Tarceva 100 mg Day 89

Although I still have no adverse reaction to the 100 mg dosage of Tarceva that I'm currently taking the past two weeks have been sheer hell.
On the 6th Jan, which is my birthday, I went down with a very nasty virus.
This led to a chest infection which then turned to Broncho Pneumonia.
I can't recall ever feeling this sick before.
I've been coughing so badly I've damaged my vocal chords and haven't been able to speak for the past two weeks.
I've also got severe pain in my ribs due to the coughing.

I'm taking a whole cocktail of drugs now including morphine and anti depressants.

A recent X ray showed a lot of activity in my lungs so I now have to go for another CT scan.

The only plus at the moment is that my breathing remains stable.

Tarceva 100 mg Day 48

I've been a litle breathless this week and coughed up some blood yesterday for the first time in months.
My Mcmillan nurse tells me this is normal given my current condition.

Apart from a little redness on my nose and forehead I still do not have a rash or any itching.

Swine Flu

As one of those considered to be in the "high risk" category I received a call from my G.P's receptionist this week offering me the swine flu jab.
I declined.

The only benefit of the swine flu jab is in the profits made by the drug companies who have already made a fortune from it.
The danger has been grossly exaggerated and the drugs have not been sufficiently tested.
I'll take my chances.

Meanwhile, other than a couple of spots, there is no change to my condition since the last post.
If anything it's improved.
I'm now able to perform basic DIY tasks which I would have found impossible a few weeks ago.

(UPDATE ADDED 4/12/2009)
Since I made the post regarding Swine Flu I have done some more research.
What I found out is pretty shocking.

SWINE FLU UPDATE

..

Tarceva 100 mg Day 19

Still no sign of a rash and breathing good.

Tarceva 100 mg Day 12

I'm happy to say there is still no sign of a rash and my breathing has improved.
Feeling pretty close to normal although I won't be entering any marathons in the near future.

Tarceva 100mg Day 9

Still no sign of a rash and still feeling pretty good.
This is just as well as my partner, Angie, is going into hospital today for an operation on her shoulder.
So this week I'll be playing nurse and Angie can put her feet up for a change.
The good news is she's going to be off work for weeks so we'll be able to spend a lot more time together.

New Tarceva Course - Day 8

On day 8 of the 150 mg course I broke out in a rash.
So far I have no sign of a rash this time and it's Day 8 of the 100 mg course.
Feeling pretty good at the moment, no cough and breathing not too bad.
Got my appetite back thanks to the steroids, taking 2 mg a day.
They also give me a little more energy than I'd have without them.
Also taking 20 mg of morphine a day.