These days I use pot and pills to manage my life. Sounds like a disaster, but I have actually reached a livable balance point. The oral chemo, Tarceva, is working "too" well. My side effects (rash, diarrhea, hair loss, fatigue) have been severe and surprisingly that is a good thing. Research shows patients with severe side effects have the best response to the drug. I am choosing to reduce my dosage a bit, in hopes of preserving my hair and healing the rash on my face. I have joined an on-line forum called "Inspire" which allows me to discuss my condition and treatment issues with others. Several patients on the forum have reduced their Tarceva dose, due to side effects, and still have had an excellent response to treatment. There were 3 research articles on reducing dose that someone posted for me, all indicating that patients who reduced dose due to severe side effects had the best outcomes (likely correlated with the severity of side effects not the reduction in dose). Some patients report being on Tarceva for 2, 3, 4 years...imagine gaining that much time!
Tarceva research on reduced dose, another article, and another
Oncology Woes - It concerns me that my oncologist did not know that hair loss is a side effect of the Tarceva (widely reported on the forum). Instead, she suggested I see an endocrinologist to explore potential autoimmune issues. Lots of appointments, tests and needle sticks for nothing, thank goodness I researched it myself. I will shift to Mayo once my cancer begins to progress because I feel they are more skilled and have a more comprehensive approach to treatment.
As for pot, I have 80 grams of cannabis oil obtained from a legal Oregon Medical Marijuana dispensary. Only cancer patients can buy cannabis oil, and trust me, no one else would want it because it tastes awful and makes you dizzy. Cannabis oil is made by using solvents and low heat to draw all of the THC out of a rather large amount of female plant bud. It ends up as a blackish green tar that is incredibly potent and difficult to dispense...so we use an Oreo cookie. I take about .25 gram of the oil in a cookie each night. The picture below is my jar of cannabis oil (tar). The cannabis oil has helped with sleep, pain, nausea and appetite. Some patients report that cannabis CURES their cancer at the dosage of 1gm per day. I currently sleep all day if I take more than .2 grams. I'm not certain I can improve my tolerance to 1 gram without sleeping for a month, still it is nice to know the cannabis is available to help manage pain and improve sleep.
Research on Cannabis for Lung Cancer
Tarceva research on reduced dose, another article, and another
Oncology Woes - It concerns me that my oncologist did not know that hair loss is a side effect of the Tarceva (widely reported on the forum). Instead, she suggested I see an endocrinologist to explore potential autoimmune issues. Lots of appointments, tests and needle sticks for nothing, thank goodness I researched it myself. I will shift to Mayo once my cancer begins to progress because I feel they are more skilled and have a more comprehensive approach to treatment.
As for pot, I have 80 grams of cannabis oil obtained from a legal Oregon Medical Marijuana dispensary. Only cancer patients can buy cannabis oil, and trust me, no one else would want it because it tastes awful and makes you dizzy. Cannabis oil is made by using solvents and low heat to draw all of the THC out of a rather large amount of female plant bud. It ends up as a blackish green tar that is incredibly potent and difficult to dispense...so we use an Oreo cookie. I take about .25 gram of the oil in a cookie each night. The picture below is my jar of cannabis oil (tar). The cannabis oil has helped with sleep, pain, nausea and appetite. Some patients report that cannabis CURES their cancer at the dosage of 1gm per day. I currently sleep all day if I take more than .2 grams. I'm not certain I can improve my tolerance to 1 gram without sleeping for a month, still it is nice to know the cannabis is available to help manage pain and improve sleep.
Research on Cannabis for Lung Cancer