CancerCompass message board discussion started by Laurap on 8/15/2005 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,2743,0.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ I am new here but just wanted to see if anyone else has a similar situation. May husband was diagnosed in May 05. He has lung cancer in his rt lung which met to his brain and to both adrenal glands. He had caniotomy which removed the brain tumor and has just finished 15 sessions of whole brain radiation. He also completed lung radiation. He is now just taking chemo once a week. The doctors continue to tell him that he is doing great and they did not expect him to do this well. Because of this, he believes he is being cured by his treatment and that everything will be ok. It is difficult for me because he refuses to discuss getting anything in order "just in case". He is 50yr, with non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. Can anyone give me any ideas as to what to expect, is there a cure for Stage iv and what is the life expectancy. The drs are not saying anything. Please help. Laura Laurap Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Tough questions since people handle cancer in different ways, I am glad to hear he is doing better than expected, my wife has the same thing although her cancer in the brain was dealt with by raditation and her cancer is around the heart, on the lung and now recently on her adrenal gland, we are well into the 2nd year of treatments, the dr's let me know upfront that the most time she has is 3 years, and she is just 42 yrs old, she is also stage 4 nsclc ( non small cell lung cancer) we are now in our 4th different treatment, I really feel it is a hit or miss thing with the treatments, just one more thing, dr's go by the body but ultimately it is God who contrls the soul and has final say so, we are very much in the understanding that miricales happen every day. Getting both of you affairs in order is always a good thing to do no matter what, this has allowed me to know what to do if she doesnt survive her cancer and a blessing to know her funeral will be done in a way she approves of, make no bones about it, I want her with me for another 18 yrs or more, however one fact remains from birth we are on a journey to death( or rebirth into his grace) this vessel( our body)will not last forever. you will be in our prayers. Hope this helps Tony Tonyr Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi, I'm new here too but maybe we can help each other. My husband was diagnosed Oct. 04, with lung cancer, surgery 11/4 to remove top 2 lobes of rt. lung, chemo for 6 weeks. They told him he was fine, they got it all. April 05 he started feeling bad and developed a cough. The Dr. treated it as an allergy (with his background, this makes sense). May 05 he collapsed on the golf course and rushed to hosp. His rt. lung had collapsed and another tumor was found, also two more tumors in left lung, four in the brain, lesions one his shoulder, spleen and liver. They suspected it was spreading at the time of surgery. He had full radiation on his brain, shoulder and lung for 21 straight days and is finishing a once a week for two weeks and off a week (5 sessions in all) of Gemzar chemo. I see him getting worse each day. The radiologist told me(not my husband) 2 months ago to get everything in order. She said it was a 6 mos. to a year window but she felt he might not make the 6 mos. He goes for a CAT scan on 9/6 and I hope the Dr. does not offer more chemo options. My husband has not talked about anything either. We went to see a Pallative Counselor that almost painted the real picture but he still seems to be in denial. I know how you feel and I've tried to do all that I can to get things in order, but would really like to be able to talk with him about it. It's very hard! We've been married 45 years. He's never been a big 'talker' on issues. It does, however, sound as though your husband's cancer has not spread as extensively as mine, so maybe there is more hope. Please keep me posted. Your new friend, Pag Sumertym2 Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi Tony, I'm so sorry about your wife and was inspired by your message. My husband and I have been married 45 years and he is going into his 'final days'. Since he has not mentioned getting anything in order and/or his funeral requests(we already have everything purchased) such as songs, palbearers, etc., I feel as though if I mention it, he will think I've given up hope. We have a strong belief in God and a wonderful Church family and study the Bible. We know there are worse things than death and heaven is waiting. I am, however, afraid to ask him what he wants at his funeral? How did you approach that? Pag Sumertym2 Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Dear Laura, My heart goes out to you for what you are going through and will go through. I lost my mom amd her brother to nonsmall cell lung cancer eleven months apart. Both were diagnosed at Stage IV. My mom had mets to the bones and to the adrenal glands and died six months to the day finding out about her diagnosis. My uncle had brain and bone mets and died 16 months later. Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer and we need to educate ourselves about it. Maybe with Peter Jennings and Dana Reeve's more will be available for lung cancer patients and their caregivers. Please find the support you need from the loved one's around you. Educate yourself, because I found the Drs. didn't do too good of a job. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information God Bless, Pam Pamela C. Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Pag, Thanks for the nice reply, as far as approaching your husband on final wishes, the least I can say is timing is probably important, maybe get your pastor involved and have him over for a visit and let him start the discussion, maybe coming from your pastor your husband wont feel so threaten or so removed from the idea of getting his affairs in order, the way I approached it was to ask my wife directly with a whoooole lot of subtleness. hope this helps, Tony Tonyr Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT My sister was also diagnosed with Stage 4 20 months ago. She refused the surgies urged by her doctors. She has refused any Chemo. She only will allow a radiation therapy called Novalis which has little or no side effects. Although she started with a tumor in her lung ..it has spread to her heart, bones, liver and brain. But I have got to tell you...she does not think she is dying and that is that. Her weight is good and she continues every day to search our natural ways to cure the cancer. The radiated 3 tumors in her brain last week. Will she surive? Not sure. The odds say no. Her doctor said without any aggressive treatment 9 more months. That would be in line with what the first doctor said when she refused surgery. But for now she is happy. She will not think of dying. She always thinks of this as a cure. New spots are small spots. You know I am not sure if that is wrong. GOD will decide when you are to go home. All the medical nonsense in the world can't stop that. Should she live sick? Should she live as if she is dying? I am on her all of the time. Get your affairs in order..do this...you should do that. I can't print what she tells me to do. But GOD BLESS her. If she lives 9 months or 90 years she did it her way. She was never sick. She feels the mind controls a great deal. In the end it is her body, her life and her cancer. I can only support and love her now and value every minute I have with her. If it is only for 9 minutes, 9 days or 9 years. I hope and pray for you, your husband and family. This is hard. Until I responded to you..I really never admitted I have to allow her to think the way she wants. Thank you for helping me. May GOD bless you. Michaelj Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Thank you Tony for responding. I hope that your wife is doing well. We celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary yesterday and it was great to see him in such high spirits. It is difficult to think that he may not be here for the 20th. He had his PET scan yesterday so we are just waiting to hear what the result are. It is so scary not knowing what to expect from one day to another. I am just grateful that the cancer has not taken its toll on him, as of yet. The radiation to the head was hard on him but luckily it was only 15 treatments. Not sure what the long term effects might be. It has effected his short term memory though. He also lost all hair due to the radiation. I will keep you posted on the PET results. I will pray for you and your wife. Trust in God for he is always with his children. Laura Laurap Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT I am so sorry to hear about your mother and your ucle. I can only imagine how difficult is must be. Know that they are in a beautiful place. Did your mother have any treatments such as chemo or radiation? It is just so confusing for me because one would think that the drs would be giving us more information. The more research I do about stage iv lung cancer, the more I read that there is no cure. Most of the time frames I have read say the patient normally has anywhere from 6 months to 1 years. They will not remove the lung since they say the cancer is too extensive. I have read where people have had their lung removed if there were limited aread affected. I guess since both his adrenal glands are affected this is not an option for him. Many people who have had brain radiation say that this treatment really doesn't help too much because most of the time the cancer comes back but in a different location withing the brain. Also, if only one adrenal gland were effected then perhaps they would have removed it. It is just so much to take in. It has been a little over 3 months since the DX and I just don't know what to expect. We have been married for 19 years (anniversary yesterday) and I am not sure what i will do if he were not here. Thank you for taking the time to write. Please give me any information you may have. Thank you again. laura Laurap Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi Pag, I am sorry to hear how hard the cancer has been on your husband and how hard it is on you. My husband too is not really a big talker. He has always taken care of everything and now I feel so overwhelmed at the idea of having to take care of everything. He tells me that he does not want me to worry about anything. That there is nothing I can do to change anything. I figure he is waiting to see how his PET scan comes out and then perhaps he will decide what he needs to do at that point. We have been married for 19 years. He is 12 years older than me so I have always looked to him for support and guidance. Now, it looks like it may be the other way around and I am really scared. The possibility that he may not be here much past 6 months - 1 year is overwhelming to me and I just don't know what to do. I can only be there for him and help him through this the best I can. I find that I am now the support and guidance for him and it really feels different for me. He tells me that everything is going to be ok because he is being cured and he is going to be ok. This is just the opposite of what I have read and what others have told me. I can't address it with him because then it looks as though I have lost hope. I haven't. I am just trying to accept a possible reality so that if it does happen, I will not break down completely. I am so confused at this point. I dropped out of college so that I could be with him as much as poosible. Take care and I hope to hear from you. laura Laurap Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi Laura, Though I can say "I know how you feel", I know that each of us have our own individual feelings. So we can try to comfort one another the best we can. I am going to call Hospice next week and attempt to get answers and help from them. I will let you know what happens. My husband is still able to eat some, go to the bathroom, etc. but I feel sure that very soon he will be unable to do anything. He has traveled on his job for the last 35 years and I've always taken care of everything so that's not a problem. I need to know his initial feelings and wishes. You know like what songs do you want sung at the funeral, can we talk about some of our happy times and wonderful memories, is there anything we need to say to each other. I just want to talk it out and he says nothing. Now, he is having trouble remembering and communicating too, so it may be too late. I will, however, accept that because he has always been that way and I loved it and him. We must trust in God and let Him lead us. Blessings, Pag Sumertym2 Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Laura, Firstly, "Happy Anniversary" to you and your husband. Nineteen years is something to be very proud of. I have a lot of information for you. My mom finished a round of chemo and then opted to go on Iressa, the rest is history. Traditional medicine does not seem to be doing much for lung cancer patients or for other cancer patients for that matter. When my mom got sick, I started to research homeopathic medicines. I do believe there is a lot to be said for natural remedies and diets. Cancer Treatment Centers are definitely working in the right direction. They were not an option for us because of having an HMO here in N.Y.. Large doses of chemo and radiation weaken the body and permanently damage healthy cells and make it very difficult for one's immune system to fight off cancer. There is so much information I feel we do not know. Our Dr. never told just how deadly lung cancer is, I found out by my own research. We are definitely not winning the war on cancer when I see so many battles around me being lost. Please feel free to contact me at anytime. I have a wealth of information that I finally can share that may help. Pamela C. Pamela C. Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi to all, I am also new to this forum and as I'm reading your messages I am identifying with all of you. My husband is Stage IV with mets all over. I am very worried about the 15 sessions of WBR and the 10 sessions on his lumbar spine. He's taking chemo, Taxol, Carbo and Avastin, two sessions so far 3 weeks apart. This last chemo was 7 days ago and he has not eaten a full meal yet, but there's a lot of throwing up. Why is it that our men, mine is 65 years old, are so believing that getting through the therapies will save their lives? We have a very expensive nutritionist that tells him to drink a lot of water and to eat an alkaline diet (very hard to do!) and he won't do it. He says "I'm trying". I know he feels bad, but where/how can I help him understand that without his strict adoption of optimum food intake he has little to no chance of survival? He has not read up on his disease. He says it makes him woozy. I don't understand why he doesn't want to know what is happening to him. I would be intensely researching the options if it were me, and I did do this for him for the first four weeks (DX 7/5/05), but it made me crazy when I would give him healthy suggestions and he discounted them. He has no doubt that his mantra "I'm going to whip this thing? is reality. I believe that he has little to no chance of longer term survival if he doesn't do anything to aid in the fight. The hardest thing I am dealing with is not knowing what he's thinking. He will not share his most inner thoughts and he is slow on the uptake to put his affairs in order also. So, I am going to do it for me without him. Yes, I think I now must accept that I will be doing many things independant of what he does or thinks. The whole brain radiation has definitely changed him...he seems to have an almost constant "deer in the headlights" look and although I can't be specific I just know that he's not firing on all his spark plugs. He thinks he's normal. Before radiation he was scared, but not slow/foggy in his physical responses or thoughts. Will this ever go away? His last radiation was was 8/3 to the brain. I am scared almost all the time. When I soothe him I can only think about what day he'll not be here with me. When he won't eat my first thought is that he does not want to live. Any one else have any comments about what the chemo and radiation does to them? I, too, do not like or trust doctors in general. They tell us nothing!!!!!!!!! But they get paid the big bucks. I could do as much. "OK, you've got cancer. I suggest chemo and radiation." What degree did I need to do that? That's all they do. I have been on their case since we started and they don't change their tune. They love it if they see you grin or smile, and that's the trigger that they need to leave the exam room; I think they think they were effective communicators if they leave you smiling???? As you can tell I'm still angry about cancer and cannot get comfortable that I'm losing my friend, my lover and my husband and I can't get any "professional" to tell us what's happening and what we can expect to experience. Thank you for your help out there. We need to stick together for better treatments and better communications, Marie Sweet Pea Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Well, we got the PET scan back last week and it has now moved to his spine, hip bone, legs, and liver. also, his lf adrenal gland is worse. The Dr said that the chemo did not work; no kidding!!!!! He said he was going to put my husband on a more aggressive chemo. Since then, my husband has not been doing well. He has to force himself to eat most of the time, he is in a lot of pain and feels he doesn't have much time. To tell the truth, neither do I. It has just spread like wild fire and again, I can find no good news. Does anyone have a loved one who has it in this many places? Did the Drs tell youn anything? Our Drs justed acted as though this was pretty routine and he is going to try something else and see if it works. He said nothing about getting your affairs in order, live your life to the fullest, you have at best ??? to live; nothing!! I am so upset and sad at the same time. I feel the Drs don't want to tell you anything that is negative because the patient might opt to quit treatments and the Drs would be out of the money they could have made.... It is all so upsetting to me. I am scared, worried, mad, confused... Anyone have any comments? Please write me. laura Laurap Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT Laura, Im sorry to hear about your husband. Just remember to stay strong, have faith,and pray. There is no definite answer because everyone may react differently.....there's always hope just grab onto it!! I will pray for your family :) My dad 57yrs old was just recently diagnosed w/NSCLC stage 4 in June 05. The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, liver, bones, and just recently the brain. He's doing well with a new drug the the doc has treated him with. He is on his 3rd chemo cycle,and things are looking good as far as his lab results. His tumor in his left lung is starting to break down in the middle, and he says he feels better each and everyday through eating right, exercise, and most importantly prayer. The only problem now is his brain mets...our oncologist says that he needs whole brain radiation due to the extend of his brain mets....,but I'm so so very worried what may happened to him with the radiation theraphy....memory loss??? Im not sure what to expect with this radiation???? luckystar Luckystar Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT I'm sorry to hear about your husband. I'm going through what your going through too. My dad has NSCLC stage 4 -lungs,bone,spine, and now the brain. We are also trying tsame drugs as your husband is too. Recently, he was diagnosed with brain mets.... the doc recommends whole brain radiation bc they are unsure whether the avastin goes to the brain or not. My dad is sooo sooo scared of what the radiation can do to him......but our hands are tied now.......He does not smoke, no family history..... Luckystar Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT Dear Marie: I am new to this site. My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer Jan. 2004 and then brain metastasis in July and most recently metastasis to the adrenal glands. He has been on chemo, carbo and taxol and now on gemzar. He has had whole brain radiation and stereotactic radiation on 3 different occasions most recently in July. He went through the not wanting to eat. Maybe I should say not able to eat. It does get better the further out they get from the radiation. I find that chemo close to radiation is like a double whammy. You are right, nutrition is key. I believe you have to at a minimum supplement traditional medicine with non-traditional. My husband has been going to an accupunturist since last October. He is Chinese and trained in Bejing in Chinese medicine. He takes several herbal products, one for his immune system the other for his appetite. It has been very helpful. Doctors do paint a very grim picture so I look for those people who are surviving. If it is a day, a month, a year or years, it is surviving. There may be a day I won't have this same attitude but for now it helps me to cope. Doctors are quick to say there is no cure. But try asking them "well,isn't that true of high blood pressure, diabetes, etc." There is a site that I have found very helpful in keeping spirits up. The site is "Robert Karjala". While he has passed on he was quite the fighter and was surviving lung cancer. There are a number of natural medicines he was taking including Essiac tea. He has his regimen outlined. There is just so much to say on the subject. As a final note I finally had to tell the oncologist that I did not want to hear "this is one battle you are not going to survive". Good luck! Diana21 Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi Laura, I am 46 yrs old and was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in July. I am sure you are aware that even though cancer is sometimes referred to as cured or as in remission, the cancer will often return in tumors that chemotherapy drugs can no longer effectively treat. I have done much reading on these "drug resistant cells". The upper lobe of my right lung, five lymph nodes and the tumor from my brain were all removed. The doctors feel confident they got all the tumor masses, but said that because the cancer had already spread I need radiation and chemotherapy. I have often wondered why some cancer patients were said to be cured or cancer free only to be let down in a short amount of time with the return of the disease in a much stronger, chemo resistant form. I learned that about 2% of the original tumors and/or cells are made up of these drug resistant cells, an amount that is neglibile during testing, thus the cancer-free or cured diagnosis is sometimes mistakenly given. I found some information on alternative medicene websites about a supplement called Paw-Paw Cell Reg. I have no idea if it works, but the testimonials are strong that this supplement kills the drug resistant cells that chemotherapy misses. I am on this supplement, and pray that it works. It is very inexpensive and I have had no side effects from taking it. Another natural supplement that is supposed to be effective is Essiac Herbal Tea. You can read about these and other alternative/complimentary supplements by running a search on "cancer cures" or "alternative cancer". I pray God's blessings to you all, Kay Mkayb Wed, 07 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT My mother was diagnosed in May '05 with stage Iv Lung cancer and she wasn't one of the lucky ones to get her turmor removed from her middle/lower right lung due to the fact that the cancer spread to her upper chest walls. She was only able to do 3 chemo, treatments due to the fact that her blood count would drop. So now she is on a trial drug Traceva, which is suppose to slow the progression of the tumor. But on her last visit there was no change, and I asked if the tumor was shrinking and right away the dr said she has small cell everywhere, which was the first we heard of this... I agree with you that these dr's don't do a very good job when trying to explain what we are to expect I know everyone is different but they should get upset when we ask questions. I am so glad to have found this site, because there are days and nights I just think and can't take that my mom is sick with this lung cancer that I just want to lay down and cry and hopefully wake up and it all be gone. I have to keep the faith and that god will take care of my mother. I am also my mother's care giver, which right now she does everything on her own, but I dont' know how I can prepare my self when things start getting tougher. Thanks and God Bless You. Latina ne Fri, 09 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT Pam are still around........I too need some guidance................... Barbara Babs3225 Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT Barbara, Hello! Hope this email finds you well. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I continue to learn more and more about lung cancer and other cancers as well. Sincerely, Pamela C. Pamela C. Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT My mother has stage IV lung cancer - diagnosed in Mar 05. She has responded great to her treatments and the cancer in her lungs seems to be inactive. However, there is still activity in her lymph nodes and I am afraid the cancer has spread to her bones. She has a severe pain in her upper back all the way around to under her breast. It sounds like rib pain. I was curious what symptoms your loved ones had of the bone cancer. Thanks. Mom Has Cancer Thu, 08 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi everyone ! Kathy mum has sclc and brain mets she has had chemo but couldn't complete the course because her blood counts kept falling . She is now 3 weeks post radiation treatment, we have just had a crisis where she heard voices and became confused, the Drs think it is a flare up post radiation but I am not so sure. During her stay in the hospice she spoke for the first time of being tired and perhaps not keep fighting. This conversation was the hardest we have had i new then she tired of all the needles and pills and she was I think letting me know she cant go on. I to want to sleep and wake up as we used to be fighting and laughing ! But we cant go back the tears just come . I wish you both well and if you need to chat leave me a message justine x Justamb Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT Hi to all. I am so glad I have found all of you who are dealing with the same thing I am. My mom, who is 62, was found four weeks ago to have a 6 cm tumor which was nsclc. Two days later on CT scan they found 5 tumors in her brain, one with several smaller tumors adjacent to it (so more than 5). They also found a tumor on her right adrenal and on bronchoscopy found another lesion in the bronchus of her right lung. Tough news. Hard to swallow so much in just a couple days. She has since had 15 whole brain radiation treatments and has been told 6 months to 1 year. My mom, in the last two weeks has had chest pain in her sternal area and her legs from her knees to her ankles hurt her every day. I have asked the doctor about the chest pain to see if he thinks it could be bone mets. He tells me it does not matter. It does to me. He went on to say that it wouldn't change his course of treatment if it was and that is why he doesn't answer my questions. The doctor told me more like 6 months when I was in visiting with him about other questions he skirted around when my mother was there. He still wouldn't be up front with me. I just wish they would be honest. My sister, brother and I would like to know. My mom cancelled her chemo appt. They had her set up to infuse Carboplatin and Taxol once every three weeks. He said this was for palliation to stave off some of the symptoms she would soon be experiencing, i.e. fluid in the lungs, etc. I just have to ask...would chemo actually be a palliative treatment or one more that would hurt her this late in the game. I have always worried about what it would do to her immune system knowing full well it would take it completely out of commission...what about pneumonia? She is already having horrible coughing, gagging jags where she brings up yellow fluid. I keep trying to feed her healthy to bring up her immune system to fight this awful disease that way. I don't know what else to do for her. She is getting so confused. It is hard to see her this way. I just let her talk even if the story she tells isn't true as I have tried correcting her, and I make her even more confused so just let her be. When later she remembers the true story I find much peace and delight! These are the things I will hold close to my heart. Oh, how these people struggle. I just wish there was something more we could do. For now, I will enjoy every possible moment I can with my dear mother. Rhonda Newby Sat, 15 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT You are a very lucky woman. Stage 4 is serious, however ca. in general is serious. Nobody can predict how ca. or treatment will affect one. They can speculate all day but their not God. My husband was diagnosed with lung ca. on 1-22-07 with mets to the brain, other than the ca. he was healthy. He died on 3-17-07. He was 44 years old. He only got 51 days from diagnosis. He tried hard to fight it. Radiation took a toll on him fast. He worked up uuntil Jan.15, 07. Not really any warning until it was 2 late. My mother was diagnosed 1-26-06, She died 12-6-06. She lived a little over 10 months. My advice to you, whatever you do,do not take away his hope. When the time is near he will know. When he does start making arrangements it needs to be in his time. For now his body is telling him to fight so you fight with him and encourage him and praise him for his courage. He needs that from you more than ever. Whatever you do make sure he knows hes not a burden and remember to take care of yourself. It's ok if you need a break. Let him know every day how much you love him. Even though this is a very difficult time for you and your family, each day is precious. There is no cure for stage 4. Only treatment and grace from God. My husband did not want to die, in a way our lives had just begun, I had also graduated nursing school in Dec. however the last week and half he spent it getting things in order. Then on Thurs. 3-15-07 he got in his recliner. Friday morning he went into the active phase of dying. Sat. morning at 3:52 am he took his last breath. Ca. patients are special, they know when the time is near. For now love, him because tomorrow things may change. Once hes gone, hes gone. Make sure you will have no regrets. May God bless you and your husband. Pray with him and for him.  I will pray for your family as well. Angie32 Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT I am new to this site and would like to thank all for their postings. My husband was diagnosed with lung stage 1 mest to brain stage IV in March of this year. He has gone through brain radiation (10 treatments) and his first batch of 3 (1 per week) chemo treatments. I understand that they are doing a series of 12 chemo's so we have 3 more 3 week treatments to go. He ended up in the hospital last week for 1 week because of a drug reaction. (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome) (very serious and life threatening). He is home now, and doing better; but, because they suspect Taxol as the problem I do not know about further chemo. This is very difficult to go through. We have been married 31 years and he is young (55). I am lucky, my husband insists on talking about it and that he will not survive this (realism), but has not given up hope or "trying to fight this thing". We plan for the enevitable (worst), and hope for the best, that is all anyone can do.I have finally broched the subject about natural medical alternatives. He has agreed to go to a clinic in Nevada to take some naturals "cures" when all this MD nonscense is over and we are looking into other health and natural cures also. Even if they do not "cure", standard medicine doesn't cure anything either. Getting into "good" health ..... never killed anyone.Anyone have any "natural" cures out there, let me know. I am sceptical and I research everything like crazy, but I am not unreasonable. I know that there is a lot of "Natural" voo doo out there. But, standard medicine is full of a lot of voo doo, too.We are considering the Forsythe Clinic in Reno. I do not know if this is just another sham, but then radiation and chemo could also be considered a sham if lots of money is spent, on nothing but "feel good" cures that do not work, (as well).I too get a little tired of all the "this isn't curable" nonscence as well. A little bitter and angry. So much is spent on cancer research that you'd think that medical science would have this licked by now (if not for the fact that it would be so financially devistating to someone's interest).   Gizmolove Sat, 26 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT Tony, that was a very positive message that you left Laura - kudos to you.  You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers :)  I too was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago.  Like you said we all have to leave this earth someday - however I pray every day that I stay for at least another 1/4 century - I am a 47 year old female with one daughter who is 22.  I have started some of the funeral arrangements and with your advice I will soon finish it.  In the meantime I will live strong and be positive and trust in the Lord.  Thanks for sharing your feelings on this site.God Bless, .... Cat Catrina Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 11/20/2007 Catrina wrote:Tony, that was a very positive message that you left Laura - kudos to you.  You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers :)  I too was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago.  Like you said we all have to leave this earth someday - however I pray every day that I stay for at least another 1/4 century - I am a 47 year old female with one daughter who is 22.  I have started some of the funeral arrangements and with your advice I will soon finish it.  In the meantime I will live strong and be positive and trust in the Lord.  Thanks for sharing your feelings on this site.God Bless, .... CatCat, Alot of time has passed since I wrote that message,  my dear Jackie ppassed away into God's life on July 4th 2006 not even a year after I wrote that, take it from me, that by sharing and preparing it was easier for not only her but me and my 3 children as well. God bless and take care Tony Tonyr Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT