Tom K

I agree with the others. Keep Capullo. You will treasure the companionship as you go through this journey.

I am so sorry to hear your Mom is having so much difficulty. I second the suggestion that you ask her doctor about a feeding tube. My doctor’s told me the majority of patients who get radiation to the esophagus will need one.

I was in pretty good shape before my lobectomy and it was about 5 weeks before I was able to go back to work. I stopped the pain meds and started with the long walks about 2 weeks after surgery and I think it helped me recover quicker.

Don M….A very wise man

My 33 radition treatments were smack dab in the middle of my chest and I had a lot of pain in my esphogus. Like the others have recommended, she should plan to eat a lot of soft foods and a whole bunch of shakes. I made my shakes with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Boost, a large squirt of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup and a couple of spoonfuls of Carnation Instant Breakfast. That concoction provided about 1600 calories in a 16 oz glass. I lived on these for a couple of weeks and I credit them with helping me avoid a feeding tube.

Congratulations Mike! Enjoy your good health.

Fantastic Voyage...Beneath the Sheets

Welcome to this site, it is a great source of knowledge and hope. As far as what you are up against; on this site we have several people who have survived, thrived and lived for many years with stage IV LC, and you have every reason to expect your boss will do the same. As far as smoking goes, she should quit immediately, there are studies that indicate people who quit smoking respond better to treatment than those who continue to smoke. Don't be afraid to ask questions, the great thing about this site is the people who are so willing to share their knowledge and experience. You may want to tell your boss about it. I would have been a mental basket case when I was going through treatments if I had not had the hope offered by the members of this site.

I wish there were words that could take away your sorrow and grief. But it seems only time can do that. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

Congratulations. It always brightens my day to read good news stories like yours.

Barb’s description is perfect. Radiation starts out easy but has the treatments progress you will get more and more tired. Not exhausted, just tired more easily. I had radiation right on my esophagus and that made eating extremely painful, but for most people I am told the only pain is skin burns or irritation

Hi Kathy, I enjoyed reading about Joe’s success over cancer but sorry to hear he is still suffering so much pain. Like Carrol and Becky, my pain was easily managed with Alieve just a few weeks after the surgery. Chronic pain can be very depressing; your surgeon or PCP should be able to refer Joe to a pain management specialist. They may be able to offer some non-drug therapies to help alleviate his pain.

Terri, Welcome to the group and do not hesitate to ask questions. There is a lot of experience and knowledge in this group.

Yes, my cough started about 7 weeks after surgery and it still comes and goes. Sometimes I would get a wheeze as well as a cough. I was told all of it is related to inflammation as a result of the surgery, chemo and radiation. My doctor told me, after the surgery, the remainder of your lung can move around until it finds a comfortable spot and it can even expand to fill the void left from the surgery. That can lead to inflammation. Of course the chemo and the radiation on top of the surgery contributed to the problems. My doctors weren’t concerned either and told me over time the cough will go away. They did give me cough syrups to help deal with it. I think they are right, my wheeze hasn’t been around for a couple of months now and I haven’t used the cough syrup for more than 3 months. I still cough a few times a day but it isn’t the problem it once was. Next time you see your doctor ask him about it.

Hi Peg, I live in Jacksonville. Interestingly there have been some suggestions that cancer progresses slower in people that are a little older. Also, age does not seem to be factor in treatment success. But just like everybody else here, I strongly recommend you get her to an oncologist ASAP. You have lots of choices including Mayo. I received opinions from Baptist and St Vincent’s cancer centers. I choose St. Vincent’s because they treat the most lung cancer patients each year (even more than Mayo in Jax) and because I just really liked the doctors there. I will PM you with more information. Your mom is in my prayers.

I saw a podiatrist yesterday and he prescribed Metanx (a B-6 & B-12 combo) for the neuropathy in my feet. He said he has used it for several patients with diabetic neuropathy and it has worked great. Has anybody here ever used this product or similar B vitamin compounds to relieve neuropathy?

I had nodules on my liver that also showed uptake in a PET scan. Because of the location of the nodules, they had to do surgery to do a biopsy. My doctors were able to tell me the pathology results as soon as I woke up in the recovery room. You should ask your doctor when he will have initial path results. Ill bet he will have them immediately after surgery.

I believe in God and I believe there is a heaven and an afterlife. Now, what form heaven will take, I have no idea, but, similar to what Don said, I like to think heaven will be perfect understanding. After death, I will finally understand as much of God’s plan as is permitted, I will know if there are parallel universes, I will understand why he gave us free will, I will solve all the great mysteries of this life, such as why I developed cancer, why bad things happen to good people, and why my wife “needs” 30 pair of shoes and a dozen handbags.

I didn’t have any complications so I was back to work 4 weeks after surgery. Also, I didn’t have chemo or radiation prior to surgery so I was able to recover pretty quickly.

Welcome. It may not seem like it but you are actually very lucky your cancer was found while surgery was still an option. I know you didn’t ask for advice, but for what it is worth, if doctors offer you an epidural, say yes… keep a pillow close by so you can hug it when you cough….you will feel a whole lot better once they take out the chest tube. Don't hesitate to ask questions. There are a lot of us here that have had lung surgery (some more than once). Good luck and prayeres for great results.

I can’t relate to the bra thing, (I have never liked them), but, I can relate to the tightness somewhat. I still have a slight tingle that runs along a single rib from my back all the way to the front middle of my chest and it is still painful to touch. I understand it is nerve damage from the surgery. You should, of course, mention it to your doctor, but your tightness sounds like nerve damage also. I’m sorry I can’t forward you a reference, but a while ago I was searching the internet for “thoracotomey” information and came across an article that indicated the majority of thoracomtomey patients will experience ongoing discomfort and that 20% of those will need long term drug therapy to alleviate the pain.

I can do most of what I want to do as long as I pace myself. I even walk fast/jog 3 to 4 times a week. But if there is some sudden or unplanned exertion, like having to run across the street, I definitely get SOB. I described this to my onc last Tuesday and was told “you have less lung tissue now and you are still healing from some very aggressive treatment last year”. Since the visit revealed I was still NED, I wasn’t about to tempt the fates by pushing the issue. I hope with continued exercise and healing my breathing will eventually improve.

I can’t imagine any words that could ease your pain, but you, Carleton and your family are in my prayers.

I spent 20 years in the Air Force with most of that time in MAC and AMC working ground support for C-130s (as well as C-141s, C-5s and C-17s) and I never had a chance to see anything like that. Awesome photos.

I know the fear she faces that she won’t be fighting "it" any longer. I responded to that fear by doing a lot of research and putting together a regime of supplements and vitamins I take. Others on this site helped me refine that regime, so don't be afraid to ask if your mom is interested in supplements. I told my doctor what I was taking and he was non-committal as to whether or not any of it would actually help. But he felt none of it would hurt. At the very least, each morning and evening when I am taking my supps, it makes me feel I am doing something to keep “it” from coming back.