Hi folks, I'm a newcomer too..

[Don M]

Hi Barbara: when I first got the news of my cancer, I felt fine. My family doctor told me about it. She said I would probably have to have my upper left lobe removed. My first reaction was to ignore the whole thing and expect it to go away. My doctor begged me to go see the pulmonologist and so I did. I eventually had the lobe removed and then the rest of my lung a year later. I believe I am cancer free now. I can still do a lot of stuff that I did before. I can walk a mile on flat ground in 15 minutes. I can mow the lawn, cut and split firewood, and run the tiller in the garden. I am recently retired and am a rather new grandpa. I expect to have many more years of good life. I'm 61 now. Looking back on my decsion, I am glad I had my lung removed and the follow up chemo. I still miss my lung though, as if I have been diminished somehow.

I can understand the sentiment of just going on with your life as you are because you feel good. If you decide to go with treatment, there will be times you don't feel too good. But on the other side of it, you will feel good again. It seems like your prognosis is good. If it was me, I would choose treatment.

One thing I was wondering, if the cancer is contained in the lung lymph nodes and has not entered your mediastinum, or any lymph nodes outside your lung , or crossed over to the other lung, I think you would be eligble for surgical removal of the lung. If you do that and have followup chemo, it increases the chances of getting rid of the cancer for good.

I would probabaly choose radio frequency ablation if I got cancer again in my remaining lung, but only because I would not want to lose any more pulmonary capacity. It would be a quality of life choice for me.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best in your life.

Don M

[Leslie221]

welcome Barbara

I somehow missed your introduction. You sound like someone I'd like to know!

Your questions are pretty normal, but that doesn't make answers any easier, does it? It sounds like you are so full of life and health and being part of the world that you really worry you'll have to give that up in order to live longer. And, if I read you right, that's not something you want. I'd have a problem with that, too.

Sure sounds to me like you deserve to give yourself every chance to have a longer life AND good quality. Treatments are so different these days - not at all what people experienced even 5 years ago. Some people have a rough time, to be sure. But you won't know how your experience will go till you try. Many people have had months of feeling lousy and come out the other end and been very glad they made the choice because they feel good again.

Keep talking about your options with doctors, friends, family, and us. Sometimes just talking it out helps you make a decision. Hope so!

Leslie