elkiesmom

Hi Faye Gary has not played golf since moving to Florida last August.It is to darn hot and we are spoiled having lived in California for 25 years. He just loves that stupid game. The last time he played was a few months ago when we went back to Ca to visit with our grandchildren. What he is worried about is his job and that requires travel. They have been great about this illness and will work with him but the time will come that he will need to resume his job discription. We cannot afford to lose his benifits. he works from home two days a week and the other three he goes to the office. This is great right now and will be after surgery. Right after and for a few months he will work from home everyday and that is fine with the CO. It is after a few months that he worries about and oxygen and travel does not go together or so he thinks.Two years ago he had the guts to quit a high pressure job and came to this great little co and work here until he would be about 68 and then just do consulting for other CO's. What do they say about the best layed plans? Lorrie

Hi Cindi Yes I do the homework but I don't know how well. I want to know as much as I can so if need be I can guestion the doctor about my husbands care and treatment. We have been married for over 41 years and he is my life as I am his. You mentioned mediastinoscopy? I think that is what the surgeon said he wasn't going to do. he said his goal is to get the mass out and if need be all the lymph nodes that have cancer cells in them. I really hope he means what he said. To open and then to just close him would be devestating. That is what they did to my dad 30+ years ago. My dad was the same age as my husband when he was diag having cancer (62). I feel as this is a rerun of my parents life. Thanks again Cindi and prayers for you.

Thank you RICH. I told my husband that was what he would have to do. I had 4 broken ribs and a collapsed lung due to an accident 12 years ago and I know the pain of sleeping on your back. I also slept on the recliner for a few months and my dear husband slept in his recliner also. He tends to forget these things so I wanted him to be prepared for that also. It just seems so unfair that he has to have LC and I who am a smoker does not.(I only smoke outside or in my bathroom and I have done that for the last 5 years)

My husband had an upper right lobectomy at Moffitt on 5/2/05. His surgeon was Dr. Sommers.>>>>>>> Hi Karen My husband's surgeon is Dr Sommers also We were going to go see Dr Robertson but he is going on vacation so we didn't want to wait any longer so he refered us to Dr Sommers. My husbands cancer is in his right Lung also. We had been told that the surgeon would first do a small operation to see if his lymph nodes had any cancer cells in them but Dr Sommers said he would not do that he would just take the mass out and as many lymph nodes that he needed to do.I liked that because he seems so sure of himself and there is no IF's in his words. Lorrie

Thank you Don and Wendy for the kind welcome. This was so unexpected for us as I am sure it is for everyone. My husband stopped smoking 28 years ago so we never thought he would have to worry about LUNG CANCER. What threw us in a tizzy was when we went to the first surgeon in early June and he said that if he found any Cancer out side of the right lung (that included the lymph nodes) he would close my husband up and do no more.That is when we went to an oncologist near us who had my husband have a PET scan and then referred us to the Moffitt Cancer Center for a surgeon. This surgeon seemed so positive that he can operate and he did say he would take out as many lymph nodes as he needed to.He also said he might take out only one lobe or if need be the whole lung. I just don't understand how two doctors can be so different. I do feel so much better knowing your story Wendy regarding the oxygen. That really had me stressed and Don thank you for explaining the staging. Every message Board that I have been on the posters always knew what stage they had before treatment and I thought that there was something wrong with our Doctors not knowing What stage my husband had. Thanks ever so much again lorrie

Hi. My husband found out he had lung cancer May 23. After all tests were done we found out it was nsclc.Last week we went to see the surgeon at Moffett cancer center. He said he can operate on my husband since it doesn't seem by all the tests that the cancer has spread. Even though the nsclc is 10cm it is well contained and he will try to only take the one lobe out but might end up having to take the whole lung out. After the surgery he will then start chemo as a safe guard.He will have his surgery on July 26th so I am keeping my fingers crossed.My only concern is that we found out on May 23rd but we are waiting until july 26th to start any treatment. Though when I said that to the doctor today he said that this is a small growing cancer.I hope he is right. We are also having a problem with the staging. I can't get a doctor to stage it for sure. It might be a 2 or maybe a three. All I know is even though the mass is 10cm they will do surgery July 26th. The pet scan showed it had not spread so from my reading on staging I have to say he is a stage 3a. I think I am right. Our surgeon at Moffitt said he can get it out including all the lymph nodes if they turn up to have cancer cells in them though the pet scan didn't show this. He will try taking one lope out but if he has to he will take the whole lung out. After the surgery is done our oncologist will start chemo. Has any had the entire lung out and if so what should we expect. BTW my husband has had Athsma all of his life. This concerns me but not the doctor. I do know that it will devastate my husband if he has to reley on oxygen the rest of his life. Lorrie