Survival Rate

My friend told me that her father-in-law had lung cancer. She wanted to know what his chances of survival are. I felt that knowing the rate is depressing and might not even apply to him. Everyone is different and special in their own way. No one wants to be just a number. When I was first diagnosed during Thanksgiving of 2011, I googled my chances of surviving - 8 months was pretty slim and 5 years was even slimmer. I don't know if I'm going to be that 1%, but it doesn't matter. I can't spend my life crying about my death. What matters is the present, because that's the only place I can be in. So I have to enjoy ever moment of it and make it count. I hope he does too.

 

Genome Test

I became allergic to the Carboplatin treatment recently. My throat closed up causing me to wheeze heavily. Thankfully, the nurses ran to retrieve an oxygen tank for me.  Time to search for another treatment, since I can no longer tolerate this one. Plus, a scan showed that I also now have a new met spot on my rib.

A week or two earlier, I had taken a genome test, which tests for 340 types of mutations that are also present in other types of cancer, not just lung cancer. I had another mutation, NTRK 3, which does not have a targeted drug in the market yet. The next best solution is Crizobtinib that targets another mutation, ALK, but has been known to be somewhat effective with the NTRK mutation.

This little pill packs a punch. It has been so hard to keep food and water in with the nausea and GI track problems. I was eventually prescribed a nausea drug (Zyprexa), which for the most part, is keeping things under control. It was a tough beginning. At least my hair is slowly growing back.