NellW Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 I am so thankful there is a place like this to come and say the things that are concerning me. One of our dearest friends (more like a brother) is having surgery on March 26 for Squamous Cell Stage 2 lung cancer. Originally the pul. doc and their fam. doc said he was not eligible for surgery due to his health situation. He was a smoker for 50 yrs., quit yrs. ago, has emphysema and asthma. Has been on ox. as needed for a couple of years but now is on it 24/7. He is 76 yrs. old. They plan to remove a segment of his lower right lobe and also if possible the top of same if emph. is localized. He has one lymph involved according to pt scan, and when he saw the surgeon on Thurs. he was told the pt scan also showed a "hot spot" in the thyroid. They tell him that is most likely not malignant but if it is, (biopsy was done thurs.) it will be taken care of on 26th also. The thing that I am most worried about is that now he is being told "we can bring you through the surgery just fine" when he was told he would def. not be a surgery candidate at first. Also he was originally told he would not be able to use the room in his house he would really like to recover in, since it is 6 steps down. His family doc said he would need a hospital bed on the ground floor for a bit, and ordered one. The surgeon said he would not need that and could go down the 6 steps. There is no rest room on that floor so he would need to go up and down several times a day. Anyone have any thoughts or info you can share with us? We are just not sure how to prepare. This of course is all new to us. Thank you so very much for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 NellW, not sure if I can help you for until the operation is over and you see how he comes out of it, will you then know if he will be able to manage 6 steps going up and down. I know my husband was 69 when he was operated on and he could have done the step thing but it would have been hard breathing. He always had trouble coming up stairs breathing wise. He had the whole left lung remover. I would go for the same floor the bathroom is or, get a bedside comode if that is the only reason for having to use steps. Will there be someone with him at home when get gets there that can empty the comode if he goes that route. He will probably feel like a truck ran over him for quite some time. It is a long and hard road expecially when one is 76 for recovery will probably be longer. I know at 69 it was hard for my husband. Tell him I will put him in my nightly prayers for a speedy recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NellW Posted March 13, 2004 Author Share Posted March 13, 2004 Yes he does have his wife there to help him with comode if that is the choice they make. We will just need to see how it goes as you said. I will tell him of your prayers. He will be so thankful for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Hopefully he will have a good discharge planner at the hospital and they will be able to help with whatever equipment he will need at home and home help etc. so it is all set before he leaves. Make sure his wife requests a meeting with the discharge planner so she can express her concerns and get them working on a proper discharge from the hospital. All the best to Bob. Rochelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 Hmmmm....no asthma, no emphysema and 34 years old at time of surgery and it kicked MY butt. Don't think I would have been too keen on climbing six steps to go potty, going potty was bad enough! (Right side will be pretty useless for a while and the "paperwork" is a little rough to handle if that's the side the patient favors...and anything that strains the diaphragm is unpleasant - like sitting up, sneezing, coughing, laughing, breathing...) Good luck to Bob, with a little help from his friends he should be fine - and with better living through chemistry! As I told MY doctor, the answer to EVERY question was "more drugs"! Becky aka Snowflake PS Welcome to our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted March 16, 2004 Share Posted March 16, 2004 One convienient thing about being a guy is being able to use the "bottle". If his wife is there - by emptying the bottle -she could save him many steps. It's a possibility. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NellW Posted March 17, 2004 Author Share Posted March 17, 2004 Think he is getting a clearer picture of the fact that he is not going to be racing around for quite some time. Shared some of all of your comments with him. They have an appt. with the PA for the surgeon on Monday to discuss what he can expect with the surgery itself and also the discharge condition he will be in. He had a long day of cardio tests today and is feeling like he wants to say "just forget it, it's to exhausting to do all this" but his wife is saying she wants him to go forward with the plan. Thanks for all your comments and prayer. Will let you know how things are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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