Introduction

[macwhee]

Hi all
  I am recently diagnosed with stage 2 sclc, and it has been a bit of a whirlwind initiation for me, as the diagnosis truly came in from "out of the clear blue", right after Thanksgiving, and I have been pushing things along, in order to get a course of treatment underway at a very tough time of year.

  I went in to my Primary for sinus infection, really. I thought I had mold allergies that had been haunting me all Summer long. On my third visit in, He ordered a chest xray, even though my breathing sounded good. It had just been going on too long without resolution.

 I'm sure others in here know that moment all too well.The one where you KNOW something is very wrong. They had me do a CT on my chest, right after they got the XRat back. I knew it wasn't good.
I also knew what that look in the Doctor's eyes meant when he finally came back into the room. 

  ..Not good things.

 So there it was. I have smoked, on and off, pretty much all my adult life. I was shocked....but not, really, either. You play, you pay. The only thing was to plow ahead and try to put the hammer to it.

 Like I said...whirlwind. MRIs, CT scans, numerous tests...Biopsies..and the bad news kept piling up. It was in my Pancreas. and in the left lung, too. Non operable.

  I felt like I was taking body blows at every step. And hell, I'm paying dearly for the priveledge, which made it suck not one iota less.

 Funny thing. I felt fine, outside of the annoying post nasal drip...until I got hit with the diagnosis.
 My Doc was more shocked than I was. I seemed to be in better health than I had any right to be. An old bull, destined to roll on for years to come.
  I was rarely sick, outside of an artery clog, ten years before. Normal for a fiftyish guy who did most things wrong and got lucky, genetically.

 Try and sleep with this hanging over your head. You can't.
 Mortality is a hell of a thing to wrestle with at two AM. Any time, really.
 But it likes to wait until everyone else is asleep. Oh yes...
 I was avergaing two hours a night, and feeling steadily worse.

But, I got into chemo.The dust is settling, I'm figuring things out as I go.
 And, actually sleeping and eating again. Probably because I was so exhausted, it was a relief to get going on treatment. Anything but more damned tests.

Which is why I needed to get on here.
  I have people I know who have been through this wringer, for different flavors of C, so I do have some points of reference...but, all situations are unique, too. I have a particularly nasty form. Fast and mobile. In my case. we have to be hyper aggressive in going after it. Hold your breath and hang on for dear life, as it were. All I knew is what to expect out of Chemo. They were right on, there.

 I have a caring family and My partner, Penny, who have a slew of questions, all  the time.
 Not going to put up with not knowing everything. Unlike myself.

 They are right, though. Not a time to be passive. It is literally the fight of my life.
 And I'd like to hang around another twenty years or so, thank you very much
 
 Hence.... here I am. And, at some point, I hope I can help others out, along the way, too.
 

 Thanks!
  MacWhee 12/30/14

[Donna G]

Glad you found us.  Glad the Doctor found your disease and has got  your treatment started.  Glad you have Penny and a loving family.

I have a good friend who was diagnosed with SCLC , had chemo, radiation etc and is years later doing very well.  Hope your cancer responds to the treatment as Janets did.

 

Keep us posted on how you are doing .

 

Donna G

[michellep]

I too am very glad you found us here.  We have so many caring members as well as a wealth of information.  Please read through our forums and you'll find some great posts.  I too hope the treatment you're taking helps you and look forward to an updated from you soon.  ((hugs))

[CindyA]

Welcome to the message boards. Everyone on here is so welcoming and supportive. I'm so glad to hear that you have a great support team. If you want to be connected to someone one-on-one who has had a similar experience to yours please reach out to our LifeLine program as well. Please keep posting and keep us updated on how you are doing. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. 

 

http://lungevity.org/support-survivorship/get-connected/lungevity-lifeline

[Kberns]

I just want to say I am not laughing at you but with you.  ...if we don't we will cry. When you spoke about the 2:00 am hour you hit the nail with me. What is it about that time?  I have only just started chemo, had one treatment but not sleeping any better. Been exhausted for months. Anxiety meds do help but I try not to take them too much.  You helped me today by seeing your post and knowing that someone else knows EXACTLY what I am going though!  For that I thank you!

 

Karen

[RandyW]

nice to meet you sadly enough..... if that makes sense...... hang in there what treatment plan are you on? can we help Penny with any of her questions also? Let us know...

[eric byrne]

Hi MacWhee,I am sharing my post with a fellow Scot,or a decendant of a Scottish family?.

 

Gosh reading your post brought back so many memories to me at the outset of my cancer journey,sleepless nights,anxieties,feelings of no light at the end of the tunnel,my very mortality  much in doubt.Here I am over six years later after my dx,living my life to the full,as it was prior to my dx.

      Since you only mentioned you have been recently dxd,I can only reflect on my experience on the early days and weeks yes even months following my dx.I decided to act on my sleeplessness nights by a visit to my GP for a prescription for sleeping pills and anti-depresssants,both types of drugs are non-addictive and after a short time I had no longer any need to take them,but they did help me through the most difficult time in my life.

     Today I have my life back fully,apart from a bit of breathlessness climbing the mountains of Scotland LOL and the stairs in my home,my health is great.I do understand all you are having to deal with today but I can promise you,things will become easier to deal with,its really amazing that with the support of family and friends not forgetting the passage of time,you will become able to cope with all you are going through.

      My very best wishes to you and your family,for a successful route back to good health,it will be a pleasure to me,to share posts with you here for many years to come.