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warmpup

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Welcome Richard. You are about my age .. I turned 57 in January. I also am basically alone. I have a brother that lives in California, knows I have lung cancer and neither he or his wife have bothered to pick up the phone and call in over a year. My sister passed away last October right after I finished up my treatment. I do have some good friends that I can call when feeling down but for the most part I try to keep a good attitude. Oh yes, the one thing I do have in my life that I think has really kept me going strong is a german shepherd that was only six months old when I was diagnosed. He is entertainment, company and even when going through radiation and chemo he could still make me smile. Talk to us often and you will come through this battle of beast with flying colors.

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Hello Richard, I'm sorry you are going through this. It's not a nice ride at all. Scared, angry, scared, worried, scared, afraid, scared, mad, scared,... At least I was. It does get easier as time goes on, for a while. Then something else will knock you off your feet.

Once you have all the information and have a plan in place, the panic eases off a little. Treatment will be what it is. We are all different and all react differently. While we can help as things come up, we can't predict how you will react.

If you don't have anyone to stay with you after surgury, have them send you a home health worker. Check with the social worker at your hospital. I'm sure you are not the only one. I was lucky, I had my mom with me.

And while you may be alone in theory, we are with you in spirit. There are many of us who have walked this road before and we can help you find your way.

I hope all goes well on Thursday, next week. Get as prepared as you can before. You will not want to go to the store for a while. Get a soft pillow to hold on your stomiac when you cough and it's best to have a hard back chair to sit against when it happens. That will be the most painful for about a week.

Also get some stool softeners. Constipation will be a pain from the pain meds. I slept on the bottom bunk bed and used the upper rails to pull myself up in the morning. Maybe you should get any prescription filled before surgury. Your surgon will be the man for that. I can't really remember to much else, but I'm sure others could add suggestions to get ready for surgury.

Then after we get you through that, we'll deal with the next step. I'm adding you to my pray list. Praying for courage, peace and healing for you. And wisdom for your doctors. Hugs, Liz

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Hi Richard,

Welcome to the group. First off, that whole thing about cancer always returning is a myth (I am banking on it not being true). Surgery gives you the best chance for a permanent cure. Don’t concern yourself with the statistics, most are aged and do not take in account results from newer therapies or they are skewed by other factors. There are lots of people on this site that have been cancer free for many years. You have already received lots of god advice on how to handle the surgery and follow treatment. The only other things I might add is that I found having an epidural for a few days after surgery made it more bearable and I was most comfortable sleeping in a recliner for the first 10 days or so.

As you progress along the journey you may have lots of concerns. Please do not hesitate to ask questions. For me, it helped a lot knowing others in this group had had similar experiences.

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Welcome Richard! My surgery was 2 years ago, and I am cancer free. I don't belive that it "always comes back". Just look at this board. You will see many people who were treated many years ago and are cancer free. Good luck with the surgery. You are in good hands at JH.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just got home late yesterday after a small complication . . . evidently a byle duct was leaking fat into my chest tube . . . I still need to inject into my belly some med called octreotide for 7 days more - total hospital stay was 10 days . . . not a good place to get well . . . they also took pieces of 2 ribs and part of my chest wall . . . later found not to be cancerous . . just inflamed . . speaking of pathology . . nonsmall lung cancer - is in the lymph system so radiation and chemo are both recomeneded . . . am still leaking where they removed the chest tube yesterday . . . I appear to breathe well . . . i don't know what else to say here cept thanks for your thoughts

-Richard

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Richard,

I'm glad you're home from the hospital. I found it hard to get any kind of rest while I was there and started feeling much better when I got home.

Those incisions of mine leaked for a long time, and I was told it's normal.

It's good that you're breathing well, it took me some time to build that back up.

I hope your recovery progresses and you get strong again really soon.

Cindy

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Hi Richard, I am just a few weeks ahead of you. I had 2/3 of my right lung removed on May 16th. It does get better as time goes on. I was scared to take the pain meds but advice from everyone on this site helped me to see the wisdom of being pain free while your recuperating. I am now taking aleve during the day and if I need it I take pain meds at night. I too didn't know the type or kind of cancer I had till after surgery. I will see an oncologist on July 6th to discuss further treatment (Chemo was reccomended by my surgeon) Know you aren't alone. Prayers are being said for you. This is the time God carries you. Keep us posted. Gail10

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Hi Richard, I am so glad that things went relatively smooth. Glad to hear you are out of the hospital. Now just concentrate on getting well. Start walking a little every day and watch the constipation from pain meds. Keep us updated. I hope you have some help at home. Hugs, Liz

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Welcome home! It must be nice to be away from the beeps, IV's, blood draws and early morning blood pressure checks. My Mom just got home after her surgery (pretty minor compared to yours) and continues to improve daily, so I'm sure you'll do the same.

Here's to a speedy and uneventful recovery.

Jen

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