LouT

Kris, You are coming through pretty well. Stay strong and "YES" chest tubes can sometimes be the most uncomfortable part of the surgery. I had a run-in with one and lost, but that's another story for another time. Continue to take care of yourself and do all you can to recover at a healthy pace. I leave the decisions about the radiation follow up to you and your oncologist. Since I have no experience with it myself, there is little I can offer. Lou

Wow...what a great post! Over the last few years I've accepted something I once heard, "Our fears never lessen, but our courage increases each time we face fear down." and that feels right to me. I have a feeling whenever you were diagnosed you would have brought the same grit to the battle. Thanks for sharing. Lou

We're glad you found us too and love hearing your good news. Lou

We are no braver than anyone else. But, we learned from experience that there is life after a lung cancer diagnosis and we freely share that with you so you can see a future as well. Stay strong Justin, we'll be here with you. Lou

Justin, Michelle nailed it! The waiting seems interminable, but will be over and once you are fully diagnosed and a treatment plan is laid out you will certainly feel some sense of control returning to the situation. Hang in there and stay strong. You can do this. Lou

Great news D!!! I join the others in celebrating it. Lou

Hi Justin, Welcome to the club that nobody wants to be a member of. Let me first tell you something you need to hear; "Lung cancer is NOT the automatic death sentence it once was!". We have members here with as much as 16 years since diagnosis with cases starting in Stage 3. Now, the other thing I can tell you is; stay away from Dr. Google, it is not your friend and the data they use is averaged over a 5-year period so it does not reflect what is happening on the ground right now, today. We all have a lot of experience to share with you and will be happy to answer your questions. Just know that from now forward You Are Not Alone. One of our leading members wrote an excellent treatise called "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor" and you can find that here. As you learn more of your diagnosis and develop questions please share them here and we'll provide the best responses that we can for you. Receiving a lung cancer diagnosis is overwhelming, but do your best to stay calm and focused on learning more about this disease, spending some time here and getting involved with your treatment team. Also, if a biopsy is taken (surely it will be) you need to advocate for biomarker testing to see if there are any genetic anomalies that would make you eligible for immunotherapies now or in the future. Hang in there, and I look forward to hearing more about your case and any questions you have. Lou

Kris, I'll join in here and say that this is a great update. Please keep us updated and just know that the fatigue and weakness will lessen in time and you'll recover what you had before. Lou

Yup...couldn't agree more. "Nothing is free" is a cliche for a reason...because it is true. Still a well-written blog Ken. Thanks. Lou

Sharron, I disagree with you on one important point. You do have something positive to share. Your experience! No, not everyone will survive the way or as long as you did, but there are many out there that do. And hope is something we all need sprinkled over the tragedies in our life or else we give up the will to fight and live and then the chance of death is greatly increased. So, let people know what you've gone through. The good, the bad and the ugly. Show them what a survivor looks like. True, you didn't control the treatment or the molecular level of your protocol, but you were in control of your mind, heart and spirit and that had to surely play a role in your long-term survival. So, bring hope to others. You have a good story to tell. Lou

Barb, The information Tom provided will help you out greatly in understanding about the importance of biomarker testing as well as the Tips and Tricks for Thoracic Surgery. You'll find great information there. I also had a lobectomy and I can tell you I had a worse time when they removed my gall bladder. Many here had surgical intervention and will likely say that it was easier than thought it would be. But again those "tips and tricks" will offer a lot of good information for you to get through this as easily as possible. After reading the material please feel free to come back here and ask any questions you may have. Lou

Another well-written piece. The vaccines are surely controversial for many. There are legitimate questions about giving them to young people, who are the least affected by Covid19 and now a serious question about whether the side effects in that group belie the rationale for young people to receive this vaccine. But, alas, like you I'm vaccinated and know mostly vaccinated folks so I'm frankly willing to allow others to make their own decisions. The one thing I've always questioned is why people who survived Covid19 with antibodies would be expected to receive the vaccine as well. The rationale around that didn't really make sense and now Cleveland Clinic has released a study that seems to support the fact that vaccination in that group is not really required and other studies seem to point to higher side-effects in folks who survived the disease. My son (who almost died from it, but survived) is such an example, his first vaccine gave such strong reactions that lasted days that his doctor recommended not getting a second. The same situation happened to my wife. So, unfortunately, I don't believe we'll really have all the lowdown on vaccines (except that overall they likely saved tens of thousands of lives) until results are studied over time. Science requires that. Lou

Wow...you've really been through the mill with the treatments, but I'm so glad to hear that the 3rd treatment went more smoothly. My hope is that the 4th one is much the same. It's also good to hear about tumor shrinkage and no new disease. I'm aware that others here have experience with different forms of chemo, but for my part I pray that your 4th treatment is an easy one and that the results continue in the right direction. Thanks so much for the update. Lou

You're so right Tom...this is the time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I have a couple of names I carry with me of my buddies who did just that. On Veterans Day I'll continue to think of those we lost while thanking those, still with us, who served. Lou

Sarah, Welcome to our forum. I'm sorry to hear about your Mom's lobectomy. But it is very effective in removing cancerous tissue. Lexie already shared the "tips and tricks" with you and please feel free to ask any questions you (or your Mom) may have.

Sorry I'm so late to the party here, but I'm moving to a smaller house on the 27th and I've been poring over, donating and throwing out stuff my wife and I had gathered over 44 years together... I'm so glad to hear that you are in your treatment program and sorry to hear about the side effects. Your attitude is a great one though (could be better, could be worse) and will help you more than you know. I personally have not had chemo of any kind, but many here talk about keeping a journal of their treatment so they can more accurately help the doctor determine all the data around symptoms and side-effects as their treatment progresses. That may help you. And researching is fine, but I would stay with souces like Lungevity as it is focused on your key disease and may be more updated and relevant than much of what is out there. Please keep us posted and know that our thoughts and prayers are going out to you. Lou

So moving...I don't know what to say. Lou

Boy!!! I really missed this...happy belated anniversary... Lou

KM, If your medical team decides that surgery is the approach then you should take a look at some Tips and Tricks on how to prepare, get through and recover from thoracic surgery. It can be found here. Lou

KM, Now you're coming to the part where you'll have a defined battle plan. Once you know the approach there are many of us here that can share our experiences with you and that can help you go through your journey more easily. Please stay in touch and ask us any questions you have. Lou

Well-written Ken. Yes, the pandemic is scary. I too am fully vaccinated so I am a bit more relaxed. Yes, I wear a mask out and keep myself clean and safe, but I'm lucky to have a group of friends (all fully vaccinated) that I can spend time with and refresh my soul. I don't want Covid (I saw my wife fight it) and I don't want desolation either. So, I've found a happy compromise. I hope you do as well. Lou

Jesse, Like you, I prefer to let my doctor read the results and tell me what he sees. My problem is that one time I read the results early and was sure I'd be dead in a month. After unsuccessfully trying to control his laughter, my doctor told me that I was stable, NED and misunderstanding most of what was written there. So, I stay educated on the disease and treatments, but don't read my own scans. That's not so different as singers or movie stars that never read their reviews. So, we're in good company. Lou

K, Welcome to our forum. A 3cm growth is concerning, but all of us here have learned the lesson of waiting for all tests to be done before we go down one road or another. So please read the info that Tom mentions (it's very good) and come back here with any questions you have also, make it a point to do a few things: 1. Write down questions you have for the doctor as we can often forget them when we are nervous. 2. Stay away from Dr. Google, there is little help there and even many of the stats are outdated because they run on 5-year averages and don't show the present rates for recovery, survival and such. Stick with your medical team and what you'll read and learn here. 3. Keep your mind in the present, until you have a diagnosis don't make any conclusions. Once you have a diagnosis make sure you learn all you can about it, how it was concluded and (if needed) what treatments yield the best results for any condition you may have. Good luck with your tests and please keep us posted. Lou

Bridget makes a good point. We often fight to hold onto life, but then don't actively live it fully. Bridget's friend did just that; "lived it for what it was worth". I would never presume to tell you how to spend your money, but rather would always support a decision to live each day, week, month, year or years fully. Lou

Ken, Wow! What a day you had. Sounds to me like you've got a pretty good team looking out for you. I'm glad that you didn't have covid and hope you never do. Lou