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Husband newly diagnosed - looking for support


Staceyj

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Hello everyone - I am very glad to have found this forum. My husband was diagnosed on 4/1/19 with adenocarcinoma in his right lung. They caught it early and he is scheduled to have his right upper lobe removed on 4/23/19. We found an amazing cardio-thoracic surgeon who can use VATS. My husband is 61 and extremely active - he has never smoked. Needless to say, we are both a bit overwhelmed and scared. You go from normal life to being handed this diagnosis and it is a bit hard to wrap our heads around it. We are both as positive as we can be - but I know that he is afraid he will turn into this frail person who won't be able to walk across the room without resting. I would love to hear from people who are willing to share their experiences from VATS and what we can expect for recovery. I want to find a way to give him some hope. Also, I want to learn how I can be the most helpful to him as we go through this. I am 50 years old with a full time job...our boys are 23 and 24 and both out on their own with good jobs after they finished college. This is how empty nest is going for us! Sorry, but I use humor a lot :) We laugh, talk, cry, feel strong, get scared rinse and repeat. Both of our sons will come be with us for surgery and recovery. I look forward to reading your posts and getting to know you all better. Life is so much better when we reach out - as we are all connected. God Bless you all ❤️  ~ Stacey

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Hi, Stacey, and welcome!

I had an upper left lobectomy with VATS two years ago, when I was 61.  Came through it just fine--very little pain, fast recovery, and I notice NO difference in my breathing.  I'm not that physically active (sedentary desk job), but a few weeks after surgery I was walking a couple of miles a day several days a week.  

Cancer is always scary, but with early detection and surgery, this may be all the treatment he ever needs.  I've only had to go for scans every six months to be sure everything remains fine, and assuming my scan at the end of June is good, the scans will drop back to annual--that's how confident my doctor is about it.  Yes, there CAN be recurrences--lung cancer is tricky that way--but I plan to continue to be fine.  :) 

Glad you found us--this is a great place for knowledge and support.

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Thank you very much Lexie!

I appreciate your welcome and sharing some of your experience with me. That was very helpful indeed! That is wonderful that are having clean scans! I am glad I found you guys too :)  Thank you again for taking the time to write. When I woke in the middle of the night (which is my new normal) it gave me hope to read your words ❤️

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Hi Stacey.  Welcome.  I’m glad you found us but sorry you had to.  I am 43 years old, never smoker and had a right upper lobe lobectomy via VATS a little over six weeks ago.  I had the same images of being frail and walking around on oxygen as your husband has.  I don’t have any residual breathing issues.  I’m able to run, play in the yard with my kids and be active.  I do get out of breath quicker than I use to but I’m motivated to get back to 110%.  I had Stage 1 NSCLC Adenocarcinoma.  I don’t require any follow up treatment, just periodic CT scans for monitoring.  

 

 

 

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Hi, Stacey,

Welcome to LCSC. My name is Lauren and I'm the Digital Community Manager for LUNGevity Foundation.

I'm glad to see that you've already connected with a few of our members. This community is a great place to find information and support. Please feel free to explore the message boards and blogs, ask questions, and join the ongoing conversations.

In addition to these forums, LUNGevity also has a robust Lung Cancer 101 website, free patient educational materials, a Survivor and Caregiver Resource Center, peer-to-peer support programs,  a toll-free Lung Cancer Helpline, survivorship conferences, and lunch and learn events. You can explore more here: https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers

Please let me know if you'd like any additional information about LUNGevity's Support & Survivorship Programs.

We are here for you!

With gratitude,

Lauren
--
Lauren Humphries
Digital Community Manager
LUNGevity Foundation

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Curt - thank you so very much! Your words give us both hope ❤️ I am thankful to hear that you are able to run and play with your kids! I am so happy for you that you did not have to go through radiation and chemo. We will keep both you and Lexie in our prayers for continued clean scans and good health. Scary stuff for sure - I am glad I was able to connect with you via this forum - it helps so very much. 

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Thank you Lauren! I so appreciate the information! I feel like a sponge trying to learn as much as I can. Thankful to have found this forum, because honestly, it has given me the most hope and feeling not so all alone in this. Thank you for your words ❤️

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1 minute ago, Staceyj said:

Thank you Lauren! I so appreciate the information! I feel like a sponge trying to learn as much as I can. Thankful to have found this forum, because honestly, it has given me the most hope and feeling not so all alone in this. Thank you for your words ❤️

We're glad that you found us too, Stacey!

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Hi Stacey and welcome. I had my right lower lobe removed by VATS a couple of years ago when I was 71. I'm not debilitated: far from it. I can walk a couple of miles with no problem. This winter i've been working part time in an emergency shelter for homeless families, which is a pretty active job. I can reassure your husband that the vast majority of people who have lobectomies come out just about as fit as they went in, after a reasonable recovery period. My surgeon said that unless i was planning to run a marathon (which I wasn't! )I probably wouldn't notice a difference in my lung capacity, and that's been true.

Bridget O

 

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I had vats February 2018 removing top upper lobe.  The surgery itself is amazing....4 small incisions on my back. I had surgery on a Friday and went home on Sunday. They had me up walking the first night. Their goals were no pain...so you can walk and use breath exerciser. I had pain medication and when I moved about too much, I used Salon Pas patches. Since I had stage 3, I went through chemo and radiation. I am 72 and back to walking the dog and line dancing.  I still use breath exerciser a few times daily to keep my lungs clear....but I have other issues....like asthma.  

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Oh Bridget! Thank you for your reassurance! It means so much to us! I have read each of your posts to my husband and he was so much more at peace - it helps to know what others have experienced. 

Laurel - thank you for describing your surgery and giving us some details. Very helpful and most appreciated! We of course won't know if he will need chemo and radiation until after we get pathology back on a lymph node biopsy after the surgery. Thankful the MRI of his brain came back clear.

Thank you EVERYONE for taking the time to share with us - it means so much ❤️ 

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