tc2475

Thanx, I kinda figured life as I knew it would never be the same. Oh well, going to see my boy and his family in Atkansas, go to the casino's and get some baby kisses before I start chemo and am stuck home.

Help! I am on a merry-go-round that just won't stop! And it's a fast one. I am a 54-year-old, and up to this point, healthy woman. On September 21st, I went to see my PCP because I had what I thought was an upper respiratory infection/pneumonia. As I am an RN and work around sick people, and also have IDDM, she ordered a chest x-ray, a TB test and a course of Zithromax. When I got home from work the following day, my doctor had called and wanted to see me the next day. When I went in, she told me the x-ray showed a large mass on my upper R lung and referred me to a Pulmonologist for follow up. I saw the Pulmonologist on Sept 30th and she ordered a CT scan which showed a 7.6 mass and some swollen lymph nodes in the R hilar region. She thought it was cavitary pneumonia and prescribed Levaquin and ordered a Pet/CT. I had the Pet/CT on October 7th and it "lit up". The pulmonologist referred me to an Oncologist and a Cardiothoracic surgeon. On the 21st of October, I had an electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy which was positive for invasive squamous cell/NSCLC. I met with the Oncologist on the 30th of October and the cardiothoracic surgeon on the 11th of November. The 16th of November I went in for surgery to remove my R upper lobe. Well, the cancer was larger than a Walnut and they had to remove both the r upper and r middle lobes. I was in the hospital for 7 days and released home with oxygen, which I have weaned myself off of. See what I mean about what a ride? This has all happened so fast that my head is still spinning. Now I am to begin a three-month course of chemotherapy on January 7th. Now that the surgery, tests and doctor appointments are over, I have finally found the time to stop and take a minute to look ahead. I have absolutely no training in cancer care, I am a cardiac nurse! Chemotherapy has me scared and depressed, and I keep wondering how in the world am I going to survive 3 months of poison being put into my body? I know people do this, some for a lot longer than 3 months, but is it really necessary? I mean they are only giving it to me because the mass was so large, but they removed that, so I am basically "cancer free" right?