Steff

C.J,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to deal with all of this, especially at such a young age.  My mom had her right, upper lung lobe removed in January 2016 (she is 63, obese, and has multiple other health issues).  I realize it is not an entire side of her lung like your proposed surgery, but I can tell you that could breath better post surgery.  We learned that the doctors really couldn't tell us whether or not she would be able to breathe better after surgery - we just had to wait and see -, which was frustrating for us just as I see it is frustrating for you.  In looking for people who have had lobectomies, I came along several young people in their 30's who had their left lung removed.  Most were active prior to the surgery and were able to resume most of their activities after surgery.  A question we ended up asking ourselves to decide on my mom's surgery was: is a longer life (we definitely new she had cancer) worth the possibility of continues breathing issues?  Our answer was YES. 
As far as the surgery went, yes it's a major surgery, but my mom did really well despite all of her other health issues.  She was in the hospital for 6 days (a few days longer than anticipated because they removed the drain tube too soon and fluid built up in her lungs) and she did fine at home afterward.  
I wish you the best in choosing what choice is right for you. Please know that everyone on these forums have been really helpful to me and their inspiration and kind words help during the times when I am questioning what is best for my mom or when I am just feeling blue about the whole situation. 

C.J,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to deal with all of this, especially at such a young age.  My mom had her right, upper lung lobe removed in January 2016 (she is 63, obese, and has multiple other health issues).  I realize it is not an entire side of her lung like your proposed surgery, but I can tell you that could breath better post surgery.  We learned that the doctors really couldn't tell us whether or not she would be able to breathe better after surgery - we just had to wait and see -, which was frustrating for us just as I see it is frustrating for you.  In looking for people who have had lobectomies, I came along several young people in their 30's who had their left lung removed.  Most were active prior to the surgery and were able to resume most of their activities after surgery.  A question we ended up asking ourselves to decide on my mom's surgery was: is a longer life (we definitely new she had cancer) worth the possibility of continues breathing issues?  Our answer was YES. 
As far as the surgery went, yes it's a major surgery, but my mom did really well despite all of her other health issues.  She was in the hospital for 6 days (a few days longer than anticipated because they removed the drain tube too soon and fluid built up in her lungs) and she did fine at home afterward.  
I wish you the best in choosing what choice is right for you. Please know that everyone on these forums have been really helpful to me and their inspiration and kind words help during the times when I am questioning what is best for my mom or when I am just feeling blue about the whole situation. 

C.J,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to deal with all of this, especially at such a young age.  My mom had her right, upper lung lobe removed in January 2016 (she is 63, obese, and has multiple other health issues).  I realize it is not an entire side of her lung like your proposed surgery, but I can tell you that could breath better post surgery.  We learned that the doctors really couldn't tell us whether or not she would be able to breathe better after surgery - we just had to wait and see -, which was frustrating for us just as I see it is frustrating for you.  In looking for people who have had lobectomies, I came along several young people in their 30's who had their left lung removed.  Most were active prior to the surgery and were able to resume most of their activities after surgery.  A question we ended up asking ourselves to decide on my mom's surgery was: is a longer life (we definitely new she had cancer) worth the possibility of continues breathing issues?  Our answer was YES. 
As far as the surgery went, yes it's a major surgery, but my mom did really well despite all of her other health issues.  She was in the hospital for 6 days (a few days longer than anticipated because they removed the drain tube too soon and fluid built up in her lungs) and she did fine at home afterward.  
I wish you the best in choosing what choice is right for you. Please know that everyone on these forums have been really helpful to me and their inspiration and kind words help during the times when I am questioning what is best for my mom or when I am just feeling blue about the whole situation. 

I think many of us are right there with you.  I am a daughter/caretaker of my mom who is currently going through a diagnosis of a recurrence of lung cancer.  The unknown is the worst for me.  Once we had a treatment plan in place, we were able to look toward the future (we will hopefully have a treatment plan today for the recurrence).  I hope that you will find the same as you go through this process.  Statistics are grim, but know that they are OLD statistics. I find solace in hearing from those who are survivors on these forums.  It gives a bit of hope in all of the darkness.  As a caregiver, please remember to take care of yourself in all ways (easier said than done, I know!).  It's okay to take time for yourself. It's okay to cry or to be pissed off.  Active members on these forums are here for you and have been a big help to me.  I hope you are able to stay in touch as time allows and keep us updated.  

I think many of us are right there with you.  I am a daughter/caretaker of my mom who is currently going through a diagnosis of a recurrence of lung cancer.  The unknown is the worst for me.  Once we had a treatment plan in place, we were able to look toward the future (we will hopefully have a treatment plan today for the recurrence).  I hope that you will find the same as you go through this process.  Statistics are grim, but know that they are OLD statistics. I find solace in hearing from those who are survivors on these forums.  It gives a bit of hope in all of the darkness.  As a caregiver, please remember to take care of yourself in all ways (easier said than done, I know!).  It's okay to take time for yourself. It's okay to cry or to be pissed off.  Active members on these forums are here for you and have been a big help to me.  I hope you are able to stay in touch as time allows and keep us updated.  

I think many of us are right there with you.  I am a daughter/caretaker of my mom who is currently going through a diagnosis of a recurrence of lung cancer.  The unknown is the worst for me.  Once we had a treatment plan in place, we were able to look toward the future (we will hopefully have a treatment plan today for the recurrence).  I hope that you will find the same as you go through this process.  Statistics are grim, but know that they are OLD statistics. I find solace in hearing from those who are survivors on these forums.  It gives a bit of hope in all of the darkness.  As a caregiver, please remember to take care of yourself in all ways (easier said than done, I know!).  It's okay to take time for yourself. It's okay to cry or to be pissed off.  Active members on these forums are here for you and have been a big help to me.  I hope you are able to stay in touch as time allows and keep us updated.  

Thanks Tom, 
Yes, her cancer was biopsied and they are currently "studying" it.  When we meet with her oncologist (probably next week) I will definitely ask about the biomarkers - thank you for that information as I hadn't heard of it before and will research it more before her appointment.  

Thank you, Lauren. My mom had surgery to insert a stent into her trachea last night. It was successful and she is breathing better than she has been in months! She feels so much better today and is ready for her fight. We have no treatment plan yet, but will likely have one soon. All I know now is the "mass" is on her trachea, where it branches off to the bronchus. Her pulmonologist says the location makes it inoperable. It is the same type of cancer she had 1.5 years ago - non-small cell adenocarcinoma (if I recall correctly). I am thankful for these forums and for folks like you to share your knowledge. We were confident with our first treatment plan for the first go 'round, but with this recurrence and it being inoperable, I know we will be second guessing ourselves as to what the right thing to do is. So I will definitely be reaching out to all of you for information.

Happy to hear the positive news, Vicky!  Way to be an overachiever!!!  I hope that this positive news will help you and your husband to look forward to the future. Best wishes!

Happy to hear the positive news, Vicky!  Way to be an overachiever!!!  I hope that this positive news will help you and your husband to look forward to the future. Best wishes!

Thank you, Lauren. My mom had surgery to insert a stent into her trachea last night. It was successful and she is breathing better than she has been in months! She feels so much better today and is ready for her fight. We have no treatment plan yet, but will likely have one soon. All I know now is the "mass" is on her trachea, where it branches off to the bronchus. Her pulmonologist says the location makes it inoperable. It is the same type of cancer she had 1.5 years ago - non-small cell adenocarcinoma (if I recall correctly). I am thankful for these forums and for folks like you to share your knowledge. We were confident with our first treatment plan for the first go 'round, but with this recurrence and it being inoperable, I know we will be second guessing ourselves as to what the right thing to do is. So I will definitely be reaching out to all of you for information.

Thank you Tom, I really appreciate your response.  Today is better than yesterday, we at least know that her surgery to have a stint placed in her bronchial tube will be no later than early next week to help her breathing. We are supposed to have the results of her biopsy this week, so I will definitely post once we know for sure the type of cancer. Thanks again for taking the time to respond. Have a good day.

Happy to hear the positive news, Vicky!  Way to be an overachiever!!!  I hope that this positive news will help you and your husband to look forward to the future. Best wishes!

Thinking of you today, hope all goes well/went well. I look forward to seeing a "selfie" of you finishing the 1/2 marathon!

Jeffrey,
My mom had her upper right lobe removed in January 2016. I've been reading your journey so far through this post and hear some of the similarities.  It took her awhile (a month or so) to feel that she "recovered" from the surgery enough to resume some of her hectic daily schedule.  After surgery, she had quite a bit of fluid built up and had to have some of it removed at one point.  She still has some fluid around her lung from the surgery but it is slowly decreasing now on its own.   We are told if may never totally go way, but not to worry - I would still be sure to have it checked as Tim said.  Even more than a year later, she still has pain where her incision was, she is told that is normal due to all of the trauma that went on in that area.  
I wish you the best in your healing process and hope all goes well for you.  Take care

I think we can all agree that chemo stinks.  I had four rounds of cisplatin/pemexetred last year and I'm 3 weeks into 6 weeks of carboplatin/taxol for a recurrence.  Last year, my girlfriends and I decided to have themes for chemo. One session was 80s and the last session was Mardi Gras.  We had beads and boas for everyone.  We're doing the same thing again this year.  We had spring fling, beach fun, and today's pajama party.  For some reason, my husband wants no part of the costume concept!  
I'm sharing this in the hopes that it will inspire you to find a way to get through chemo with a smile.  If we don't laugh, we cry.  

Ive recently had ct scans done and no sign of cancer which im totally thrilled about but im scheduled for my next scan in 6 months time but just wondering if you all wait 6 months for your next recurrence scan after getting the all clear ?
 
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Thank you Tom, I really appreciate your response.  Today is better than yesterday, we at least know that her surgery to have a stint placed in her bronchial tube will be no later than early next week to help her breathing. We are supposed to have the results of her biopsy this week, so I will definitely post once we know for sure the type of cancer. Thanks again for taking the time to respond. Have a good day.