gaylepc Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Hi everyone, I am gayle, 70 years old and have been a smoker most of my life. I am deeply regretting that I was never able to stay quit as I found out yesterday that I have a mass on my left lung. I have already had labs done and have a CAT scheduled for Friday the 2nd of July. This started because I was coughing up a little blood intermittenly that started a week ago, and in a phone consult with my Dr. she told me it was likely from my asthma andwould disappear. She advised it if didn't stop within a week to come in which I did yesterday, hence the X-ray and then labs today. I think it is likely cancer and I am terrified. My BP is through the roof and I am on BP meds already. I have been trying to just put one foot in front of the other and am getting tests done as soon as they are orderd. I am not losing weight, and my lymph nodes are fine with palpation I guess I am just looking to learn as much as possible and find some emotional suppport as I am terrified. Livin Life, Tom Galli and LouT 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edivebuddy Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Sorry you find yourself here. Your mass still may be something other than cancer. Most lung masses , even in smokers are something other than cancer. Should it turn out to be cancer it's not the death sentence most think it is. Treatments have come so very far in the last 10 years. Survival rates have doubled. Regret is all fine and dandy. But can't do anything about it now. If you can quit it will make you feel physically better. If you have lungs you can get lung cancer. You go to Asia most lung cancer patients are non smoking females. While most male lung cancer patients smoked. I have Papillary Adenocarcinoma of the lung. it less than 1% of lung cancer patients and almost always in non smokers. Yet I smoked for decades. I no longer smoke and just for the convenience alone it was worth it Health benefits are a huge plus. Depending on what the CT finds they may want to do another scan,a PET/CT or or biopsy. If they do recommend a biopsy get it as quick as possible and make sure they send it for genetic biomarker testing if it comes back malignant. I had coughed up blood The day of my ER visit. It was unrelated to my cancer but probably helped get my diagnosis. LouT, gaylepc and Livin Life 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Welcome Gayle, Ironically, we share almost the same symptom presentation mode. I also experienced coughing up blood as my first symptom and had an x-ray in a hospital emergency room that pointed to a single large tumor in my right lung. I was also terrified and had to put one foot in front of the other in information darkness. First, as edivebuddy states, you may not have lung cancer. The only way we can confirm our disease is with a tissue biopsy. And, you'll likely travel the scanning path that edivebuddy laid out. But, after nearly 5 years of constant treatment, I achieved a no evidence of disease (NED) finding; ten years later was pronounced cured of lung cancer. So, should you have lung cancer, today there are effective treatments that actually work. Take some time to acquaint yourself with our disease. Here is a good resource to read in. Stay the course. Tom gaylepc, LouT and Livin Life 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livin Life Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 Sending support, Gayle.... edive and Tom have given you great information while you're in this diagnostic process. The waiting is hard so be kind to yourself while figuring out what is going on.... gaylepc and LouT 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaylepc Posted July 30 Author Share Posted July 30 Thank you for your posts. They lifted my hope level. I am trying to stay positive and just take one step at a time, but it's difficult. Knowing more will help as I am a person who does better when in action. I very much appreciate your input. So glad I found this board. LouT, Tom Galli and Livin Life 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouT Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 I was able to restore your original post and have copied my response below. Lou ------------------------------------------ Hi Gayle, Sorry it took me so long to respond but I was away most of the day. Let me try and help you with some information. 1. All you need to get lung cancer is lungs. Over twenty percent of LC (Lung Cancer) patients were never smokers. 2. You are still in a diagnostic stage. There could be a nodule or a mass in the lung, but they'll need to do more tests and then the gold standard; a tissue biopsy. So let's take a step back until we have definitive proof of malignancy. To learn more about the diagnostic process please click on and take a look at "Navigating Your Diagnosis". 3. Even if it is determined that you have lung cancer it is not the automatic "death sentence" that it once was. Treatments of all kinds have advanced more in the last 10 years than in the previous 50. 4. You are not alone here. Our forums have many survivors (including me) who were diagnosed with LC and received treatment and are here to talk about it. I have my 5-year scans in August. 5. If it turns out that you are diagnosed with LC then there is a lot of information that we can share with you. Much of it coming from our own real-life experiences with the disease, treatment, and the aftermath. So please try to stay focused on staying calm as possible. I know it is not easy, but all the worry in the world won't do any good for you. Distract yourself as much as possible. Perhaps read some of the survivor stories here. There are many of them. Ask any questions you have remember that you're not alone. Lou Livin Life and gaylepc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaylepc Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 Thank you so much Lou, it's very appreciated. I will be careful to not make a double post again as I am sure it's a hassle to deal with. LouT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen_L Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 @gaylepc Welcome here! In terms of learning, there is a lot to learn. Lungevity is a great place to get a foundation. I'd recommend starting here. I advise two other things. One, if (when) you feel overwhelmed with all the information, stop. Take a break of at least a couple of hours to settle your responses and questions. Please remember: lung cancer research is booming and information changes rapidly. Two, read only reputable sites. Lungevity is one excellent source. Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, sites of federally designated cancer research centers are examples of others. There is a lot of anecdotal and other information floating around; as we like to say, "Dr. Google is not your friend." This is a great place to ask questions. Please keep us posted as you move forward. LouT, gaylepc and Livin Life 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaylepc Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 Thank you Karen. LouT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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