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It was an interesting and trying weekend. Friday evening (of course it would be Friday after hours) I developed shortness of breath when I went to bed that resulted in multiple calls to Hospice, ...

Still Trying To Get It Right

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After my second visit from my Hospice nurse and my first visit with the social worker I am ensconced in my recliner with my son’s laptop and a pretty rotten day is winding down very nicely. I ...

Hospice is a Wonderful Thing for a Lung Cancer Patient

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Sorry to be away for a while, but between Thanksgiving and a fairly rapid decrease in my strength and abilities resulting in a more sudden start to my work disability than I expected, I have been ...

A Bit Overwhelmed with Lung Cancer

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That’s what my life is centered around, right now - searching for some energy. My pain is controlled except for some mild discomfort in my left hip when I’m walking around on it. Occasional mild ...

Searching for Energy with Lung Cancer

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That’s about the sum of it. I suspect the answer to that question is that I got behind on pain control again and for the last couple of days, after increasing my oxycontin dose and promptly ...

Feeling Better with Lung Cancer

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I’ll admit it, it’s been a tough week. I flew to New Mexico for a long weekend with my family and had a lovely time. I was waited on hand and foot, ate lots of green chile (and brought a fair ...

Searching for My Optimism with Lung Cancer

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I read a news release this last week about an article published in the International Journal of Cancer about survival improvement in people with stage IV lung cancer and bone metastases who are ...

Thankful for Good Instincts with Lung Cancer

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I had my every two week appointment with my oncologist yesterday. I was on my own, something that doesn’t happen too often. There were two things on my agenda - the increased hip pain and the ...

Truth Be Told - Living with Lung Cancer

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The big news of the week is better liver function tests! Whether due to Gemzar, steroids, or all your good thoughts, the two major liver transaminases are normal and near normal. My alkaline ...

All Quiet on the Cancer Front

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Earlier this week I developed a little shortness of breath when I went to bed. This is a new symptom for me so I called my oncologist on Tuesday. He examined me and everything seemed fine, but ...

Lung Cancer Keeps Rolling, Too

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It’s been a very busy week, hence Friday morning before I can get out my update. I had chemo on Tuesday and that went without any problems. My oncologist is out for a family emergency so I saw ...

Life Keeps Rolling with Lung Cancer

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My life with cancer, right now, has many limitations. I no longer see patients because of my pain medication regimen. I have very limited reserves of energy and must rest after a single flight ...

Limitations of a Life with Lung Cancer

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Wow! I am very thankful to report that the last two weeks seem to have been an anomaly of feeling miserable and I am much, much, much better this week. I haven’t had to take anything at all ...

A Much Better Week in the Battle Against Lung Cancer

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It’s been a rocky week. Monday I got hit with that overwhelming discomfort thing from which I am always unable to get any relief. I told my husband that I wanted him to find me a recliner but ...

A Rocky Week Living with Lung Cancer

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I feel like a bear stumbling around after winter hibernation even though it’s only been three days. As I’ve been reporting, I always seem to have some level of nausea. It was a little worse when ...

A Rough Few Days: Extreme Nausea From Chemotherapy

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Seventeen months ago I didn’t expect to be here now, but here I am! Even though I will be going in for Gemzar on Tuesday, the majority of my cancer treatment is symptom control at this point - ...

Chugging Along: 17 Months After Cancer Diagnosis

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I saw the oncologist yesterday and wound up having a good cry in the office. That happened when he mentioned the possibility of trying the Navelbine again and then got a call that he had to leave ...

One More Shot

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Overall, this has been a much better week than last. I really have only one complaint, so we’ll get that out of the way early. Navelbine stops my gastrointestinal tract dead. I am still fine ...

Positively Positive

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It’s been a busy week and there’s much to catch up on, but the sentinel event of the week has to do with my work. My supervisor asked for a meeting to let me know that hospital administration has ...

Saying Farewell to One Piece of My Identity

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Well, it’s been a week. To make a long story short, last week’s Navelbine just kicked my butt. I felt awful Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday I got some sort of weird reprieve that let ...

End of Active Treatment?

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Being a cancer patient continues to teach me new things as a physician. The general level of discomfort that I described last week just kept getting worse. As bad as the general feeling of ill ...

Still Learning

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After the radiosurgery on Thursday, I had less neck pain and no arm tingling on Friday, which was a great big yay. Saturday we headed down I-95 to Bridgeport, took the Ferry to Port Jefferson and ...

A Little of This, A Little of That

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I had a scan last Thursday. Scan days are always a little crazy. I don’t sleep well the night before. I don’t get breakfast. I have to drink the berry smoothie contrast yuck. I get stuck for a ...

Phase Number Next

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I had a lovely porch-sitting weekend with my friend. There’s not a whole lot new to report this week. I had chemo number two yesterday with no adverse events. Overall I seem to be getting weaker ...

Hanging In There

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Well, I survived yesterday, and I consider that quite an accomplishment. It was the day from HELL in an already overscheduled week. My radiation oncologist decided that he wanted MRIs of my ...

I Really Hate MRIs

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I know that by now I shouldn’t be surprised at how difficult it is to achieve anything like a steady state in my life. I’m a slow learner, though, and it still surprises me how many highs and ...

A Week in the Life Of a Lung Cancer Survivor