Paige: Thank you for this post. Your strong attitude and clear-eyed perspective are bracing and helpful for all of us, I believe. I did the FOLFIRI thing last spring, and I can report that while my hair got quite thin, went bone-white, and then got all matted together (had to get a chemo haircut), i...

I understand. And this is probably obvious, but if you’re thinking about ablation as a possible “Plan B,” def keep a close eye on size. RFA limit is around 3 cm I believe. I’m less sure of cryoablation, but perhaps that’s a good benchmark there too? Of course, location matters. SBRT is also an optio...

This situation seems pretty complex, and given your prior success with the TIL approach, that certainly seems to be your best option, at least from a distance. It sounds like you have 3 growing lesions (including the 2.2cm nodule), and 4 that are “stable or shrinking.” If that’s right, there may wel...

[duplicate deleted]

Does this change their approach at all? Is there a surgical
option for the 2.2cm nodule?

Sorry to hear this news, Rob. I was somehow barred from posting for a bit, so couldn’t respond initially. As usual, you seem to have an optimal focus and attitude. I wish you success with the next approach you choose.

Good luck, brother!

Rob: I assume you’ve done the Claritin thing? Works wonders for me.

One other thing I noticed after posting. You said “during chemo.” All of the stuff I said still applies, but I would be remiss not to mention Neulasta/pegfilgrastim. This was a miracle drug for me through two of my chemos. My WBC counts were often *higher* than normal. Not sure what your reference t...

I’m not sure what “3 / 4” means for neutrophils. In my experience, that number is usually expressed like this: “a normal neutrophil count is between 2,500 and 6,000.” In any case, however, there are many other lymphocytes of relevance. Cancer patients often focus on neutrophils because they are impo...

Peg: I have no specific knowledge on the type of recurrence you have, so I’ll limit myself to some general process observations. First, and more so since your situation is uncommon, you should ensure that you get multiple, informed, up-to-date opinions on strategy. I don’t know what your own perspec...

Claudine: That story is beyond awesome. It makes me happy every time you mention it. And it does show that there’s hope even in the really tough spots. Skimom: It might be worth looking at the growth rate of the pulmonary mets over time. From what you said it appeared to be significant right after s...

Beach: If it’s a heavy bag you’re talking about, I think that would be a great workout to enhance your recovery and maintenance (kick boxing or otherwise). Intense, work-up-a-sweat, stuff seems to be best, and heavy bag sure does that, whether it’s just pounding it or kicking as well. I suppose you ...

I am not a supplementer, per se—while I have researched a bit in the area, and have found interesting supporting information on, for example, IVC and other approaches to limiting trad chemo side effects to permit stronger and more sustained dosing, particularly with an eye toward targeted surgery, I...

Thanks! Thought I should update this again, as well, for anybody considering lobectomy now or in the future (who might search it, like I did, finding Brownbagger’s positive posts). I am now doing about 2 miles per run (s l o w) or 1 at a decent pace. This has improved each time I’ve run since 7/26, ...