Stage IV Lung & Tarceva

i_sarahbear
i_sarahbear Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Hi There...

I am new here. My father was just diagnosed with stage IV Non Small Cell lung cancer. He has 3 or 4 tumors on his liver one of them being fairly large in size...to the point that he can feel pressure from it but no pain. He also has a smaller tumor on his left lung. He is currently underoing treatment at Sloan Kettering in NYC and has just completed his first round of chemo. The doc. also put him on Tarceva right away. So far it seems that he really didnt have any bad reactions to the chemo but the Tarceva has given him a terrible rash all over. It irritates him constanty. The doctor just gave him some topical antibiotic ointment but it is not helping. Apart from the rash his appetite has not been as good and he has had some fatigue but really the most annoying thing is the rash. He is taking 150 mg and is only about 128 lbs so sometimes I wonder if the dose is too high. I am assuming the doctors know what they are doing since it is such a great hospital. He just thinks that the medicine is too strong for his body size. I am thinking that they are doing this to treat him aggressively and am hoping that it will have a good result. The problem right now is his liver..it is about 50% or more overtaken by cancer so it is scary. Although you can live with half of your liver functioning so I am just hoping that the liver reacts to the treatment and that the tumors shrink at least a little. My father is a fighter and is doing everything he can to fight this beast. Any words of hope would be much appreciated. I would also appreciate feedback on the drug Tarceva. My father hardly smoked throughout his life so the doctor said it could work for him but I keep reading it only extends life by 2 months...is this true?? Also does the rash go away??? Any feedback would be great. God bless all of you who are fighting this demon. Sarah.

Comments

  • ernrol
    ernrol Member Posts: 90
    #2
    Sarah,
    I have stage IV nsclc; I was put on Tarceva along with Carboplatin and Taxol. I have been in remission since November. Go and read my web page. There you will find many other things that I did. Just type ernrol in the search box above, then click on ernrol to the right, or you can click on the e-mail. I only take 100mg of Tarceva. Two things that I think help me a lot is drinking plenty of water and exercising. If I do not work up a sweat every couple of days my legs will begin to itch, as soon as I exercise and sweat it goes away. I also soak in a hop spa 102 degrees for about 15 mins each night. I think this could help clean the pores. I try to drink an 8oz glass of water for every hour that I am awake, if I do not I will get a slight sore throat. After reading my story let me know if you have any questions.

    Ernie

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