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Hello All, I haven't been here in sooo long, probably 2009. I forgot my user name and/or password at some point (typical ) and then became absorbed by the distractions of life... I am happy to report that, as far as I know, I am still cancer free, coming up on 7 years around July 1. I was dx with nsclc adenocarcinoma, stage 2 A, in June, 2008. Treatment was right lower lobectomy and adjuvant chemo. I know the early dx was likely a life-saving blessing along with prompt, aggressive treatment. I expected to keep on living so I started graduate school in May of 2009, and finished my masters in December, 2011. I started a new profession as an Educational Diagnostician in August, 2012. I am very happy that I made that change--still in a public school working in special education, but not as a teacher anymore. There have been more mostly positive life changes. Two years ago I ended a 13-year relationship that was never right for me in the first place and soon after that I decided to cease most contact with my 2 remaining immediate family members--mother and sister--due to their tendencies to become emotionally abusive without any warning. I had my quota of that growing up. Such behavior is unacceptable and I finally realized it was better for me to remove myself from their pathology. I have seen my mom a few times but I maintain a strong boundary on the relationship. I've had to deal with my own serious mental illness, ADHD, chronic pain management, serious allergic reactions to 3 antibiotics, 2 more surgeries (cervical spine and sinus), and frequent illnesses, some serious, but I'm still alive and kicking! Except for 2 years I took off while finishing my degree I've worked full-time since 12/2008. I'll be 62 in November and 3 years from retiring. I have moderate COPD but don't need O2. I just can't do vigorous cardio due to SOB (I have 55% lung capacity). When it gets hot the ozone where I live causes breathing problems, so I avoid outdoors when levels are high. My biggest problem is a serious lack of social support and social isolation. My son and grandkids live in Virginia, so there's no family near. Since ending the relationship I've not had much energy for "getting out there" to meet new people after work and taking care of the house and all. I live 30 minutes from the nearest city (which isn't all that attractive to me anyway) and there's nothing happening in my little town! I am not a conventional person and my life has been anything but ordinary, so I don't feel like I can relate to a lot of people where I live. I need to finish my home projects, sell the house which takes too much upkeep, and move someplace that fits my needs better! Thanks for letting me go on . I know I shouldn't complain. I am grateful to be alive and in fairly good health. I know it's up to me to continue to make the positive changes I need and be patient because the outcome is not in my hands. I believe there is a reason for everything that happens. Those beliefs are what helped me accept the lung cancer diagnosis and go on to live in spite of it without fear or dread of what was going to happen next. Peace of mind is the best thing.

Hi Joyce, Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you found this forum. Please keep us posted. Regards, Trayce

Hey Dawn, Great to hear from you! My summer's been busy, other medical concerns keep me on the doctor-go-round, lol, but i'm grateful to be doing well. Take care! Hugs, Trayce

Hi Linda, Glad you found us, but sorry you had the need to. I'm like you, the more info I have, the better i feel. I guess it gives me some feeling of control, at least I can be somewhat knowledgeable and not just blindly depend on doctors. Although, I'm very grateful for them and my good medical care. Keep us updated. Regards and Hugs, Trayce

Hi Brian, Glad to hear you're feeling better. Trayce

Hey Dawn, I thought I responded to you a while back, but don't see it. Maybe it was my old modem now since replaced. Wanted to try again, and I'd love to hear more from you. You sound like an amazing, spirited, fellow Texas woman! Hugs, Trayce PS I just added my signature, i'm sure it's one of the longer ones, lol, but one never knows when a detail might help someone

Hi Brian, Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you came here. I have been so busy lately haven't had a lot of time to post much. I wish I had some wise words of advice, but h*ll, I don't know what I should be doing with myself most of the time. I had an early stage diagnosis almost exactly a year ago, and I continue to hope for the best and try to prepare for the worst, if that makes any sense. I continue to plan for a future, just started grad school part-time, but sometimes I wonder if that's what I should be doing with my "spare" time. I don't want to realize at some point I've been spending myself foolishly, but there's no guidebook for this experience! I'm 55, a teacher, and yay, school was out a week ago. I've been stressing over my coursework, and decided to drop one class and take just 3 hours over the summer. I took a Maymester course, and finished it successfully, but had to ask myself, "Are you out of your mind?" It's hard for me to stop being a workaholic! I have a lot of other physical problems I'm struggling with right now, and seem to be going through a phase of trying to prove that I can continue to push myself as if nothing's changed. I have to get a pic line next week for IV antibiotics to treat a psuedomonas sinus infection, sheesh. I finally insisted on a culture a week ago, now we know what's been plaguing me chronically for the past four years since my second sinus surgery! I realize more and more how much I have to act as my own doctor sometimes. I learned Monday i have a new, huge bone spur poking my spinal cord at C5-C6, so there will be a surgery this summer, too. It won't be as bad as last year's thoracotomy, and I don't think it is cancerous, but better check that out. Doctor visits are taking an increasingly bigger piece of my time, not including oncology followups. I'm not complaining, but it's an adjustment. I have to be grateful for good doctors and health insurance, even though neither is close to perfect... When I start researching lc issues, I have a tendency to get a little freaked out. I know not to take the dismal statistics personally, so to speak, but I'm not in denial either. The folks here are amazing and proof that people live with lung cancer. I know i'm not in control of my destiny, although I advocate for myself as much as possible. I'm a fighter, but I need a level of acceptance to have any peace of mind. I guess I try to take things a day at a time, but probably need to make/take more time to reflect, prioritize. Sometimes I wish I had a crystal ball, but maybe that would be more a curse than a blessing! I'm not a religious person, but I turn to my spiritual beliefs, my creator, for comfort, strength, and guidance. I'm pretty self-centered, but do some service work for others which, ironically, helps me a lot more than them most likely. I'm addicted to the comedy channel, eat pretty much what I enjoy, and know if I count my blessings I feel a lot better. Sometimes I fear death, or dying, but I truly have no idea what happens after, but it might be the best thing ever. It's more fear of the unknown. My spiritual beliefs tell me to pay a lot of attention to death because it teaches me how to live, but that might not make sense to most people. I'm not very conventional in some ways, and proud of it, lol! Well, thanks for giving me an opportunity to blather on. I hope you get the best care possible to improve your status and be as comfortable as possible. I'm getting less and less stoic in that regard. Keep us posted, I want to hear how it's going. Hugs, Trayce

Hey friends, A new update. My "predetermination" through Blue Cross-Blue Shield was processed and I got a letter saying, yes we cover this procedure subject to the usual limitations, exclusions, etc. So my oncologist rescheduled. An hour before I was leaving home for the appointment I get a phone call. My insurance refused to pay, again! What is going on, I wonder. American Imaging, who is slowly taking over BCBS radiological/imaging decisions, state by state, said because I had a negative chest CT in April no pet would be approved, contrary to the letter I'd just received a few days before. When I called BCBS that same day, the lady said the pet was approved. (Course, I had that chest ct back in April cause they turned down the pet my oncologist had ordered, calling it investigational or experimental that time.) Seems they've one excuse after another, but the bottom line is BCBS contracts with them to control costs, period. I'm not comfortable with the assumptions this latest decision is based on--that there has been no recurrence with distant metastasis just because chest ct is clear. I've read the research, too, and if the decision-maker at American Imaging had stage 2a nsclc, s/he would want the pet to check for recurrence! I'd lay money on that. Thanks for letting me vent, but I'm tired of this runaround. I will take it to the next level of appeal....and am seeing my oncologist next Monday. Also, my neurosurgeon has identified a huge new bone spur impinging on my spinal cord, maybe he'll order a pet to check the possibility this is a cancer. Lord, I hope not, but I'll check with him. (I've had previous cervical bone spurs, so it's probably benign, but perhaps that will be my path to pet....) Trayce

Hi Lee, Welcome to this site but sorry you qualify as a member. My dad had scleroderma and lived to 77....he got esophageal cancer. I think your docs should be able to advise you about whether you're a good candidate for surgery, but I'd do some research or ask a lot of questions. If necessary, oxygen can be very useful for some, though it will create some restrictions. Having copd and had one lobe removed, I too wonder what would happen if i had a recurrence, but i'll cross that bridge if i come to it. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted! Hugs, Trayce

Welcome Pixie, glad you found us. Being diagnosed was scary for me, too. Glad you have good support and are receiving treatment. I still get scared sometimes after almost one year since dx, but most of the time I'm able to let go of that. I don't want to sabotage my life with fear and worry. I just do what I can to get better and hope for the best. Please keep us updated! Hugs, Trayce

Welcome Pixie, glad you found us. Being diagnosed was scary for me, too. Glad you have good support and are receiving treatment. I still get scared sometimes after almost one year since dx, but most of the time I'm able to let go of that. I don't want to sabotage my life with fear and worry. I just do what I can to get better and hope for the best. Please keep us updated! Hugs, Trayce

Thanks for your wishes, Barb. I'm so sorry about your loss of your husband. I hope you're finding the support you need nearby, and on this site. Take Care, Trayce

Thanks for your wishes, Barb. I'm so sorry about your loss of your husband. I hope you're finding the support you need nearby, and on this site. Take Care, Trayce

Hi Amy, Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad you found us so quickly. Sounds like you're getting good treatment. I hope you'll keep us updated. I wish you a cure and a healthy baby. Hugs, Trayce

Hi There! I posted my introduction some months ago, but would like to add some followup. My thoracic ct from 4-09 was clear! yay! Pleural effusion has disappeared (took about 9 months) and lymph nodes even smaller. However, my oncologist had ordered a pet scan but my insurance, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, denied to pay for the pet and classified it as "investigational or experiemental"! All my anxieties about the scan turned into instant anger! I went ahead and settled for a ct to see how my lungs and thorax looked, and then started talking to family and friends about what to do next. Based on encouragement from them, I've contacted my oncologist and asked that they request a "detemination" from the insurance. That's my first line of appeal. Also, ironically, I get regular check-in calls from a BCBS nurse who helps me with any questions and follows my treatment, etc. She advised me to ask that the "determination" be made by a peer oncologist, not just any old doctor. I feel better now that I've set those wheels in motion. I will appeal the denial of the pet scan through as many levels as it takes! I had never worried so much about any scan as that one. I didn't expect it to show any new cancer, but was so looking forward to hearing ned I hear that's very normal for my "stage" of treatment/recovery. I was staged 2A adenocarcinoma 6 '08, rll that month, clean pet pre-chemo about 8'08, then 4 infusions carboplatin/taxol 8 - 10 '08. Chest ct in 11'08 was also clear. I want the pet and am not comfortable making assumptions about my health with this disease! I understand pets cannot detect lesions < 8 mm, so it's possible the scan in 8 '08 missed something. Further, I cannot be certain the chemo killed every cancer cell. My cancer was aggressive--although I was early stage, I still had two foci of cancer in that lobe and the cancer had also metastasized to one lymph node. My goal is to be diligent and if there's recurrence, I hope to start further treatment without delay. I believe one pet scan a year is a really good idea, at least for now. My oncologist had planned to alternate pets with cts for the first two years, so he thought it was the best plan, too. Otherwise, I'm feeling pretty good despite new problems with a prior cervical disc fusion--scheduled for a myelogram to determine what treatment I'll need for that! No worries, I can handle a second cervical surgery if necessary. Anyway, thanks to all for your encouragement and support. Hope I'll see you soon in our chat here. I'll keep posting updates! HUGS, Trayce PS I started a fund here under "Trayce Skidmore" (my maiden name.) So far four have donated a total of $175.00! I'm sending emails to friends and family and hope they'll spread the message.