never2late

Hello Truke, I read your post and saw a little of myself in your words. I like your attitude! Sorry you have to go through all this - waiting for biopsy and results is certainly a stressful time. Thoughts and prayers going out to you. Please keep in touch during your journey - this groups was a tremendous help as I started mine.

It just occurred to me that I have not visited the board in quite sometime - almost a year! What prompted me to remember is that on 3/1/13 I celebrated 7 years as a lung cancer survivor. At times it seems as if it was just yesterday that I heard those words from my doctor - you have lung cancer - and now it's been 7 years. I was truly fortunate that my cancer was found when it was and my recovery has been as successful as it has been. I'm still running - completed a half marathon (13.1 miles) in the Mohave desert last October and have now run close to 7,000 miles since my surgery. I do believe that exercise has benefited me tremendously in my recovery and my present good quality of life. I hope I can run for many more years. Best of luck to all other survivors and those fighting this disease. I hope to see you all again next year, if not sooner. Jerry

Following is a story I posted recently in another on-line forum: 5 YEAR/5000 MILE EXTENDED RUNNING LIFE Big moments in my life and I had to share …… On March 1, 2011, I will become a 5 year lung cancer survivor. Sometime in April, 2011, I will run my 5,000th mile……… On February 7, 2006, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. On March 1, 2006, I had surgery to remove the upper lobe of my left lung. My oncologist talked about a study being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of post operative chemotherapy for early stage lung cancers (mine was eventually classified as Stage 1b). I chose to participate. However, on the day I was to start chemo, it was discovered that my heart had gone into atrial fibrillation. I was put on medication for a “weak heart” and went through 4 rounds of chemo between April and June. If you had asked me what kind of shape I was in prior to all this, I would have told you I was in good physical health. I didn’t drink and had quit smoking 7 years earlier. In addition to my full time job I had a part-time job that required a lot of lifting and walking. What a difference 4 months can make in your life. At the end of June I was still on heart medication, diagnosed with mild COPD and couldn’t walk to the mailbox and back without getting out of breath. I had no energy and was scared to death of what my future looked like. I also weighed 220 pounds. I knew I had to do something to improve my health. I did not have a history of being any kind of runner. I played around with it a little back in the late 70’s but was never consistent. I thought maybe running would help restore some of my physical strength and, more importantly, improve/maintain my lung function. In July of 2006, I started walking……. At first it was just to the mailbox and back and then a little more each day. As I walked more and more, breathing got easier and a crazy idea occurred – I should try to complete a 5K. On September 11, 2006, I did my first ¼ mile “run” on a treadmill and, to make a long story short – at the end of October I ran that 5K. Well, one goal leads to another and I made ever increasingly longer goals. Since then I have run several more 5K’s, 10K’s, a 15K, several 5 and 10 milers and I have completed 6 half marathons. On November 14, 2010, I ran the OBX Marathon at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Thank you for reading this far and please stick with me just a little longer. My cancer was discovered purely by accident (a requested x-ray during a routine physical) and at an early enough stage that treatment and recovery odds were much greater. I’m not usually one to promote causes but occasionally, because of my experience, I feel an obligation to address the issues of lung cancer and the need for additional funding for research. Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer but approximately 60% of the people diagnosed today had either quit or never smoked. If you smoke, please stop. The sooner you quit, the sooner your body can start to heal itself. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Please support your local cancer groups and lung associations through donations and participation in the many running races sponsored by these groups. I’m proof that lung cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. With early detection and proper treatment, survivors can lead a “new normal” life - and even run a marathon.

Three years and 9 months since removal of my ULL for stage 1b lung cancer. Last CT scan was 12/03/09 and still NED!! And yes, I did get nervous as the time for the scan drew closer (but notably less than in the past I still lurk here every now and then and occasionally post but life has gotten busy again (that is a good thing!). If any of you remember, I started running after I had cancer - and I am still running today! (http://www.lungevity.org/l_community/viewtopic.php?t=33970) I find myself being more of an advocate for lung cancer research now than in the past. When I run in various races (and on runs around the city), I now wear a t-shirt that proclaims my lung cancer survivor status. I hope it shows people that with early detection and proper treatment, lung cancer is not a death sentence and, within limits, we can live as normal a life as many others. It is rather interesting to see peoples response to the shirt. Some look away from you when you look at them, others just ignore it and some will acknowledge you with a nod or thumbs up. Most simply do not know how to react. I hope by wearing the shirt it at least makes people think more about lung cancer and the need to address the issues it presents.

Hey Don, Thanks for response. By the way, did you ever start playing the harmonica again?

Thanks, everyone, for the "welcome back" and I hope all is well with you. Life continues to go on and I think now I will "cruise" some of the other threads here - it has been awhile.....

Wow - I just noticed that the last time I signed in was in February of this year! Sorry to have been away so long, even though I usually only tend to read and not post. Good news is I have no bad news to report! March 1, 2008 marked my 2 year anniversary since I underwent surgery. My last scan (12/07) was NED and my next one is not scheduled until 12/08. For those who remember, I posted my story "The Race" in the My Story section back in November of 2007 and I am happy to report that I am still running and doing well, everything considered. I've done several shorter races and recently completed my second half - marathon. I hope to do a third one this fall. So much for my update - I actually feel guilty talking about how well I am doing. I was just very lucky that my cancer was "accidentally" discovered in a relatively early stage during a routine physical (in fact, if I hadn't asked for a chest x-ray, I'm sure it would not have been found until much later, with much different results). Even though I went through surgery to remove half my left lung and 4 rounds of chemo as a preventive course, my guilty feelings come when I see what a vast majority of others have had (and continue) to endure through their journeys. My utmost respect and my daily prayers go out to each and everyone who fights the good fight in this battle. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts and feelings. I promise to be back sooner than later - Jerry

Oranges

So sorry for your loss.

Not a toy, but the present I remember the most - We lived on a mountain in Virginia (and, yes, my last name is Walton ) when I was 12. I snuck around and "peeked" at all the presents that were wrapped for me so that when I opened presents on Christmas day I found nothing new. I was greatly disappointed until my dad brought out a present he had hidden. It was a .22 rifle that I had no idea he had gotten. I still have it today, 42 years later.

Dog Food

I wrap my presents when I buy them.....but I don't buy them until just before Christmas

tie-dye

hunt

Hi Bruce, I had a situation very similar to yours except my tumor was approximately 6 x 6.5 cm, much larger than yours. I opted for the adjuvant chemo and don't regret it one bit. It has now been 20 months since my surgery and all scans/x-rays have shown no evidence of disease. Chemo was no walk in the park but I had few side effects (meds controlled most very well) other than hair loss and fatigue. Best wishes on your fight with this disease, no matter what course you choose. Jerry

Cleaver (the Beaver's mom-for those of us old enough to remember Leave it to Beaver) Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Jussi, Your positive attitude will take you far on this journey. Please keep us informed on how things are going with you.

Gravy

How can you not smile and laugh after looking at this? Thanks for posting it.

White meat, dark meat, gravy, stuffing.....oh, I like it all!! And bring on the cherry pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie.....

I so agree with you - quitting smoking was very hard for me, too! Congratulations on the beginning of a heathier life!

My name is Jerry. I am a 54 year old cancer survivor. As promised in my post on the "Introduce Yourself" forum, this is my report on a half marathon I recently ran. Originally I thought this would be a description of the race itself but during the race I realized the true story here is the journey up to the race. So, here we go: After surgery and several chemo treatments, I took a look at myself and saw a 53 year old male who had COPD, one and half lungs, a "weak" heart, was overweight, physically unable to walk any great distance without breathing difficulties and scared of what my future looked like. I had fears and uncertainties in relation to how cancer was going to control my life and what my quality of life was going to be. It was at this point in June of 2006 that I decided I was going to address these issues through some form of exercise. To do nothing would certainly not improve my situation. I started walking - first day was to the mailbox and back (maybe 200 feet). The next day I added a few more steps, and a few more the next day, and a few more the next and so on until, in September of 2006, I was able to walk a mile. I was starting to feel better - breathing was easier, walking was easier, I had more strength and my attitude improved. I wasn't able to "control" whether cancer returned but I could certainly make myself as healthy (both physically and mentally) as possible to fight it if it did re-occur. Here is where I announced my first goal to run a 5K race (3.1 miles). I accomplished this in October and subsequently set additional goals to run greater distances. In January of 2007 I announced my ultimate goal of running a half marathon (13.1 miles). I also discovered during this time that running was becoming something that helped me deal with the anxieties of the next follow-up x-ray, CT scan, blood work, etc. Again, I had no real control over cancer but my attitude to deal with it was getting stronger, as was my running - I was feeling better about myself! That's not to say I didn't have my "bad" days during all this but knowing I was doing something positive and enjoyable made it easier to get through them. I also found myself turning to running to deal with these anxieties. My best work outs were probably days I was most anxious. I just used this to motivate to do better - the more anxious I was, the harder I ran. There were also days where I just couldn't do what I had scheduled. On those days I did what I could, recognized that there would be days like this and continued to work toward my goal. On November 11, 2007, 14 months after starting to run, I found myself standing among 2170 other runners in Nags Head, NC in 45 degree weather and wind gusts coming off the ocean at 18 miles an hour. At 7 am the race started. Two hours, 23 minutes and 24 seconds later I crossed the finish line. Mission accomplished. Goal completed. But the journey continues....and I still run. It took a long time for me to progress to this point but in accomplishing this goal I find I have a much more positive attitude towards life as a cancer survivor. I'm still nervous and anxious before each medical follow-up but I am more comfortable in dealing with the potential results. I'm not a good writer but the message I am trying to convey here is that by choosing an activity that promotes physical and/or mental well being, by setting realistic goals and working to achieve them, this cancer journey is much more tolerable. The activity doesn't have to be a "physical exercise", I just happened to choose running. I read where another LCSC member is thinking of playing the harmonica to improve lung function - what an excellent idea to promote a positive change, both physically and emotionally. Thank you for taking time to read this. I have also found that putting ones feelings and thoughts in writing is a therapeutic exercise in itself. Try it -share yours with us. Thank you - Jerry

Your Dads situation is similar to mine. I think right now you are probably overwhelmed with a "fear of the unknown" and have more questions than answers. In time you will get answers and a course of action will develop. I pray for the best for your Dad.

Don - Congrats on the 4 years! I get a lot out of reading your posts. Thanks (and how's the harmonica playing coming along?).