Bud Baker

Yes, and pretty close to the norm for patients who don't get a separate biopsy first, I think. Wow, it certainly was nicer here. 81 degrees F, and I managed to get in a 24 mile after work bike ride before the rain moved in. They're calling for cold and rainy the next few days, though.

LOL........ Very true.

I also had surgery without a prior biopsy. But, in my case, the spiculated edge of the nodule made the doctors pretty certain it was cancer. Even then, they did a wedge resection first, and only after a biopsy confirmed it as cancer while I was waiting on the table, did they go ahead and do the lobectomy. In reply to Ellen's post, it seems to me if they were going to deny that it was cancer, they would have done it sooner. They wouldn't first lead everyone to believe it's cancer, then come back after the surgery and say it wasn't. That's why it all seems so strange.

It does seem a bit strange. They must have seen growth since the last scan. Even so, unless the shape of the nodule made things definitive, you would have expected a biopsy first. The surgery must have been VATS, or he wouldn't be back at work that quickly.

Way to go, Lilly!

Welcome, Sandy! Over a year later, my chest still doesn't feel right. But, it feels a lot better than it did right after surgery. I was back on my bicycle quickly after surgery (too quickly, my doctor would probably say), and I think that helped with the pain and numb spots. Six weeks after surgery, when I started doing my core muscle exercises again, that seemed to help even more. I never found anything that helped more than exercise, and now I'm pretty much pain free, although like I said, an area of my chest still feels funny. Hopefully, you'll see lots of improvement in the coming weeks.

Welcome, Lori! Sorry you need to be here, but glad you found us. I'm another North Texan. I was fortunate enough to be diagnosed early, and have remained cancer free for over a year since my surgery, so my situation has been very different than your mother's. But I wanted to welcome you here, and send best wishes for your mother.

Welcome, Rhonda. Hopefully, your mother will be home soon and feeling much better. I also had stage II NSCLC and had the upper lobe of my left lung removed. I also did three rounds of chemo. So, as you can tell, there are many of us here with similar stories. Keep us updated, and whether you have questions, need support, or just want to vent, we're here for you.

Dangit, that is maddening! It's today's reminder that we, indeed, need to do our best to stay on top of what our doctors are doing.

ts, I think Bruce is right. Chemo affects us all differently, and you just have to do what you can, when you can, and not fret about what you can't do. I was back on my bicycle 15 days after surgery, and would have been back at work shortly afterward, if the doctors had given me a release. But with chemo, there were days where I just couldn't function, and not just at work. On my birthday last April, I was going to join a bunch of cyclist friends for a picnic they were having after a ride. Unknown to me, my wife was going to pick up a cake and turn the gathering into a birthday party for me. Two hours before we were to leave, I went back to bed. I just felt too bad to do anything. I also had days at work where I just had to give up and go home after a couple of hours. I say just accept that there will be days like that, and don't worry about it. Easier said than done, I know, but I think that's the best frame of mind. Hang in there, and I hope you have better days soon.

I vote for new doctors, too. Both of my chest tubes were removed the fourth day after surgery, and thankfully, I haven't seen another one since.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29060821/ James Whitmore dies of lung cancer LOS ANGELES - James Whitmore, the many-faceted character actor who delivered strong performances in movies, television and especially the theater with his popular one-man shows about Harry Truman, Will Rogers and Theodore Roosevelt, died Friday, his son said. He was 87. The Emmy- and Tony-winning actor was diagnosed with lung cancer the week before Thanksgiving and died Friday afternoon at his Malibu home, Steve Whitmore said. “My father believed that family came before everything, that work was just a vehicle in which to provide for your family,” said Whitmore, who works as spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “At the end, and in the last two and a half months of his life, he was surrounded by his family.” His long-running “Give ’em Hell, Harry,” tracing the life of the 33rd president, was released as a theatrical movie in 1975. Whitmore was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor, marking the only time in Oscar history that an actor has been nominated for a film in which he was the only cast member. His Teddy Roosevelt portrait, “Bully,” was also converted into a movie. He later became the TV pitchman for Miracle-Gro plant food, and used the product in his large vegetable garden at his Malibu home. While not known for his politics, Whitmore was an early supporter of President Barack Obama. He stumped for Obama during a 2007 rally at the Gibson Theatre at Universal Studios, telling the crowd that Obama had the wisdom “to deal with a very, very confused and complex country, and the world.” Whitmore also appeared in TV commercials in 2008 for the “First Freedom First” campaign, which advocates religious liberty and preserving the separation of church and state. Whitmore had regularly attended an Oscar night bash, Night of 100 Stars, and had sent in his RSVP for this year, said Edward Lozzi, a spokesman for agent Norby Walters’ gala. Many memorable performances Whitmore started both his Broadway and Hollywood careers with acclaimed performances, both as tough-talking sergeants. In 1947, discharged a year from Marine duty, he made his Broadway debut in a taut Air Force drama, “Command Decision.” He was awarded a Tony for outstanding performance by a newcomer. Two years later, Whitmore was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe as supporting actor in the war movie “Battleground.” He followed with memorable performances in scores of films, refusing to be typed. Besides war movies, he appeared in Westerns (“The Last Frontier,” “Chato’s Land”), musicals (“Kiss Me Kate,” “Oklahoma!”), science fiction (“Planet of the Apes,” “Them”), dramas (“The Asphalt Jungle,” “The Shawshank Redemption”) and comedies (“Mr. O’Malley and Mrs. Malone,” “The Great Diamond Robbery.”) Shirley Jones, a teenager when she starred in “Oklahoma,” said she came to know Whitmore during months of filming in Nogales, Ariz., and recalled being impressed by her good-humored and highly disciplined colleague. “He told me, ‘If you’re going to be in this business, you better learn your craft,”’ Jones recalled. “And he never stopped learning.” His favorite film was “Black Like Me” (1964), a true story about a white reporter who blackened his face to experience life as an African-American in the South. Another of his rare starring roles was “The Next Voice You Hear” (1950), in which a family hears the voice of God via the radio. He played opposite Nancy Davis, the future Mrs. Ronald Reagan. Whitmore often appeared on television, starring in the series “The Law and Mr. Jones” (1960-1962), “My Friend Tony” (1969) and “Temperatures Rising” (1972-1973). He received an Emmy in 1999 as guest actor in a series for “The Practice.” Jones recalled seeing him in a 2007 episode of the TV drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and marveling at his still-sharp talent. “I was absolutely blown away by that. He had a huge role, playing a lawyer, and it was phenomenal,” she said. A love for American presidents A student of history, Whitmore delighted in portraying famous American personages. He toured in the play “The Magnificent Yankee,” about Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. He played Ulysses S. Grant in a 1960 TV movie, Adm. William F. “Bull” Halsey in the Pearl Harbor attack spectacle “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, and Walt Whitman in a dramatic reading, “A Whitman Portrait.” The monologues of Harry Truman, Will Rogers and Teddy Roosevelt brought Whitmore his greatest success. In 2000, he appeared in “Will Rogers, U.S.A.” at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., his eighth engagement in the show at Ford’s over a 30-year period. President Ford attended a performance of “Give ’em Hell, Harry” at Ford’s Theater after Richard Nixon resigned. Whitmore worried about Ford’s reaction to Truman’s crusty words about Nixon. The actor recalled: “I was three feet from Gerry Ford when I said to the press as Truman: ‘Nixon is a no-good lying (expletive); if he ever caught himself telling the truth, he’d tell a lie just to keep his hand in.’ After the show, (Ford) came up on stage and put his arm around me and said, ‘That was a pretty good blocking back.”’ Ford had been line coach when Whitmore played football at Yale. His movie and television careers continued into the 21st century, but he admitted that he preferred the stage. “I find the process of making movies absolutely boring,” he told a reporter in 1994. “It’s so fragmented. You wait and wait and wait and then, look, as Jack Lemmon says, ‘It’s magic time.’ In the theater, once the curtain goes up, the actor is in charge.” Born in 1921 in White Plains, N.Y., Whitmore was active in school sports and acted in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, though his strict Methodist family disapproved of the profession. After a year at an Ivy League prep school, Whitmore in 1939 enrolled in prelaw at Yale University, where he had won a football scholarship. Two knee injuries ended his football career, and he devoted himself to dramatics. After graduating from Yale, he enlisted in the Marines and served in the South Pacific. “I had a lot of time to think in the Marine Corps,” he recalled, “and so I decided it wasn’t the law I wanted but the theater.” In New York he studied at the American Theater Wing under the G.I. Bill, living on $20 a week and rooming with another hopeful actor, Jack Warden. After a season in summer stock in New Hampshire, he returned to New York and won the role of Sergeant Harold Evans in “Command Decision.” Rave reviews started his career in motion. He married Nancy Mygatt in 1947, and the couple had three sons, James, Steven and Daniel. They later divorced, and in 1971 he married an actress, Audra Lindley. They often appeared in plays together, even after their 1979 divorce. He remarried his first wife in the 1980s, but another divorce ensued. Nearing 80 in 2001, Whitmore married actress-writer Noreen Nash. Whitmore is also survived by eight grandchildren.

I was already on Prilosec for reflux before I started chemo, and think it helped a lot. I had my share of problems from chemo, but no gi issues at all.

Congrats, Muriel!

Welcome, Mary. I'll agree with what's been said so far. There's no point in beating yourself up; what's past is past. You have done the prudent thing in finding and trying to handle the SPN. Stay on top of that, and let us know what happens. But, while you're reading all of our horror stories, keep in mind that most very small SPN's found in people your age are not cancerous. We all get "scanxiety" as our scan times approach, but you have great odds of having nothing but good news from the next scan, so keep that in mind the next time it's worrying you. Good luck, and keep us up to date!

That's a tough call, and smoking is a pretty sensitive subject around here, but I'm thinking that if she still hasn't stopped after all she's been through, there's nothing you're going to do or say that's going to change that. I don't think I could ever bring myself to openly support her decision, but under these circumstances, I might just look the other way and say nothing.

Welcome, wpoohn! You'll find lots of support and some great people here. I am another who was diagnosed early, and have remained cancer free for a year now, after my surgery. It's a terrible disease to have, but being diagnosed early is the best thing that can happen with it. Best of luck, and keep us updated.

Three men were discussing aging at the nursing home. "Sixty is the worst age to be," said the 60-year-old. You always feel like you have to pee. And most of the time, you stand at the toilet and nothing comes out!" "Ah, that's nothin'," said the 70-year-old. "When you're seventy, you can't even crap anymore. You take laxatives, eat bran, you sit on the toilet all day and nothin' comes out!" "Actually," said the 80-year-old, "Eighty is the worst age of all." "Do you have trouble peeing too?" asked the 60-year-old. "No, not really. I pee every morning at 6:00. I pee like a racehorse on a flat rock; no problem at all." "Do you have trouble crapping?" "No, I crap every morning at 6:30." With great exasperation, the 60-year-old said, "Let me get this straight. You pee every morning at 6:00 and crap every morning at 6:30. So what's so tough about being 80?" "I don't wake up until 7:00."

A big congrats, Denise!

Welcome, Trayce. My story is similar: Stage II, surgery followed by chemo, and I also live in Texas. I was also lucky enough to receive my full salary from my employer during the month of work I missed. I've been cancer free for just over a year now. Here's wishing the best for you, too. Keep us up to date!

While the doctors thought my cancer was stage I, I wasn't going to do chemo. When the biopsy after surgery showed it to be stage II, I did the chemo. Good luck, whatever you decide!

Sarah, Just before Christmas, I had my first bronchitis since my surgery a year ago. It's plainly going to be worse for me. I've had exercise induced asthma ever since my surgery, too. I'd never had that before. I don't think I have any tougher time breathing when it's cold, but I don't like the way my lungs feel with the cold air, so tend to do shorter bike rides and start later in the day, to avoid mornings that are too cold. I'm in Texas, so I don't get the really cold weather, though. It sounds like it may be different for all of us. I hope it gets better for you with time.

Hi Jennifer. Welcome to the site, although I'm sorry you need to be here. I had a similar experience just over a year ago. I had an upper left lobectomy, then what doctors thought was Stage I turned out to be Stage II because one of the lymph nodes they took and biopsied was cancerous. I'm not sure what made yours Stage III, but I do know that particular lymph nodes being cancerous can cause that diagnosis, so that may be it. You'll find a lot of knowledgeable, helpful, and supportive people here. Again, welcome, and I'm glad you found us.

Welcome, CMilo. You'll find it's a great group of people here, whether you have questions, want to talk, or just want to vent. Please keep us updated on how your dad is doing, and let us know how we can help.

Welcome to the forum, jstdzy. I can relate to that shell shocked feeling, as can most people here. Glad you're doing well; it's always great to hear from another survivor.