Deciding on Radiation Treatments"Your tumor is growing. I am sorry, but I am pulling you out of your clinical trial," my oncologist said. And, with that, my world came crashing down all around...reactionscomments
Immunotherapy and My New NormalUntil very recently, chemotherapy has been one of the only options for first-line treatment for lung cancer. Depending on your tumor(s), you may receive chemotherapy in a mild form or...reactionscomments
Lessons from Love and LossI bet you're thinking of your loved ones, right? Well, I am actually not. What I am writing about is all the friends I have made throughout my lung cancer travels. I have...reactionscomments
Getting Easier While Getting TougherCancer treatment can be a whole world of contradiction for a patient. Because of our individual biologies and the unpredictability of treatments, not to mention the cancer cells themselves, it...reactions4comments
Colitis and OpdivoOpdivo, an immunotherapy, can cause many side effects. Some of which are itching, rash, fatigue, pneumonitis, and colitis. I have always had the rash and fatigue and it appears that...reactionscomments
My Partner Is Not My CaregiverIn cancer terminology, there is a lot of very loaded language. Terms like "survivor" have become so ingrained that patients even worry about when it is okay to use the...reactionscomments
Doctors Sometimes Need Advice TooHow many of us have lived with the notion that the doctors with whom we interact know everything about the medical circumstances we find ourselves in? That they are smarter...reactions2comments
Chemo AngelsHave you ever heard about Chemo Angels or Angel Mail? Chemo Angels are a wonderful group of people who simply want to be Angels in the lives of cancer patients or caregivers. They...reactionscomments
I Had to Retire. Now What Do I Do with My Time?Way too many of us find that we can no longer continue to work at an 8-5 job after we are diagnosed with cancer. Besides the challenges of having to...reactionscomments
Inhaling Just FineA friend of mine who teaches yoga asked me about how my lung cancer affects my breathing. That is an interesting question with a variety of answers, which I will...reactionscomments
What My Rash Has Taught MeI have certainly learned a few things through the process of dealing with my latest, nagging side-effect. This persistent rash, covering me quite literally from head to toe, could have...reactionscomments
Sweeping Myself Into a PileLately, I have been getting really tired of cleaning up after myself. Literally, cleaning myself after myself, if that makes any sense. I am constantly shedding so many dead skin...reactionscomments
Recalculating...I attended a workshop taught by Shera Dubitsky, formerly a senior advisor to Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer. She called...reactionscomments
Positive Contributions Equal a Brighter DayHave you ever met that person who enters a room and is instantly likable? Someone who has a positive comment to make about everything she sees? Think of the type...reactions3comments
Meet Nicole - Part IIThis is Part II of the article series, Meet Nicole, taken from a March 2018 interview with Nicole McNair of Greensboro, NC. Dusty:How did they tell you that you had...reactionscomments
The Right Place and TimeFor all my complaining about living in Los Angeles, I have to acknowledge how fortunate I am to be here. As with many things in life, since being diagnosed with...reactionscomments
Medical Marijuana - An Ideas Whose Time Has Come?I attended a LUNGevity Lunch and Learn meeting yesterday. During the Survivor Stories session, a man I will call Jack began telling his story. He was diagnosed with advanced small...reactions2comments
Get Your Smile OnLaughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain. --Charlie Chaplin I recently listened to a Webinar put on by the Texas Oncology Foundation that was called Survivorship: Your...reactions1comment
Sleep Hygiene and a Cancer Patient's InsomniaOn a recent visit to my oncologist, we got to talking about some of the issues I was currently dealing with. The treatment I had been on was particularly low...reactionscomments
Do I Think About Having Lung Cancer Every Day?A good friend of mine asked me a little while ago if I think about the fact that I have lung cancer every day. I had to stop for a...reactions12comments