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LouT

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LouT last won the day on February 29

LouT had the most liked content!

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About LouT

  • Birthday 09/17/1950

Profile Information

  • City
    Waxhaw
  • US State (if applicable)
    NORTH CAROLINA
  • Country
    USA
  • Status
    Lung cancer patient/survivor
  • Interests
    Support, advice/counsel, fellowship. I also want to be a help for others suffering from this disease.

Recent Profile Visitors

10,040 profile views
  1. Anthony, Sorry to hear about your cancer, but glad you found us. There are many others here like eDiveBuddy, who were diagnosed with advanced LC (lung cancer) and years later they are still here to share their story. The truth is LC is not the automatic death sentence it once was. Yes it is still the deadliest form of cancer and highly recurrent, but more work (curative, and control-based). My LC was caught at Stage 1 and was treated surgically. But there are folks here with many and varied diagnosis and journeys. In the meantime I’d ike to share a blog with you that was written by one of our own members. It is based on his receiving a diagnosis of Stage 3 over 20 years ago. That Stage 3 then became Stage 4 and he went through many treatments and recurrences and only a couple of years ago he was pronounced cured. He compiled a list of “10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor” and it can be found here. In addition, now is the time to learn as much as you can about your disease, diagnosis, and treatment. We have a section called “Lung Cancer 101” and that is found on this page. So please keep coming back. Ask questions, read other’s posts and learn all you can so you can manage this journey in a much better way. I pray you’ll be on the site for a long time to come. Lou
  2. Beautifully done Tom. Another blog I'll be offering to newbies to the LUNGevity site. Thanks for the contribution. Lou
  3. Letsdothisletsroll, I haven't taken any form of chemotherapy, but I did find the following on the Imfinzi website in the list of side effects: "Hormone gland problems: headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches; eye sensitivity to light; eye problems; rapid heartbeat; increased sweating; extreme tiredness; weight gain or weight loss; feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual; urinating more often than usual; hair loss; feeling cold; constipation; your voice gets deeper; dizziness or fainting; and changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness" I hope this helps. Lou
  4. Hello Dina. Sorry you need to be here but glad you found us. In 2019 I had a resection that turned into a lower-right lobectomy. The surgery went better than I expected and here I am (almost 5 years later) and still NED (No Evidence of Disease). A while back I put together some "Thoracic Surgery Tips and Tricks" and it can be found here. It can help you prepare for your surgery, get you through the hospital stay and also provides information for the post-op period. I can understand how frightened you must be but know that many others (including me) have gone through it and almost universally you'll here us say that it was easier than we thought. I'm not saying it is fun or that rehab is easy, but it wasn't the tragic experience I once expected it to be. Please continue to come here and read, post any questions or updates and let us help support you through this part of your journey. Edivebuddy said it well, that LC is no longer the certain death sentence that it once was. Lou
  5. Welcome Dee, We're glad you found us. This is a great place for support, knowledge, and hope. Let us know if you have any questions, there is a large and varied group of survivors here to tap into. Lou
  6. Glad to hear that you have a strong support system. Lou
  7. Cara, Since you are the “reader type” here is some information on treatment options. It is broad, but you’ll see good information about surgery there. The “Surgery” section under “Treatment Options” can be found here. One line from the criteria for a surgical approach found on the page is the following; "When surgery is an option in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), it is the main treatment because it provides the best chance for a cure." Whatever the outcome I pray for you both to get a curative result. Lou
  8. If you mean me, I don’t get my scans until August. But I’m hopeful for another good set of scans. Lou
  9. C2Morrow, What a great user-name. Congratulations on your progress and I look forward to hearing more from you and seeing the future updates. This year's scans will mark my 5th year and if all goes well I can join your 5-year club. Lou
  10. Cara, The counsel your getting here is sound. I was diagnosed with Stage 1 early on in 2019, had a lower-right lobectomy, no adjuvant treatment and since that time all scans have been negative for malignancy. So, I’m in the boat of “get the surgery”, but I also believe that each patient can and should decide on the treatment that based on their own wants/needs. Unless there are other mitigating conditions or reasons surgery (particularly lobectomy) would be the “gold standard” treatment. Again, having said all the above the patient’s wishes rule, just make sure that his doctor is giving him all the information on outcomes to make that decision. I pray for good results regardless of approach. Lou
  11. I understand your frustration. While it is really about 3 pages to get there it could be made more clear on the homepage, perhaps even a direct link on the initial site. Thanks for the feedback. Lou
  12. Hi and welcome. Sorry you had trouble finding us but glad you did. Your short history shows remission since 3/21 and that is good news. Would you like to share a bit more about yourself and let us know how we can help you? Lou
  13. Thank you for your update. We have all fingers crossed that the outcome is a good one but whatever happens we’ll be here for whatever support we can give (which is a lot). Lou
  14. Hi Iman, I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. Biopsy is the gold standard for determining if cells are malignant. Staging is a different story. That is a determination made on the basis of tumor size, whether it has metastasized of not, any other involvement caused by the disease. You can read more about staging in our Lung Cancer 101 section and the “Staging” article can be found here. Stick around, read other posts to learn what survivors here have to share and read/learn all you can about this disease. Please share any updates as your uncle goes through his diagnostic testing. Lou
  15. It may not be so uncommon that separate scans produce some differing images. It’s good to hear that the nodules are not growing or presently considered malignant. Having said that there may be other tests they can run. For example, a PET Scan could show up malignancy in cells within the nodules or not show anything (good news). But at the end of the day a biopsy is considered the gold standard for determining the malignancy or non-malignancy of a growth. Sixty percent of nodules are benign but as a former cancer patient (like me; colon 2010, lung 2019) I would always error on the side of more data and confirmed testing. Lou
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