Yeah the skin side effects are bad. I've been able to keep it under control by, keeping skin clean & moisturized (i like Eucerine, cetaphil, or cerave), keeping it lightly exfoliated (just with a washcloth gently), and taking Doxycyclene at night (an antibiotic). For stomach avoid very fatty, rich, or oily foods. Also if you are eating at a restaurant, take 2 pepto bismol before eating, and also beano helps - digestion is not as functional on Tarceva because the fast moving cells inside the intestines don't grow or repair as fast, because the drug effects fast growing cells all over the body - not just the cancer.

There used to be a good webpage online called "Practical Truisms" for skin care with Tarceva. I remember that she used Almond Oil, but I found that it clogged my pores - though it was nice on my hair (just a touch), and it also goes rancid quickly. Just an oatmeal lotion any time you get out of bath or shower works for me. Also wash immediately after being sweaty or exercising. Also staying out of the sun and using sunscreen EVERY DAY helps - sun exposure can cause break outs. Also that website said to take Omega 3-6-9 oils (orally) like Flax and fish oil, and drink LOTS of water. Hope this helps!

well, december of 2007 when they found out there was a tumor in my upper lobe, they went in to remove it. however they went in laparoscopically, and found that tumors had spread a few spots along the walls of my lungs and into the pleural space around my lung. it looked like cottage cheese. so they took biopsy of the original big tumor, and just sucked out fluid, popped in a chest tube and sewed me up. Since the cancer had spread, and hot spots in lymph nodes, and was in my blood stream - they said it didn't do any good to remove the main tumor. Wish they had ANYWAY though just because it was the source of the evil, but I didn't have a choice... *sigh*

Chemo helped a lot to get rid of the main tumor (it seemed to go hollow, then collapse in on itself) and the other tumor sites havent changed. They still show up at "hot spots" on CT and PET scans, but haven't grown since chemo ended in 2008. I take a daily therapy drug (there are different kinds like this for diff types of cancers0 called Tarceva) that has kept the type of cancer from growing, and hopefully it doesn't mutate. If it does mutate, then hopefully generation 2 of Tarceva will be out by then (they already know what 2nd mutation happens, and even will work on 3rd generation for the mutation that can happen after that). Fwew... glad someone is on it. :)

Hopefully even though they can't remove it, and it is NOT curable, I can live a fairly long life to the fullest. If I had discovered the tumor MONTHS earlier when I started having pain or before then they could have probably removed part of my lung, and I could have possibly been cured. I should have kept going to the doctor over and over insisting something was wrong when I had the pain that would not go away - but would nave never thought a non smoker would have lung cancer at age 31.

He is a smart, kind, honorable, silly, nerdy, handsome, physically strong, sensitive, funny, witty, rarely pouty, heat furnace, scotch drinking, tech geek, science enthusiast. ;)

Mine was Stage 3B (spread to pleural space around my lung, but stayed inside that area, then maybe the lymph nodes but they aren't sure). I have to go get CT scans every 3 months to make sure it isn't coming back. Spots still show up as black on PET scans, but not sure if that's old scar tissue, or if it is tumor - but it hasn't grown since I finished chemo in 2008! They have amazing therapies these days. Make sure you get typed for which genetic mutation that you have (I had the EGFR mutation, which responds beautifully to Tarceva, and there are other "Targeted Therapy" drugs that can work for different types of cancers). Good luck!!

I am pretty even tempered, and when i get mad people just laugh and pat me on the head. Wish I had more patience for other peoples' sensitivity i guess.. wish I was more organized & had more endurance.

Not really... though I know i'd have awesome & cute kids. we don't need more people in the world, and I don't have good strong disease free genes to pass on. now i'll have more freedom to do what I want. Just might suck when I'm old not having a big family, or someone to keep watch over me. My family is supportive though, so hope my niece & nephews will keep close.

Sorry I'm okay.. haven't made videos in a long time, but don't know why. I'm doing great, just tired all of the time. no active cancer now.

if you were a newspaper, i'd throw you in the recycling bin.

oops sorry.. I really need to make a new video... Gosh ok will do as soon as I can breathe when i get break from allergies. i can barely talk right now eek.

spanked over grounded. spanking is only temporary, then i can go run around like a jaybird

no socks when sleeping, makes me feel like they're suffocating

if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down.

least favorite feature of mine: i hate my splotchy skin. favorite feature: my big eyes

life is hard enough without making extra hassle. just keep thing simple, and treat people kindly.

Put the crack pipe down, then try again tomorrow.

couldn't say my name when I was 2, so it came out WAWA. My Dad called me WAWA my whole life. I never though about it until college until boyfriend asked me if I had a nickname.

OH geez a foot fetishist, whatever!

cleaning out the underwear gnome traps.

9 that i have memories of. more than that at age of 6. hopefully more someday soon

sorry i haven't made a youtube video in a while. i need to think of everything i need to say first..

definitely fly. i've had so many flying dreams, it seems to real that it's always a huge let-down when i wake up. kind of like when i find money in my dreams.