Katester

Dear Lucie and Don, It was good to hear the update on Lucie. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking of you along with everyone else. My best to you both. Kate

Hi Melainie, I too am glad that you posted. Come as often as you need to for support and comfot. I can't answer for your husband of course but on the surgical floor I was on in the hospital were 5 lung cancer patients that I knew about and myself and then others who had heart surgery and other types of surgery that I didn't really know about. One of the things I did notice right away is how distant some of the husbands were acting towards their wives. I heard one man tell his wife who was complaining about the pain she was having trying to walk for the first time and he told her to "suck it up and keep going". Later that night all the nurses were talking about this and they said that many times the husbands are angry because they don't have control of the situation set before them and there is nothing they can do and are frustrated. But, they also said they have seen this with wives with ill husbands too. My husband told me to keep going but it would have been his last three words if he also added "suck it up". Maybe you could just talk this through with your husband and let him know how he is making you feel rather than just holding it all inside. I am sure it is not his intent to hurt you in any way . Everyone needs to be encouraged and praised and feel loved no matter what the status of our health is. I wish you all the best. Kate

Hi Melissa, Welcome. I am sorry too that you had to come here but now that you have, come as often as you need to for comfort and support. I have just one son who lives out of town and he too felt bad that he couldn't be with me through everything. My story to date is pretty short because it was caught in early stages but nontheless I knew he was thinking of me even if he wasn't by my side all the time. We discussed this at one point in time and we both agreed that we both knew how much we loved each other and that just because he wasn't here with me it didn't mean he loved me less. I'm sure your Mother feels the same way about you. I am sure she would love phone calls, I looked forward to them and cards in the mail and just an occasional visit when it was possible. He did come in for my surgery but at my request, when it was over, he went back to his family the next morning. You can work it out, but don't feel guilty. I'm sure that isn't what your Mom wants. My best to you and your family. Kate

Hi Ellie, Sorry for this news. The waiting is always un-nerving. I agree, just try to keep busy to make the time go by as best you can. The day my doctor told me about cancer he said"this will be your worst day and now that we know, let's get busy and see what we are going to do about it. " It sounded pretty abrupt at the time, but shortly after I left his office it made sense and it changed my thought process to what to do instead of what it was. You have definetley come to the best place for support and comfort when you need it. Kate

Hi Maryann Sounds like Joel is doing better each day. Hope the visit with the oncologist is a good one. I am not doing any after surgery chemo so I don't have any input at all on that. They took samples from several nodules and lymph nodes during my surgery and all were negative for cancer so I am comfortable with this decision that was made . I am fortunate in many ways that this was caught early. The surgery is the same except they didn't take a whole lobe, just 20% of the top left lobe. The first day that I was left all by myself when my husband went back to work was a long one. I think I was afraid to be alone for fear of what could happen . Anxiety and panic could have easily taken over that first day or two. Now things are better and I am more comfortable with the situation and being alone during the day. My husband felt bad leaving me alone and I am sure you will have those feelings as well. You both have a good week. Kate

Hi MaryAnne, My surgery was just two weeks ago tomorrow. I am off all medication with the exception of Advil as needed. I found that the more I walked and moved around, even though it hurt like the dikens, the better I felt the next day. I still get out of breath but the more I push myself the next day or two I see the pay off. The breathing machine is his ticket out of some of this so encourage him to do it the best he can. The coughing is really unpleasant but oh so important to do. I don't walk outside cause it's oh so cold here in New York but I have made a pathway about the house so that I can keep moving around. My best to you and your husband on his speedy recovery. Kate

I returned home from the hospital on New Year's Eve just 4 days after my wedge resection. I had to spend an extra day in ICU because I was unable to keep anything down. After many hits and misses they discovered it was the epideral that was causing the nausea problem. I ended up having to use non-narcotic pain reliever Taradol for the pain and it only touched the surface of the pain most of the time. I seem to be doing okay although I didn't expect it to be this painful. If I had been able to handle the drugs it would have been easier I think. The good news is I am cancer free!! I am not sure what the recovery process is like in the next few weeks but each day seems to bring new hopes alive and the light at the end of the tunnel appears brighter. I can't imagine myself going through any other treaments such as chemo and radiation after surgery as many of you do. This alone whooped me. You all are my hero's and thankyou for your many words of support. Kate

I have passed all the approriate tests and I will be having my surgery on Monday , December 27th. I am fortunate that this can be done. I was told during my preop testing that only 1 in 5 are eligible for the surgery. That was a statistic that just boggled my mind. I wish you all could do it . My pain is to be managed with the epidural and/or the morphine push or whatever that is really called. I will be in touch when I can. If any of you have tips that would benefit my hospital stay or return home I would welcome the input. Thanks to all for your prayers and support Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Kate

I am sorry to hear of the loss of your Husband. My thoughts are with you and your family. Kate

Thanks so much for the words of encouragement and hands on experience to my post. You all are amazing people and I commend you on your courage and wisdom. I hope I can follow your lead . You certainly all can inspire one to forge on. I do understand how fortunate I am that is has been caught so early and I can be helped . I will post as to how things are going up to my surgery date. Again, thankyou and keep that spirit going that is only inherent in winners. Kate

I recently had a PET scan that couldn't confirm or rule out cancer. Why couldn't the PET scan do that?

I didn't actually leave the support group, I just didn't post. I have however followed everyone each week with the good, the bad, and the ugly coming across my monitor. I feel like a newcomer again so I decided to post here. After this I'll go over to test time result time to post. I have been followed by my pulmonary doctor since May of this year and we were all pretty confident that I did not have lung cancer. Now as of my last CT scan right after Thanksgiving they are putting that idea back out there. Watching multiple lung nodules they have now noted this small irregular opacity on the top of my left lung. It is about the size of what he says is an acorn. It came from nowhere between September 1 and Thanksgiving which is the time between the scans. I went back for my second PET scan and they can't tell for sure from that. I thought that the PET was supposed to be able to predict with some accuracy , not just we don't know. Apparentlly the tracer went to the spot but it didn't show the light up effect that one would expect with a malignancy. So now it's back to it could be a low grade malignancy or it could be an inflammation . Now, it's suggested that perhaps it should just be removed. I have issues with going through major surgery not knowing if this is a malignancy or not. If I understand this correctly, the visit to the surgeon is also supposed to serve as a second opinion of sorts as to how I should proceed with all of this. I am tending to adopt the wait and see attitude which my husbands says I am crazy to even go with that idea. I don't know that I would even be a candidate if surgery was the direction to go in. I was a smoker until 3 years ago and do have asthma. I know there is no system to project lung cancer but it just seems such an outrageous idea that they could be watching tiny little nodules in both lungs and suddenly a malignant tumor appears out of the blue. I am grateful that I am being monitored so closely and that anything that would appear would be caught in an instant most arent that lucky. I would like all of your opinions from those who are willing to comment on this situation whether they be good or bad and I welcome your support as well. Thanks, Kate

I'd like to extend my deepest sympathy to you and your family. Kate

Paige, I am sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family. Kate

Ginny, Just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you and your husband and send you my best. Kate

Here's hoping each new day is a better one from now on. Kate

Hi Betty, Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you and prayers coming your way. Kate

Welcome Mandy, I am sorry to hear about your Mother. You have come to a support community that will be there for you, unconditonally. You will also find a great wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of lung cancer with this group so ask what you need to know. I am the Mother of an only child and I can relate to the closeness that you have with your parents. It's that relationship that will give you the strength and stamina to get through this. Your friends with healthy families couldn't possibly feel what you are feeling right now but that doesn't mean that they don't care or that they aren't going to be there for you. Alot of it is that they just don't know what to do or what to say . When we were just going through the diagnostic stages of my lung mass I can recall my Son saying that he wished he could express how he felt but couldn't get the words in a sentence that could say what he was wanting to say.I am sure you are hurting and trust me on this one, your Mom is hurting for you right now as well. Keep up the fight and lead your Mom through this. My best to you and your family. Kate

I just wanted to welcome you and tell you that you will find this a place of comfort and support. You will find all the members helpful and full of guidance and endless support and information based upon their own battles and experiences with lung cancer. Ask them, they will help you. Try not to explore the internet too much looking for answers and getting statistics. Each story is a different story .......no two are exactly alike. Use the internet more for research on what you can do to help and as a learning tool as to what new developments and treatments are out there now. The statistics will wear you down and wear you out and that's not where you want to be . My best to you and your family. Kate

Hi Tracy, Sorry this is going on with your Dad. My PET scan was negative, but I was told by the radiologist that a postitive scan doesn't mean you have cancer and a negative one doesn't mean that you don't. Although it was negative, two weeks later I had to go for another CT scan to observe that the mass was getting smaller. It was at that point that the "benign mass" was determined. I agree that they are supposed to be quite accurate. In my case , the insurance covered most of the cost which was $2200. If it didn't I would have found a way to get the money to do the PET but they actually offered payment terms to their patients. I learned much about PET scans prior to mine because the son of a co-worker of mine is a technician/radiologist who now works for the company that manufactures PET machinery as well as other diagnostic machines. I picked his brain for a zillion questions before I actually had mine done. He is based in Boston and the main office is in Belgium. There are false positives and false negatives as well, with false negatives being far less. I chose the PET scan versus the surgical biopsy mostly in the hopes of not ever having to have the biopsy done, but went into the PET knowing I still may have had to do both. The PET is supposed to have the ability to diagnose cancer, stage it, and in some cases, help determine what future treatments will work and won't. I agree with Don, I'd opt for the PET. Wishing you and your family the best. Kate

Welcome Doug, You have the spirit and determination inherent of winners. Kate

Hello Cathy, So sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Try to find some of the strength and courage you need from the survivors here on the board. You will find them to be a great source of comfort and an excellent resource for information that you'll be looking for. Keep up the fight. Kate

Welcome Sandy. You will find great support and lots of information from all of the members here. Kate

Best Wishes for a Happy Birthday and a Happy One Year Anniversary Kate

Hello Bill, Sorry to hear of your Wife's illness. You have come to a group that will offer great advice , support , hope, and comfort from combined efforts of everyone here. Kate