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.

Tarceva

My consultant didn't start me on the lower dose of Tarceva last week as expected.
He wanted to wait a few days for the rash to completely disappear and then arranged more blood tests.

I started the new course of 100 mg yesterday (Sunday).

This week I have been feeling pretty good, I'm back on steroids which I'm sure is the reason why.
They do help.

I'm only taking 2 mg of steroids daily but I have more energy than usual and went to the pub yesterday for the first time in weeks.

Tarceva

The doc is putting me back on Tarceva but at a lower dose.(100 mg)
I'll be starting the new course today and it takes around 8-10 days for the rash to start to appear.
Hopefully it won't be so bad this time.

I've tried to stay positive throughout the past few months but it really hit home this week that my time is running out.
You can't fight the ineveitable and I have to accept now that my time has come.

Mcmillan Nurses

I really can't praise these girls enough.
I had my first home visit from a Mcmillan Nurse on Monday and I warmed to her straight away.
These girls really do go the extra mile.
They don't just come round, administer treatment then leave.
They help with all manner of problems, even which benefits I should be claiming.
They are genuinely caring and it's just reassuring to know they are there 24 hours a day.

Getting back to my condition, following some really bad side effects from the new drug I'm taking I was told to stop taking it last week.
The drug is Tarceva and it is very new and relatively untested.
The main side effect is a rash which in my case became so bad my head felt like it was running alive with nits.
And my face was such a mess a parcel delivery man was clearly shocked when I opened the door to him last week.
I could read his thoughts "Jeez, what has this guy got?"

So what happens now?

I'm seeing Dr Taylor at Medway Oncology tomorrow afternoon to discuss the next step.

Terminally Ill

Following a chat with my Mcmillan Nurse this week it is now clear that I am considered "Terminally Ill"
The official prognosis is six months.
While I hope to prove them wrong I have to admit I'm feeling very unwell at the time of writing.

Bad News

On Friday 11th September I got some really bad news.
There is cancerous tissue in my right lung so I have to go back on chemo.

I beat the Big C

On Tuesday 30th June 2009 at 2.20 PM I got the news I've waited over 6 months to hear.

The tumour has gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 99

A disappointing day.

Saw the surgeon at Maidstone hospital but because of continued side effects plus the diabetes and high chloestorol problems I can't have a scan yet.
It will be another two months before I see the surgeon again so won't have any real news until then.
But the general feeling is that the treatment has worked, my breathing is much better than it was.
The question now is has the tumour gone or has it just shrunk a little?

Day 94

Saw my GP yesterday and got the news I was expecting.
I've got diabetes and my cholesterol is dangerously high.
So I have to take more drugs to control the diabetes and get the cholesterol down.
And I have to stick to a strict diet from now on.

Seeing the surgeon on Wednesday next and I'm praying it's going to be good news.

At leat I'm able to get around better now and I hope to start leading a normal life again soon.

It's over 4 months since I was able to leave the house other than for trips to the hospital or for a quick pint on the odd days I was able to take a walk.

Day 92

Feeling a little better today.
Spent the morning polishing my bike ready to take it for an MOT when I feel well enough.
Spent the afternoon tanning myself in the garden.

Was finally able to make the trip to hospital yesterday for the blood tests and should have the results by Friday.

On Wedsnesday next I go to see the surgeon at Maidstone.

Day 89

Still very tired and nauseous and haven't been well enough to go to the hospital for tests.
I spoke to the Radio Therapy nurse at Maidstone who explained this is normal after Radio Therapy and it usually takes around three weeks for the symptoms to fade.
So I'm hoping to see an improvement over the next few days.

My feet are no longer swollen but my vision is still very blurred.

The ulcers in my mouth, which I've had since the start of chemo, suddenly cleared overnight so I'm able to eat hot curries for the first time in weeks.

My breathing is still good so once the side effects wear off I expect to start leading a normal life again.

Day 78

2 days after my last post I picked up a very nasty virus and for the fist time since I started treatment I was forced to spend a couple of days in bed.
The chest infection has cleared but I'm still suffering from fatigue and this has ben constant since my last post.
I completed the Radio Therapy on Tuesday, a couple of days late due to the virus.
Other than extreme fatigue I haven't suffered any of the expected side effects from the Radio Therapy. (Sore throat, sensitive skin).

The blurred vision and swollen feet could be due to a diabetic problem, I have to go for blood tests when I'm able to make the trip to the local hospital.
My cholesterol is also likely to be high due to my increased appetite.

I'm decreasing my dosage of steroids slowly and will finally be off them completely by the end of next week.
Then, hopefully, my body should start to return to normal and I hope to start feeling better.

Day 66

This has been the worst period since I started treatment.
On Thursday my feet swelled up like a couple of balloons and were very painful.
My eyes were blurred and I couldn't read the number plate on our car outside.
If that wasn't enough I've also got a chest infection.
Added to the constant tiredness and fatigue this has made life really tough this past couple of weeks.

I was hoping that I'd have a few good days after completing the chemo before I started Radiation Therapy.
This is clearly not gonna happen as I start Radiation Therapy on Monday.
All I can hope is that the side effects of the Radiation Therapy are not too severe.

Day 59

This week has been the worst since I started taking the chemo.
I have heard from others that the third course is tough.
So I really feel for anybody who has to endure more than three courses of chemo.

I am tired constantly, unable to do much more than make a cup of tea or prepare a very simple meal.
I can't even manage the short stroll to the corner shop to get a paper.
One day my legs feel like they're made of lead, the next they turn to jelly.

It's very frustrating because my breathing has improved immensely and if it wasn't for the effects of the chemo I'm sure I'd be out now taking advantage of the excellent weather were experiencing.
I've been able to sit in the garden almost every day this week for a few hours which is good but I'd like to be out on my bike or visiting the pub.

Today is another glorious day weather wise so I'm off to sit in the sun.