Susan Cornett

Wonderful post, Lou! Finding this site was the boost I needed when I started down this road. It certainly helped me keep my head above water when things got rough. Thankful for you and all the people here. 💙

Hi Joana. I'm one of those stage 4 survivors that Lou mentioned. I'm 5.5 years out from diagnosis, upper left lobectomy, and chemo. It all sucks. Curse, cry, get mad. It absolutely takes the wind from your sails but it is not a death sentence. The silver lining for you? It was caught at stage 1. I understand the financial concerns. I was able to keep working (and still work) so it may be an option for you. Also check out this part of the Lungevity site: financial information. We're always here for you. Keep us posted.

Hi Rikke - I know this is overwhelming and hard to stay positive, but there are many folks here who have survived this disease for a long time. I was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma 5 1/2 years ago and have been NED for almost 3 years. We have more treatment options than we did 5 years ago so I see that as a big step in the right direction. Just remember we're all here for you. Let us know how we can support you.

Lexie and Lou have given you excellent advice and information. The diagnostic stage/learning what's going on is so overwhelming but it will settle down once you have results and a treatment plan. Please reach out - we have some rock stars on the forums.

Getting that pain leveled out makes all the difference. Glad you feel good.

Great news on the PD-L1 numbers. Mine have always been under 20% so I went the traditional route with chemo and radiation. Not as exciting but it worked! Something you'll quickly learn is that treatment options are increasing and improving every year. I was diagnosed in 2016 and I've been amazed at the progress made in treatment options. It's definitely a roller coaster of emotions so know that we're here for all of it - good and bad. If your husband can hold onto his good attitude, it will absolutely make a world of difference.

Welcome, Linda. Let us know how we can help you.

Hi Anna. I'm sorry for your loss but take comfort knowing he is no longer in pain. Wishing your family peace.

Lexie - how are you doing with the chemo?

Hi Karen. I took Carboplatin and Pemetrexed but not together. I took another platinum-based chemo with pemetrexed. I highly recommend this site for chemo information. It has great information about possible side effects and ways to manage them. The most important thing to remember is to tell your medical team if you're having side effects. There are really good prescription options to manage nausea if it becomes an issue. Radiation wasn't too bad for me other than some minor difficulties swallowing. Others made it through with zero issues. Someone should chime in on the Durvalumab - I haven't taken it. Please keep us posted.

Hello and welcome. I'm going to tell you what you already know - your oncologist is a jerk. You should be able to have frank conversations with him/her. You should also have an oncologist who isn't threatened by you seeking a second opinion. I hope that you are able to resolve this soon. It's added stress that you don't need right now. Keep us posted.

We have piano, cello, and violin covered. We're on our way to a Lungevity concert!

Hi Iris - Sorry to hear you've had a recurrence but, unfortunately, it is not uncommon with this stupid disease. I was first diagnosed in 2016 - I had surgery and chemo. I had my first recurrence in 2017 - I had chemo and radiation. I had my second recurrence in 2018 and had SBRT (type of radiation). That second recurrence hit me hard, but I've (knock on wood) been cancer free following my SBRT treatment in the fall of 2018. Don't let this take the wind out of your sails. Hang in there and keep us posted.

Hi Carrie - It's a lot to process. It's scary. It sucks. But the great people in these forums are absolutely incredible. Someone here has endured whatever treatment, side effect or oddity that you'll come across should it be cancer. My first suggestion to you is this: don't Google statistics. So much has changed in the last 2-3 years and we're living longer and better after this diagnosis. Let us know how we can help you.

Hi LindaMarie. I see you've already met some of our rock stars on the forums. I wanted to jump in with my experience. I had an upper left lobectomy with 10 lymph nodes removed (7 were cancerous). I didn't have any issues from it. We're always here for you.