myrnalu Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 was scheduled for lobectomy nov1,went to my primary care dr tonight.he wont give a surgery clearance until i have a stress test,another chest xray and more blood work.says the oncologist,pulmonary dr or surgeon never sent him anything. now what?is this thing growing bigger while i wait,petrified.also my dr says lung surgery isnt usually done at this hospital and he doesnt know this surgeon,says hes fairly new to this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie B Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Marie, Is this a pre-op check-up/work-over your primary is talking about? When I had all my surgeries they did all those things 5 to 7 days before my surgeries. It's a must to have done. These are things that are important for all patients to have done. I don't find it out of the ordinary. Also, being you have mentioned your coughing a lot, this is good that they do this, so they have an idea of your oxygen levels, and stats, etc. etc. I do want to try and encourage you to cut back on the smokes if you can, being that your coughing now. Coughing after this surgery isn't going to be much fun for you. I KNOW, I had a smokers cough when I had my lung take out and it wasn't fun to cough. You'll want to look into a small pillow. One you can hold close to your chest area when you cough. They really help. As for the cancer growing. Well, I would be lying if I said it's NOT growing, but I can say it's not going to be huge within the time span of your surgery. It may grow a mm but I wouldn't get to worried about it at this time. Now if they said no surgery for 3 months, I might get my shorts in a knot, but not a week or so. ((((((((((MARIE))))))))))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Hi hon.. I really, really respect your primary doctor. This doctor seems to be your biggest asset and advocate right now!!! I wish we all had a doctor who seems to care as much as yours does!!! I am seeing this as a very good thing! There was an article posted on this board just a few days ago by a longtime member relating exactly to what your question is about waiting... and there was, of course, a study done. The results were that there was no difference. It w yesterday by Dadstimeon in LC in the news. The article title is something about no difference in delayed diagnosis to treatment. Hang in there. Everything is going to be all right! Cindi o'h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nushka Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 Before you have surgery, done by anyone, you need to have those pre-surgery tests. It could mean life and death if you have something going on that they don't know about ahead of time to watch very closely during surgery. Now, the most important thing you said to me was "they don't do many lung surgeries at your hospital". If that is the case, find another surgeon and another hospital. It is very important that the surgeon and the team be experienced in thorasic surgery. Less time on the table, more nodes removed, cleaner margins etc. Sounds like your primary doctor has your best interests at heart. I would listen to him. Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfshaw Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 I know it is frustrating but all these tests and sometimes re-tests (which I had some twice before surgery)are necessary. If you are diagnosed with non-small cell I can tell you the tumor grows very slowly so you do not need to be too concerned about that. What concerns me is them saying they don't do too many lung cancer surgeries. I see you are in NY. You should try to get into Sloan-Kittering in Manhatten or Fox Chase in Philadelphia. I live in a small town area where they do not do a lot of cancer surgery and I opted to go to Fox Chase where that is all they do everyday. My feelings were that this is serious stuff and I want someone operating on me that has done it many times before. My surgeon at Fox Chase, I was told by a Oncologist in my home town, was one of the best in the USA. Needless to say I was very happy about that comment. My surgery was a success and I am currently cancer free after six months. If you have any questions please feel free to PM me. See my profile for my time frames between diagnosis and the actual surgery. I was diagnosed in early february and surgery was not until April 20th. I can tell you my mental state was out of control during that period. I was a nervous wreck and scard to death. Believe me you are not alone. God bless you and things will work out. If you need help we are all here and available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted October 29, 2005 Share Posted October 29, 2005 I would like to echo the comments that the tests are a must and that you should go to a hospital where they have a lot of experince in thoracatomies. For my first surgery, I made the decison to do the surgery in early December 2003. I had to wait a month until early Jan 2004 to get the surgery. All the tests were in and it was a go, but I could not schedule it for a month because of the Christmas season. It drove me nuts having to wait. I called the surgeon's office and tried to talk them into an earier date, but no go. A positive thing, was that he is a very good surgeon. Waiting the month did not change the outcome. My second surgery happened much quicker. I was happy to get it done quickly. I chose the same surgeon. I know it is hard, but try to be patient. Ask your pcp for a recommendation for a surgeon. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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