Chuck K Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Started a new job with gov. Contractor. New hires get physical and part of that physical is chest ex-ray,spot showed up on lung. A couple weeks later had a ct scan and then biopsy. Have a 3cm non small cell growth on exterior of hilum on right lung. Very scared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJM Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Welcome Chuck. Peruse some of the past posts in the new member forum. It should at least let you know you are not alone. Cancer sucks. But treatments have advanced so much. I lost my brother to Lung Cancer in the late 90s. I often wonder how it would have turned out if he was diagnosed now. I guess I will find out! You'll probably get overwhelmed with tests, sticks, probes, scans etc and then you'll get the treatment plan. And that's when I think you will feel better. A plan is almost like a blanket. 3cm isn't small, but it isn't huge either. Mine was 4.2 cm and I was able to have surgery. Please keep us informed. You might want to post in the new members forum. In my thoughts Peace Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgetO Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 Hi Chuck and welcome. It's normal to be "very scared" when yoou get a lung cancer diagnosis.At this point you should b scheduled for a lot of tests, probably a PET/CT to see if the cancer has spread anywhere, and a bunch of lung function tests that help determine whether you're a candidate for surgery. After all that, a treatment. Tom is right that people very often feel better once they have a treatment plan. keep us posted and let us know what questions you may have and how we can support you. Bridget O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Hi Chuck Very scared about sums it up for all of us when we hear the shocking news, especially if it was an incidental finding since lung cancer usually has no symptoms until late the late stages. In the last three years there has been more new therapies introduced than in the last fifty years. Lung cancer research has come a long way and the survivor club is growing every year. Staying informed helps provide a sense of control. As you are going through the development of a treatment plan, as Bridget says, there will be a lot of tests, biomarker testing should be one of them. If there's something that doesn't work for you at the health system speak up, often times the health delivery system is structured around their process and not your convenience. That can change if you ask.... Also I would recommend staying off the internet. Dr Google is not our friend. The only reliable lung cancer resources are Lungevity and Go2Foundation. Let us know how you are doing and we'll do our best to help. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Chuck, Welcome here. We understand, everything you are thinking and feeling. A lung cancer diagnosis is a surprise that disappoints with frightening consequences. But, thankfully these days, consequences are less severe. I believe knowledge is power; it was for me. You've got a new vocabulary to learn and here (Lung Cancer 101) is the place to go as step one in understanding our disease. In your immediate future you face the diagnostic trail. You should focus your reading on that process initially. And if you have questions, this is the perfect place to ask. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudia Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Hi Chuck, Welcome to the forums and sorry you have to be here. Our stories are very similar. I found out I had lung cancer from an X-ray done as pre-ops for a surgery which I had to put off as we had to deal with the tumors. I completely understand your fear. I was petrified at first. I found this website and felt much better especially once I had a treatment plan in place. Fast forward 2 years and I am in remission. Treatments have gotten much better in the last few years. I hope very soon you can say the same thing. Peace, light and great scans to all. Claudia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck K Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 Hey Claudia after a PET scan they found mass on chest wall about the same size as the one on outside of right lung and couple limphnodes. Surgeon did some kind of robotic procedure for biopsy. The plan is 4 cycles of one chemo and continue with another chemo and Keytruda for immunotherapy. I've always thought I was a strong man but sometimes I get so emotional and can't hold the tears back. Praying to God I'll be ok.Trying to hide my feelings from my wife she just lost her mom and dad to covid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouT Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Chuck, You're not a weak man for suffering anxiety and even some depression over any form of cancer. It upsets our "life balance", we're not trained in how to handle it, we have no practice so it can quickly become overwhelming. Just know that as you begin your treatment and begin to see results you will improve your knowledge of the disease, participation in your treatment and your outcome from treatment. And you always have us to unload on anytime you need it. In case I haven't already sent this to you; it is a blog written by Tom Galli that does an excellent job of prepping us for this battle. It's a blog called "10 Steps to Surviving Lung Cancer; by a Survivor" and it can be found here. And, yes men do cry...real men. Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck K Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 Hey Lou thanks for the positive words. I am feeling little better started chemo yesterday10/14/21. They holding off on Keytruda until marker test comes back for that one pill everyone talks about if not I start keytruda. I did read the 10 step by Tom Galli,I'll read it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Hi Chuck, It sounds like you have a treatment plan in place and you are feeling comfortable with your medical team. Hoping that after your chemo regime you will have some good news about your cancer. Once you get the biopsy results back, you and your team may decide on a different treatment path. It's scary and all of us have cried the tears of fear and sadness as we survive this disease. Lungevity also has wonderful zoom meetups in case you want to share your updates, feelings or fears with others who are also going through this. Best, Ro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUNGevityKristin Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Hi Chuck, like others have mentioned, LUNGevity has different types of support services for you and your wife. There are virtual meetups, one on one mentoring, these forums, Facebook groups, etc. Please check out all of them and if you have any questions, let me know. https://www.lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/support-services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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