MagicWishes Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I have recently been dx with NSCLC adenocarcinoma stage 3A. I have two tumors on my upper right lobe. I meet with my surgeon tomorrow morning (12-22-08) do decide when we will have surgery URL lobectomy. I am a sleight of hand artist and entertainer. If I were a true magician there would be a lot less suffering in this world. The true magicians are the caregivers and families. "Kill the demon - lay him to rest Use all your muscle - put a knife in his chest If he quivers - if he ain't dead Pull back the covers - cut off his head Kill the demon!" Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Welcome, Scott. After your surgery, your hand may not be so sleight for a while, but you'll get it back. I had the lower and middle lobe of my right lung removed. Ain't gonna lie to you, it hurts. Take the drugs, follow the rules, recover and beat this thing. Best of luck Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Welcome Scott. I guess a board like this would be about the only place one would say it's great news to hear someone having surgery. I was dx with llla OR b ~ depending upon which doc you are talking to. That was 9/04. Had surgery 1/05 and I am ready to be an official 4 year survivor . Don't you make us wait to hear what tomorrw brings. In the meantime, hope to see you around and to able to offer the support you need/want. Kasey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraL Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Hi Scott and welcome here. None of us want to be here but I have found it to be a great source of information and support. Best wishes with your surgery discussion and please keep us posted. Wouldn't we all like to work a little magic on this dreaded disease. Take care Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Hi, Scott, welcome to the group! I started with two tumors in my middle right lobe, but I also had a large pleural effusion that pushed the lung to the side and allowed one tumor to invade the chest wall. I was therefore not eligible for a lobectomy, but the area was cleaned up surgically as much as feasible. Now, after nearly 28 months of treatment, I still have a small amount of active tumor in the right chest, but it hasn't settled anywhere else and I'm doing much better than I ever thought possible when I was wheeled into surgery the summer of 2006. If your surgeon is able to remove all visible traces of the cancer via lobectomy, then subsequent chemo (and perhaps radiation too) should give you a realistic chance of a cure — 5 consecutive years with no evidence of disease, often referred to as NED. I was intrigued by "magic" as a kid and had all sorts of paraphernalia which I used to entertain the neighborhood and indulgent groups in our town. But I was too klutzy to do much with sleight of hand and decided to fly airplanes for a living instead. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Welcome Scott, I too am a Stage IIIa that was diagnosed two months short of 5 years ago. I did have surgery to remove my left lung and have had a few bumps in the road along the way, but I am here to tell about it!! You can too! I know that you are still reeling from the news and doctor visits galore, but try to remember that there are survivors at stage III. Good luck tomorrow and let us know what your treatment plan will be. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce u Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Welcome Scott I had a lobectomy 15 months ago followed by 4 rounds of adjuvant chemo. The operation itself was not too bad. I had VATS surgery and recovered very quickly. I was released from the hospital on the 3rd day. Good luck and please update us after your meeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicWishes Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 "I was intrigued by "magic" as a kid and had all sorts of paraphernalia which I used to entertain the neighborhood and indulgent groups in our town. But I was too klutzy to do much with sleight of hand and decided to fly airplanes for a living instead. Best wishes and Aloha, Ned That is really good Ned! LOL! Thanks for all of the wonderful replies and support. Because my doctors believe that I could have two separate cases of cancer at the same time, they staged me at 3A instead of 3B which is what I should be staged at with 2 tumors in the same lobe. The new proposed staging would make me a 3A, so they went with that. I could actually have 2 - 1A's! Thanks for all of the support! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Welcome Scott , glad you found us. Reading your post sounds like you could be quite entertaining! Please let us know what the Dr. says tomorrow. THis can be beat! I am celebrating 11 yrs this month! Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I love that I'm following Donna, at 11 years, I'd follow her anywhere. Bet you would too Scott. Welcome aboard. I'm a newer survivor, 14 months since diagnosis. Not a candidate for surgery but am told you are better off if you are. Good luck and keep us up to date on your treatment. Things are a little quiet around here right now, but we can be a pretty rowdy funny bunch so stay tuned. You just never know when hilarity will break out. We have plenty of comedians but we could use a good majician around here Judy in Key West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Baker Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Welcome, Scott. Glad you found us. I had my surgery a year ago and have done well so far. Good luck, and keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicWishes Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks everyone! I saw the surgeon today. He showed me the PET scan and one of the tumors (I have two in the same lobe) appears to have penetrated the chest wall in the back just under my shoulder blade. He said he would probably have to remove 2 or 3 ribs, and if he removes 3, he may have to put some mesh in there to hold everything together. I have a question; when they cut the ribs, do they remove the entire rib, or just a section, and how do they rebuild it? I can't find anything online, and I was so stunned when he told me, all I could think about was getting home to get online and do some searching. The other tumor is right beside the sup vena cava but he doesn't think that it has attached itself to the vein, but he won't know until he gets in there. I may be talking to another surgeon, but it looks like either way my surgery will be the second week of January. They plan on doing a URL lobectomy. Any help or advice will be appreciated! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicWishes Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Judy, Oh how I wish I was in Key West! My second home!!! I own a magic shop in Gatlinburg, TN and I have KW memorabilia all over the shop. I first went down there in 90 when my in-laws lived in Big Pine Key. My wife and I spent our 15th anniversary there, and also spent a month down there last year in Dec as well as Fantasy Fest. I love seeing my friend Frank Everhart Jr at Schooner Wharf at night. He is one of the great bar magicians, and a super guy. I had planned to spend Jan & Feb down there but now this cancer thing has popped up and screwed up my life for a while. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Scott, funny but I wondered if you'd been to Key West what with our sunset ceremony and other street performers. The nineties were great. We came in 86 and believe me, it is not the same anymore. But it will always be home to me, I guess. Sorry about how your plans got cancelled this year. Judy in Key West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 He said he would probably have to remove 2 or 3 ribs... Scott, go to cancergrace.org (GRACE - Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education), go to the Forums section, and post a question. Provide your information similar to how you did here, and within 24 hours you should have a response from Dr. West (a medical oncologist) or Dr. Goldberg (a radiation oncologist). They don't have a thoracic surgeon on the GRACE faculty at present, but I'm sure they've seen patients post-surgery who have had ribs removed. Someone here who's had that experience may jump in too. Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicWishes Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Thanks Ned! I have posted over there. Thank you kindly, sir! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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