Ah yes, I'm still on it. Iressa was dropped for the study of lung cancer patients, but according to my doctors they are still studying it for head and neck cancers.

When it was presented to me to be part of the study, Iressa was described to be sort of a backup plan and as a drug that would prevent cancer cells from replicating and spreading. This was at the beginning of my treatment, so they gave me the drug all through radiation and chemotherapy.

I've had the luck of experiencing most of the awful side effects. Towards the end of radiation, I had nasty running blisters to the point that I needed special dressing on the back of my neck, and it probably explains why most of my hair fell out on the back side where the blisters were. The nurses kept asking me if I had "shingles"

They finally took me off Iressa for a couple of months to heal up and after the neck dissection they put me on the stuff again. I think I probably actually cried when they handed me the bottle. This time my face broke out so bad that I ended up looking like a crack whore and hated going out in public. I also had some nasty bouts with diarreaha that shook me to my core.

Anyway, I'm still on the drug and still in the study. My neck appointment is on July 1, and I am going to ask them how long they intend to keep me on this drug.

The only positive thing I can say at this point is that so far I am "cancer free" but I am not sure that I can say it is from the benefits of Iressa. Perhaps it is, but I just can't feel that confident in something that has made me so miserable. Then again, everytime I've had one of the extreme side effects from the drug, the doctors get excited because that means it's "working" or perhaps in the study the people with the worse side effects are the ones that benefit the most. It is probably why, no matter how bad I react to it, they don't want to take me off.

Jen

Barb, I've had probably the worse seven months of my life, but I am starting to feel "normal" again. Granted I don't have the stamina I use to have because I have been through QUITE an ordeal, but I am able to get on with my life pretty good. I just really wish they would pull the PEG tube out. I'm not using it and am finally eating pretty normally, but they won't pull it until I gain more weight back. Part of the problem with the weight gain is the Iressa. My body seems to want to dump calories almost as soon as they go in.

Of course, I do live in fear of cancer coming back to bite me in the ass, but really, I'm concentrating more on getting my life back.

Jen

My body seems to want to hold on to every calorie I put in it. I don't feel like I have any edema but I gain a bit everyday. Maybe its inactivity or nerves just making me hang on to them. I see my Onco every Monday so maybe I will ask him and see what he thinks.
I am glad you are on the road to recovery Jen. Try not to worry. Am I "the worry wart of the state" really saying that?

Bless you dear and all of you,
Barbara~