Jump to content

Hi


warmpup

Recommended Posts

Welcome to our Family. The one everybody hates to be a member of. It is ok to be scared. Get the fear and the anxiety out. It takes afew days to about a week sometimes to set in. This is a new normal you will be entering into. Your life is changing rapidly. DO NOT LET THIS BE A BAD THING!! You have to put on the glaoves and get ready to fight next. This disease can be beat rather than let it beat you.

If you have not had the chance, go into the Good News and Inspiration Forums and take a peek around. read some really happy stories. WIll help lift your spirits about all this. Grab an organizer note book or Contact the Lance Armstrong Foundation for a FREE organizer. This will remind you of everything you have to do and ask the Drs.

THIS DISEASE CAN BE BEATEN!! ther are lots her who will tell you the same thing. If you see an oncologist, and you do not think that this Oncologist is fighting hard enough for you FIND ONE THAT WILL FIGHT HARDER!!

WHen you can go to the My Profile section. The button is at the top of the page and start a Profile. Dates, Results, treatments, diagnosis's, good news, bad news,(If you ever get any) will all go into the profile. The more we know, the more we can help you in this fight. thanks!!

Welcome to our Family. Your Gonna be ok. Sending Prayers for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scared one of the many emotions you will have, it gets somewhat easier, and is just one of many you will have, no matter what you are feeling try to post here, there are alot of people including myself who have "been there, done that" who will make it much easier. You are in the right place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Richard. Boy you are on line early in the morning! So glad you found us. I remember the day I was told I had lung cancer, it was a hard day!

It can be beat, someone has to do it. I am going on 10 years of survival and I was not considered "early". Let us know what the plan of attack is, keep us posted.

Best wishes, Donna G

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome Richard,

You said two things that say a lot. You said "just diagnosed" which means that you are probably just beginning to get a game plan of attack in place. Second of all, you said "early stage" and that is in your favor. As Randy has said, do fill out your profile and keep track of everything.

There is a wealth of information here, take your time looking around and I think you will find a lot of hope and encouragement. You will certainly find support. People, here, understand everything you are going through. They will soon become your second family.

God Bless,

Sue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard~

I know it is hard to find a positive in all of this but you are extremely fortunate that your cancer was caught at early stage. You have a good chance for surgery and beating this thing. The beginning is absolutely terrifying. Welcome to the board, let us know what the doctors say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I appreciate all the positive support - My two main concerns are 1. I am pretty much alone on this earth - have remaining one undependable neice and her two children who I don't know well . . and 2. If they take the lobe cleanly . . from what I have read . . cancer seems to always come back . . sooner or later . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

welcome to the group.There are many things you will learn in here.I too have just started in the group and have just had my surgery and started chemo.You will have as we all did ..and still do many questions.Just dont be afraid to ask.My situation maybe somewhat similiar to yours. If you can give us the details that will help us all understand where you are coming from.

scman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome Richard!! This is one of the best places to be!! You will find alot of encouragement and support here.

Have faith and hope!!! I am 2 years out with no surgery (too advanced) and no sign of cancer...

You can be cured and you can survive this!!!

God's Peace be with you!!!!

Jamie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Richard,

I know how scared you are but be sure that it will become easier. It seems when you are first dx that you hear all the bad stuff and you think there is no hope. Please know that there is hope and the sun will shine again for you.

Sometimes in my fight I still get scared and feel like I am losing it but always something happens to make me feel like I don't want to waste my life feeling down and worrying about stuff I can't change. I feel other people would not like to be around me if I was gloomy and feeling sorry for myself, so I put on my happy face and live one day at a time.

We all have to make a new normal after our dx and you will find yours soon enough. This board is a great place to make new friends and some will even feel like family after a short time. We are all in this together no matter how good or bad your day is going. Come here as often as you like and you will always find love and support.

Sherry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Richard,

Let me say, your not in this alone. You now have thousands of us here to lend you a very supportive helping hand. You might even meet someone who lives close to you and would be willing to come visit you and help you out. We have a lot of wonderful people here at LCSC. WELCOME, but sorry you had to find us.

I have a member of my Inperson Lung Cancer Support Group here in MN that had his entire left lung removed 7 years ago. He was 74 years old at the time and he did this all on his own. Just broke my heart when I heard that. He's 85 and STILL doing very well today. So, please know as sad as it is having to go through this alone, other's have done it and have survived. If I lived closer, I sure would give you a helping hand.

You might want to see if there is a Cancer Support Group near you. Sometimes they have people that will come check up on you and offer some much needed help.

Your in good company, and many of us refer to one another as family. So, welcome to your new family.

We're here for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Richard, a very warm welcome and glad you found us. There are many here who were fortunate to have had an early diagnosis. It's very scary when you first get the diagnosis but I think your chances of beating this are very good. Hang onto hope & continue to keep us posted of your progress. We're here to help. Good Luck & God Bless

wendyr

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Richard,

We certainly understand your fear because we have experienced it ourselves. The good news is that you have been diagnosed early and that you are near a very good cancer hospital. You should talk to your doctor about cancer recurrence. Sometimes they give you adjuvant chemo after surgery to lower the risk of that happening and sometimes they feel that you may not need it depending on your stage and your pathology report. Write your questions down in advance and take them to the doctor with you. Hope this helps.

Carol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, Richard,

If you're only scared, you ain't really thought about it! I remember the emotions - disbelief and then terror...

I had my lower and mid lobe of my right lung removed 4.5 years ago. I'm banking on it NEVER coming back... My treatment consisted of surgery followed by radiation and two months on a trial that was discontinued. I believe traditional chemo after surgery is now more of the norm, but my oncologist advised against it at the time. Please understand, were I in the same place now and it were available, you can betcherass I'd be steppin' up for loss of hair and appetite while slowly poisoning the system as an additional weapon in the arsenal.

I was diagnosed 1/28 and had surgery 2/10, no PET - but biopsy proved what it was.

I would want to know why the doctor is sure it is cancer without getting a piece of it, my surgeon wanted to be sure it was what it appeared to be (but in my case, cancer was SOOOOO far out of the realm of possibilities).

Oh, by the way, after surgery, I was diagnosed as IIIa...

You can do this, don't give up the fight before you begin.

Lots of flashlights and baseball bats here to fight off those monsters living under the bed and the dark corners of your mind...

Hang in there,

Becky

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Richard, welcome. It looks like you have a shot at a cure.

I would forgo the lung needle biopsy too. I have had 3 of them and they all came out inconclusive. Afterwards, I read that there is a slight chance that microscopic amounts of cancer could be introduced to the blood stream as the needle is being extracted.

They can do a biopsy while you are on the table and remove the lobe if needed. That is what they did with me. If they take your lobe, the wait is to see if the lymph nodes are clear and to pin down more specifically the type of cancer and its stage.

Just go through the steps you have to take and let the feelings wash through you. I hope you get the cure and this will soon be a memory of a rather unpleasant bump in the road.

Don M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the boards Richard and sorry you had a reason to find us. There are many here who have been where you are now. The best advice I can give right now is to read the profiles. They are a wealth of information and you will find those who are at your stage.

Good luck with your surgery and keep us posted.

Welthy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome Richard,

Sorry you had the reason to find us, but you'll get an enormous amount of support and excellent advice here. Prior to moving to NC I, too, lived in Columbia, MD. I know you're getting excellent care at Johns Hopkins. Wishing you all the best. Ellie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am so sorry for your news. Please know that we will be here for you for comfort, answers, support. It is always scary to enter the unknown but just like with anything else, knowledge is power as you work with your oncologist to find a treatment best suited for you.

Wishing you peace and comfort.

Flowergirlie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Richard,

Four years ago I was exactly where you are today. My surgeon would not do a biopsy because of the risks involved and the likelihood of inconclusive results, when based on the PET and CT and his experience of seeing hundreds of those things on film, he said he was 80% sure it was cancer, and it needed to come out of there either way.

I had chemo as an extra edge against recurrence. I have been told that once you have cancer, you have a higher chance of another cancer, but I have never been told it always comes back. I am checked every year now for recurrence.

Good luck to you. Recovery from surgery is not easy, but it wasn't that bad for me.

The emotional side of this was and still is the worst part for me. I had a very, very hard time coping with the fact that I was this sick, when I have never been sick in my life, and then, all of a sudden, cancer twice in two years. But, I'm better now. Time passing takes care of a lot of things.

Cindy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.