Hi,
My name is Betty and I had two lobes removed in my right lung
one year ago. They thought they would only have to remove one because the tumor was high up in the right lobe according to the pet
scan and cat scan and it was not quite 2 cent. The pet scan didn't even
confirm cancer but when they went in it was growing down into the second
lobe plus there was cancer in three out of seven lymp nodes. I was not
prepared for this surgery at all and it's only now that I'm getting more of
my questions ansered by nice people like you. They wanted me to go to
the oncologist as soon as I went home but I was back in the hospital with
the rest of the lung collapsed. I had to have another chest tube put in and
spent another week in the hospital. By the time I got to the oncologist I
was, according to the oncologist not a candidate for chemo and with all the gorey stories he told me about it, I wouldn't have taken it anyway.
I went up to the head oncologist at Dana Farber in Boston for a second
opinion and as far as he was concered I was free of cancer at that point
and he said if it came back I could have chemo then. I forgot to mention
I'm a 67 year old women who's mother lived to 96 and all aunts and
uncles lived till at least 80. As I said it's been a long year and very slow
to get back on my feet. I'm still on oxygen and probably will be for the
rest of my life. I'm still not driving and I'm due for a pet scan in october.
What I'd like to know from any of you out there that have had a
similar experience if the cancer came back and how you handled it.
I'd really appreciate any information I could get. When I asked what
stage I was before I left the hospital, I was told by the surgeon a 1B
or 2A so what do make of that.
I've read letters from people that have had stage 3 and 4 cancers
so they were being treated with chemo and radiation and honestly alot
of them seem to be doing alot better than I. Maybe it was the surgery
that took so much out of me.
Again any info would be greatly appreciated. My most humbly
thanks to all of you and my prayers will go out for you to
Betty
