Jessica G Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi everyone i just found this website and decided to write a post. I’ve been really anxious about my dad. He had an annual lung screening a few weeks ago which showed a suspicious nodule. About a week later, he had a PETSCAN and it determined that the nodule was localized with no signs of metastatis ; but suspected cancer. He met with a pulmonologist today and they are scheduling a biopsy and breathing test. I suspect he will have surgery. To make matters worse, we are in the midst of a pandemic and my mom died unexpectedly last year! Just need support. Also does anyone know much about lobectomy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJM Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Jessica You have come to the place that will support you as much as possible. Can you give a few more details? How old is your dad? It sounds like they caught it early. Which is very good. You have found a great forum. You should be hearing from others soon. I am a cancer patient, but many here are caregivers. Things will get better once you have more info and a plan. Peace Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgetO Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi Jessica and welcome here. You've come to a good place for support and information. Yes, I know about lobectomy. A lot of us here do. I had a right lower lobectomy 4 years ago at the age of 71. It was done by VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery). VATS and the similar robotic surgery are both easier than the older open lobectomy (thoracotomy). Occasioanally there may be a reason for a person to have an open surgery or issues may arise during VATS for surgery to have to be open, but that's unusual. With VATS the hospital stay is usually short, like a couple of days. I was discharged the day after my surgery. Lou T. has written a list of suggestions for people who are preparing to have a lobectomy and if your father ends up needing to have the surgery, Lou or someone will get those to you. Right now, the biopsy is the appropriate next step. If the nodule is confirmed as malignant, surgery is generally the best option, provided that breathiing and other tests show that he can tolerate surgery. For many of us with small tumors, surgery is the only treatment needed, although regular screening CTs are done to watch for possible recurrence. Let us know what questions you have. We're not doctors, but we have a lot of first-hand experience with lung cancer. And let us know how we can best support you. Bridget O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi Jessica: Welcome to our group. Sorry to hear about your dad and hopefully the tests show there is no cancer. When they take the tissue to run the tests make sure they take enough to do a biomarker test as well. I hope you get all your questions answered on our site and I wish you and your dad the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica G Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 Hi everyone thank for reaching out! My dad is 71 years old. They did catch it early thankfully. He is doing a biopsy and a breathing test to make sure he is fit for surgery. They are pretty sure it is cancer, but it was caught early. I am hoping they do it VATS instead of open surgery. After the biopsy he will meet the surgeon! Thank for the support, I really need it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica G Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 2 hours ago, GaryG said: Hi Jessica: Welcome to our group. Sorry to hear about your dad and hopefully the tests show there is no cancer. When they take the tissue to run the tests make sure they take enough to do a biomarker test as well. I hope you get all your questions answered on our site and I wish you and your dad the best. 5 hours ago, BridgetO said: Hi Jessica and welcome here. You've come to a good place for support and information. Yes, I know about lobectomy. A lot of us here do. I had a right lower lobectomy 4 years ago at the age of 71. It was done by VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery). VATS and the similar robotic surgery are both easier than the older open lobectomy (thoracotomy). Occasioanally there may be a reason for a person to have an open surgery or issues may arise during VATS for surgery to have to be open, but that's unusual. With VATS the hospital stay is usually short, like a couple of days. I was discharged the day after my surgery. Lou T. has written a list of suggestions for people who are preparing to have a lobectomy and if your father ends up needing to have the surgery, Lou or someone will get those to you. Right now, the biopsy is the appropriate next step. If the nodule is confirmed as malignant, surgery is generally the best option, provided that breathiing and other tests show that he can tolerate surgery. For many of us with small tumors, surgery is the only treatment needed, although regular screening CTs are done to watch for possible recurrence. Let us know what questions you have. We're not doctors, but we have a lot of first-hand experience with lung cancer. And let us know how we can best support you. Bridget O Thank you Bridget. My dad is 71 years old. It’s likely he will have surgery. He is scheduled for biopsy and breathing test. That would be great if you have any information to help him prepare for the surgery! Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica G Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 9 hours ago, TJM said: Jessica You have come to the place that will support you as much as possible. Can you give a few more details? How old is your dad? It sounds like they caught it early. Which is very good. You have found a great forum. You should be hearing from others soon. I am a cancer patient, but many here are caregivers. Things will get better once you have more info and a plan. Peace Tom Hi Tom my dad is 71 years old. He has been a smoker for over 60 years and he quit last week after learning the nodule appears cancerous. They did say it was caught early; of course, I’m still really anxious. Just not what I expected after just losing my mom. He has a few appointments coming up including a biopsy and breathing test to make sure he is fit for surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouT Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Jessica, Sorry to hear about your dad and glad that you found us. This is a great place to hear of the firsthand experience of others and get support from like situations. There are two areas here that may also help you. The first is our Caregiver Resource Center and that can be found here. This will give you insights as how to best support your Dad. The second this is an article about the things you should do before, during and after having a lobectomy and that can be found at this site. The article is called "Thoracic Surgery, Tips and Tricks". Please share updates as your Dad goes though this and feel free to ask any questions you'd like to. Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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