allow my
relatives to use my hard earned funds inappropriately after my death. Please
email me favourmicheal24@ymail.com with your contact information such as Your Full Names, Address,
Direct Telephone number and direct email address so I can tell you what you
need to do and also give you more details about my intentions.

Best Regards.
Mrs Nanthana Chansithipongse

You have come to the right place for support and information. If you have questions, post them. I was diagnosed with extensive SCLC last August and have had chemo, PCI and then, when the tumor recurred, radiation. If I can be of any help, please don't hesitate to ask. I call them speedbumps of life. A positive attitude helps a lot; we can beat this!

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.

You may also find our "Beginner's Guide To Cancer" page helpful Click Here for that=> http://bit.ly/10BQKCi

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

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