I am a champion withstander. Without a doubt, my lung cancer was already established almost 20 years ago when I first became symptomatic. It would take almost four more years to receive a diagnosis.
Within two weeks, I’d had a lower left lobectomy, followed by four rounds of cisplatin and taxotere. I was a hale and hearty 45, but I was knocked on my butt.
Since then, my treatment regimen has been tarceva (before we knew I was ALK+), crizotinib, ceritinib, carboplatin and pemetrexed, more crizotinib, lorlatinib, lorlatinib plus carbolplatin and pemetrexed, and my current trial, DS-1062 a.
There have been some good years–with crizotinib and lorlatinib allowing me to live almost normally–and some tough ones. I’m coming off a tough one now.
Day four post infusion and I still feel as if a big wave dashed me to the bottom of the ocean floor. It is a physical sensation but also emotional. However, in the little chats I’ve been having with myself, I continue to reaffirm that this shall pass.
I now have at least a month in which to recover and to become stronger. Of course, my cancer will have a similar agenda. That’s the tricky part.
However, in the absence of chemotherapy coursing through my veins, I plan to do my darnedest to boost me, myself and I. I for immune, I for eyes on the prize, I for I shall not only withstand, I shall prevail.
In the meantime, if any of you have any recipes for immune boosting meals and/or magic elixirs, please do share. And come January, I’m going to try to kick this cancer to the curb.
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 