[History of my cancer operation staged 1B 0r2A]

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