"Wow! You Look Great!"I went to lunch with some friends who haven't seen me in several years. In fact, I probably haven't seen some of them in four or even five years. We...reactionscomments
Tools That Can Help You Manage Your DiseaseFighting lung cancer is nearly a full-time job. The time is long since past that we as patients should sit back and just turn over our health to our doctors...reactions2comments
Life and BreathFebruary 20th of 2014 and the worst day of my life. It was the day I heard the words directed to me, "I am sorry but you have lung cancer." Anyone reading...reactionscomments
What Are The Stages Of Lung Cancer?I am often asked what are the stages of lung cancer and how does your medical team come to the conclusion of your staging. There are MANY tests to help determine...reactionscomments
Living Life After a Cancer DiagnosisI have two dogs. One white. One black. One female. One male. As different from one another as night and day. But, I consider them both lifesavers. When I was...reactionscomments
Reflections on ASCOIn early June, I attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) as a Patient Advocate. Held every year in Chicago, ASCO draws close to 40,000...reactionscomments
Help! I Can't Get a Good Breath!I recently saw a question raised by a lung cancer survivor who was experiencing difficulty breathing after radiation treatments. She wanted to know what tips we had that could help...reactions2comments
The Weight She Carries: Support For The CaregiverThere is a couple I know where the wife is so fed up about losing her sense of identity, losing her sense of joy, and, perhaps most importantly, constantly living...reactions2comments
When They Tell You NED...NED, or No Evidence of Disease. Aren't those the most wonderful words you have ever seen? It doesn't really matter where your cancer is or where it came from because...reactions3comments
How Nonscientific Advocates Can Understand ScienceIn addition to the obvious challenges facing those of us diagnosed with lung cancer, there’s another challenge that many of us are quite simply unprepared for: understanding science. I want...reactionscomments
Kidney Damage From Chemotherapy: My Story and What You Should KnowAfter four chemotherapy infusions, I was feeling pretty good. My energy level and feeling of well-being were on the rise. CT scans showed that my lung cancer was shrinking as...reactions2comments
Coping With Chemo BrainDo you have chemo brain? It's a real thing. I know for a long time, doctors, especially, scoffed at the idea, but they now recognize its reality. The general public...reactionscomments
Understanding DeathA friend of mine recently asked me, as a lung cancer patient, if I had any insight into the process of dying. This seemed reasonable to me -- in the...reactionscomments
Do You Still Smoke?And I mean cigarettes. I'm sure you heard from everyone non-stop that you needed to quit smoking or have you quit? I am here to discuss the harsh realities of...reactionscomments
Reclaiming My AweDo you remember when you were first diagnosed or when you received word that your tumors were on the move again? It was a very scary time, without a doubt...reactionscomments
How Well Is Well When Talking About How We Feel?"I'm doing fine." That is the response I usually give when asked how I am doing. People ask me how I feel and I usually tell them that "I feel...reactionscomments
What Are Specialty Pharmacies And Why Do We Use Them?Let me start by saying that I realize I am lucky to have medical insurance provided through my husband’s employer. There are many people in the lung cancer community who...reactionscomments
Short Shelf LifeLung cancer bloggers are not always around very long. Our community is ever-expanding, but the sad truth is that we can expect a loss of our voices with some regularity...reactionscomments
Taking a Little Break from Cancer with Other Cancer SurvivorsHave you ever visited a Cancer Support Communities (CSC) clubhouse? Every time I go, I think I will be more active. I went yesterday and once more, I am vowing...reactionscomments
Receiving a Stage IV Lung Cancer Diagnosis as a Hospice NurseI have always been the "good" girl...always looking to do "the next right thing". Nursing was the most natural path for me to follow despite the fact that I had...reactions3comments