recce101 Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Hi, Corinne -- welcome to the group! There's no better place for overall support plus first-hand accounts of various conditions and treatments from the patient's perspective. When you get a diagnosis and treatment plan and start to have more technical medical questions, I suggest you visit onctalk.com. There's a wealth of information there, primarily on lung cancer, constantly updated by a Seattle oncologist who is an internationally-recognized expert on lung cancer and who gives high priority to promptly answering questions from people like you and me. A lot of us have "dual citizenship" so to speak, and use the same usernames there as here. Dr. West has just announced that a Canadian lung cancer specialist, Dr. Janessa Laskin of the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, has joined OncTalk and will also be available to answer questions. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryanne Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi Corrine and welcome here. Sorry you had to find us. We have walked in your shoes, either the victim of this horrible disease or the caretaker of a love one. We know how scared you are. But like you heard in other posts LC is NOT a death sentence. There are so many treatments now of days. The first thing is to have a positive attitude that you can beat this thing. Having a positive attitude is half the battle and could not be faught without hope. You must NEVER give up!! Keep us posted with all your test results and what plan of action they want to do. Also and very very important... you are never alone, you have us and we will help you through this. We are here 24/4 to answer questions, give support, prayers or if you find the need to vent. Hang Strong... you will get through this. Maryanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy-OK Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi Corrine and welcome to the board. It sounds like you are undergoing the tests and things can seem overwhelming and the answers do not come fast enough. I thing Maryanne above meant we are here "24/7"!!! Someone is usually around to support and answer questions. Not know all the particular of your situation it would be hard to say about the possibility of an operation. Glad you found us and hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted January 7, 2008 Author Share Posted January 7, 2008 I want to thank all of you so much for your kind words & encouragement. I have gone from thinking that I have a definite death sentence to I am too damn stubborn & strong to let this demon get me now. This I attribute to all of you caring people. Now if only I can keep this attitude. Tomorrow I should find out when I go for another test. I have no idea as to what I have yet to go through. I know that I will have a lot of hurdles to jump, but with the help of all of you, I too will be a survivor. May God bless each & everyone of you and make you healthy again. Thank you so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi Corrine. I thought I responded to this post, but I guess I didn't, as I don't see my name anywhere in this strand. Welcome. This is the place to be. We'll give you lots of support and encouragement. When I first learned that I had lung cancer, I thought it was an almost immediate death sentence. That was almost 5 years ago. I hope you will post as soon as you can after you hear what the dr. has to say about making this problem go away. Muriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul verdon Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Corrine This site has been helpfull to Michael (in white) and me. I am the caregiver and have received valuable information from this great group of friends that care and understand. Michael is also Canadian and we were in Edmonton; Red Deer summer 06. Michael's family is in Ontario. This is a scary dx for you, and all of us but there is hope and this group will help you. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Welcome Corrine-- Glad you found us. There is always hope. Lung Cancer is not a death sentence. Lots to take in at first and can be overwhelming. Take it one step/one day at a time. Stay positive and research as much as you can-- knowledge is the key. Stay with us and keep us posted. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul verdon Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Dear Corinne: Last June a chest X-ray discovered a 20 mm. tumour in my left lung and I felt I'd been handed a death sentence also, but this was not the case. I found a great oncologist here in Los Angeles at Premiere Oncology and have now completed six sessions of chemo therapy with Avastin and Zometa added in. Ignore all the statistics about life expectancy because there are new drugs which have only just become available and we're creating new statistics now. All this state of the art medicine resulted in 10 percent shrinkage of the lung tumor after three chemos, and stability after the sixth. Now I'm on a maintainance program of Tarceva which is a cancer pill. Hopefully it will provide years of stability and relatively normal life. The next few months will be different for you and don't be afraid to ask friends and family for help - and don't be afraid to let them help you. You'll be amazed at the support that's out there. Hang in there and feel free to ask any questions. You're not alone. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick C Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 If you found this on an x-ray, and you feel otherwise fine...guess what, you have an awesome chance at treatment and survival...so don't read the horror stories...read about the survivors here. Obviously, you have some appts and conversations, and plenty here have walked your walk. But know you can get through this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ztweb Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Corinne, Welcome to this amazing board. Please know you have come to a wonderful place where you can get so much hope, love, and support. You are NOT alone here. Post as much as you want and you will be filled with amazing infomration from amazing people. This has been my experience since day one. Don't lose your faith...there is so much hope....lung cancer is NOT a death sentence, as you said... Stay strong and know we are here. Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 I am still waiting for the next step after the CAT Scan. I thought that I would have my next appointment within a week or so. Apparently, my next appointment won't be for another six weeks. My GP thinks that I should be seen much sooner than that. He is supposed to see what he can do. In the meanwhile, this waiting and having no idea as to what is happenining is very difficult to handle. I do my best to keep busy and keep my spirits up, but well you know........ Is it normal to have such a lapse of time between appointments or tests when you are first diagnosed with LC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mary colleen Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Corrine, just from a humanitarian standpoint, I hate to see you wait that long and would urge you to bug that GP to push it along. The waiting is too hard on you. Be tough - it's a hard road, but it CAN be walked and it is not - repeat not - a "death sentence". Mary Colleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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