Screening is an absolute must, especially for those at risk for LC. My own story supports this. (But I know of people at risk for LC who did not sign up for the free screening via low dose spiral CT scans in NYC. And I don't know why.)
I am another Stage 1a LC survivor. My nodule (~1 cm) was picked up on a chest x-ray that my then MD ordered as part of my physical. My surgery to remove the lower right lobe was on March 21, 2001 (DX=adeno). Follow-up CT scans have caused great anxiety. The first, six months after my surgery, showed enlarged lymph nodes in the mediastinum and a new 3-4 mm nodule in the right, upper lobe. A PET scan indicated that the lymph nodes were not cancerous, but could not determine the status of the nodule because it was so small. The results of the next three CT scans were good: the lymph nodes had become alot smaller (normal) and the nodule remained stable. The most recent CT scan in the beginning of this month, however, indicated a new 4 mm nodule had formed, a finding that my oncologist termed "worrisome." After consulting with my local surgeon and with one at Memorial Sloan Kettering (I want to stay ahead in any decision making! Read: very nervous), I have decided to wait and get another CT scan in May. If the nodule grows, I'll have surgery again (ugh); if it doesn't (lets hope for this outcome), I'll wait another 3 months...and get yet another CT scan. (So Dave, I can appreciate the anxiety you're having now. Unfortunately, the fear of recurrence will be with us all for awhile.)
This is a long-winded way of saying that screening does work!! I was lucky that the first nodule was found early, that my MD had all smokers have a chest x-ray as part of the annual physical and that the CT scans have picked up potential problems early! (Too many LC survivors only have chest x-rays as part of their follow-up!)
And Dave, I also agree with you when you say you "feel unworthy of even being associated with lung cancer." I haven't had any chemo or radiation so I can't fully appreciate what others are going through. I guess I feel a little guilty....and I am also a little reluctant to respond to many of the posts although I am rooting...and praying for... everyone of us here.