Are Advertisements Offering Too Much False Hope?...You know, I'm just not sure what I think about all of the advertisements that we are constantly bombarded by on television, in magazines, on social media... Everywhere, it seems...reactionscomments
Cancer Invincibility...I have been meaning to schedule my annual mammogram. It’s also time for a colonoscopy. This morning I put both of those tasks on my calendar to do today. Surprisingly...reactions2comments
Using Medication To Quit Smoking...Chantix - it is a medication that either scares you to death or is a life-saver. Chantix is a medication used to help people quit smoking. According to their website, Chantix works by binding...reactionscomments
Changing Meds...I was first on Keytruda and a Chemo for 15 treatments. Two CT scans done after the third and sixth treatment showed the tumor shrunk but after the 15 treatment...reactions2comments
It's About the Journey...I remember the days following my diagnosis as if they were yesterday. I was told I might not have very many more days here on earth, so I decided I...reactionscomments
Balancing Parenting with Cancer Treatment...Being a cancer patient does not counteract parental duties, though I often wish it would. Many times I have had to drag my child along with me when I was...reactionscomments
Progress in Federal Funding for Lung Cancer...At the end of June, a bipartisan amendment was passed to restore the budget for the Department of Defense (DOD) Lung Cancer Research Program to $20 million for 2019. What...reactionscomments
Fighting the Good Fight...I am 10 months into my fight against stage 4 Adenocarcinoma lung cancer (NSCLC). I am stage 4 as the cancer metastasized to my femur. It is a long story...reactions8comments
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 Normal...Until 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 Loss...I 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 Tougher...Cancer 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 Opdivo...Opdivo, 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 Caregiver...In 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 Too...How 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 Angels...Have 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 Fine...A 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 Me...I 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