Marilyn Raven

Oh Tom, at the time, all I could do in the middle of the night was write… it eased the pain and numbness I felt because I still cannot believe this is happening to me. I am so glad I found this site. Good information indeed, but I what I see is hope that I might too live more than a year.  

Sorry to hear that you are living with chronic pain it can get you down that's for sure, I just wanted to wish you well and I hope a solution is found to make your life a little easier,
Sending love and good wishes from Oz
Marilyn

Thanks Tom - diagnosed "officially" last week; staffing of my case and staging to occur during the lung cancer team's meeting this Friday morning 10/28/22.  I was excited today because I didn't have a test or procedure scheduled and did not have to wear sweats/t-shirt/no metal, take off all my jewelry, not eat/drink, etc.
It's all so overwhelming and is happening so fast.  Hope to start chemo next week, and aside from my husband, I haven't told anyone about this yet (was waiting for ALL the information so I could share it in one conversation with each person [son, mother, brothers, girlfriends, etc.] and not have to deal with 15 phone calls/texts a day asking if I found out something else, what the test results showed, when my next test was, etc.). 
I appreciate the info you shared above - very helpful - especially the part about living the life that you have.  I ride an 850 pound Harley Davidson motorcycle (by myself, in other words, my husband has his bike and I have mine), and this past weekend, we rode bikes all weekend like we always do...rode to another state and back on Sunday.  For this reason, I just cannot believe that I am not going to be around in a few months like the stats say for SCLC with malignant pleural effusion. I refuse to believe it - I am going to fight - and whatever happens, I'm going to take your advice and "do something" with every day I get.  Thank you!

Thanks for sharing your wisdom born of experience I am so grateful I found this forum.
I spoke to a Lung Cancer nurse yesterday from the Australian Lung foundation, and she asked where I had found my information I told her it from from this forum and told her it was a shame that we had nothing like this in Oz, her name is Nicole and she said she was going to look the forum up and join if she could so she can see how it works and perhaps replicate it here, I really hope she can do that.
 

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

Oh thanks Tom I think she would like to do something similar here in Oz through the Australian Lung foundation.  I have found this forum extremely helpful and I am as ready as I can be for my surgery in June, a Mini Thoracotomy a smaller incision and less rib separation apparently my fingers are crossed, it's a method used to replace heart valves and since this beastie is near my pulmonary artery I guess that's near to my heart anyway feeling positive and taking things one step at a time. I have hired the recliner bought myself  a wedge etc and  she was very impressed that I had found all this info, perhaps the Aussie Lung Foundation could provide a link here for lung cancer patients I will mention it next time I speak to her in a month or so after my surgery.  
Blessings

Thanks for sharing your wisdom born of experience I am so grateful I found this forum.
I spoke to a Lung Cancer nurse yesterday from the Australian Lung foundation, and she asked where I had found my information I told her it from from this forum and told her it was a shame that we had nothing like this in Oz, her name is Nicole and she said she was going to look the forum up and join if she could so she can see how it works and perhaps replicate it here, I really hope she can do that.