Nancy B Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 Met with my surgeon yesterday. My PET scan was all clear except for the nodule in my lung - it lit up. There is no way to do a needle biopsy as it is too deep in the lung and too close to my heart so we just have to go in and get it. He said the surgery will be longer this time as he will have to wade through scar tissue, probably remove a rib and then peel the lung away from the chest wall. This was really "TMI" (TO MUCH INFORMATION). I told him I had alot of pain last time and he said with the epidural I should have minimal or no pain. Apparently the last epidural was not placed properly to handle the pain. At least this time I will know some of the things to pay attention to. They will do the biopsy and then decide if they can do a wedge resection or remove the rest of the lung. I won't know til I wake up. I told him to leave as much lung as possible (I want to do one more marathon before I retire). Then I am probably looking at radiation and chemo. I am soooooo glad you guys are here. My son doesn't live at home anymore and my husband just can't deal with talking about it. The surgery will probably be the week after next. I will keep you posted and I would ask that you keep me in your prayers. All of you are in my prayers everyday. Love and hugs, Nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharyn Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 Dear Nancy, I wish you much luck with your upcoming surgery. Having gone through surgery once, it may be a little easier this time because you will know what to expect. I am praying things go smoothly for you. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bean_si (Not Active) Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, I sincerely understand about relatives not being able to deal with the cancer. It does make it harder for you. It's a good thing you're a fighter. You are in my prayers. Take care. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, You are a trooper and your s urgery is going to be great! Can your husband post to let us know how you are after surgery? Or maybe you can PM me the hospital and I can call and give an update since we will all be praying for you and anxious to hear how you are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, May the food be better the second time around, may you be blessed with a big chunk of eye candy for a nurse, may the epidural be properly placed and may you be on your feet and running in no time! (Take off early, don't wait for the bill!!) Positive vibes going your way, don't think "Fruit Roll Up" with that peel description.... Take care, Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MO_Sugar Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Prayers for healing and best wishes sent your way! God Bless, MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, I've never had any kind of lung surgery but I know it has got to be a very scary thing. I will be praying that God helps you to relax, trust the surgeon and come out of it with very minimal pain. Love, Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaret Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, Prayers for guidance of your surgeon and medical team, prayers for healing and comfort through this surgery, and prayers for all the support you will need in recovery. You do know that you'll have all of us pulling for you every step of the way. Blessings, Margaret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyr Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Best luck Nancy, I've been through 2 lobectomies too. It's certainly no picnic. The first one they removed my upper left lobe and the second surgery they did a wedge ressection as the tumor grew back. It's been 6 months now and I'm halfway through chemo, but just got a report back that I'm stable. So, I hope you just sail through this surgery and get back to life being normal again. I know how difficult it is, but at least we had the ability to have an operation. I will be praying for you, Nancy. CathyR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay A. Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, You hang in there, my friend. It's going to be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyde Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, From what I understand, while the surgery is difficult, it offers you the best chance for cure and cure is the best word. I will pray that the surgery is successful and that your recovery is fast and pain free. Ginny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Lamb Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 NANCY,Here's hoping that this time you'll WHOOP IT!!!.You have done really well and are an inspiration to me as a 4 year survivor.We are all expecting 4 more years and then 4 more years and then 4 more etc,etc. Good luck and please keep us informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy: Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery--this still may be only some kind of infection or inflammation or something, but even if it is a tumor, at least they can get it out of there!!!!! When you're in the hospital, if you have pain, keep after them about it. I had the epidural for my surgery and it was a good 24 hours post surgery before they got it adjusted right to take care of the pain, but they did get it right finally and it made all the difference! Keep us posted and best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, Im so happy to hear that your PET came back (almost) clean!!! Hope all goes extreemly well! I do have a question though...Why a second operation? Ive never heard of that before, and im kinda new to all of this. If ya can post or PM me, im curious!! Best wishes Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJ Posted May 23, 2004 Share Posted May 23, 2004 Nancy, I'm sending up a prayer for you, and I wish you the best of luck on you operation. My son (an only child) no longer lives with us and my hubby really does not like to talk about it unless I force it on him. So I truly understand your feelings about this place. (((((hug)))))) BJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinaresholz Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Hello Nancy, We'll all be pulling for you. Hope everything goes fine for you. I had the surgery three months ago so I know what it is. They were pretty good about keeping me out of pain. They gave me an epidural and other pain pills as well. Best of luck! Sharon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Sorry that surgery is in the forecast but yes, it is a good thing the option is available for sure! This time go for the drugs big time--nothing like a morphine drip to keep things in happy land. And I love drugs before the surgery too!!! gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerbil runner Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Surgery seems to be a good news/bad news combo. Cure is possible, but still ... Wishing you an easy recovery and complete cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhutch1366 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Nancy, Good luck on your surgery. May the surgeon's hands be guided by God, and may the nurses all be angels on earth. May the pharmacists and anesthesiologists cooperate to make your stay as pleasant as humanly possible, and may you be back on your feet in no time! XOXOX Prayers, MaryAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 Hi Everybody, Just got the word - will be having a Profusion Stress Test this Thursday and that should clear the way for surgery the next Wednesday, 8:00am. I am so glad to finally get the ball rolling but now I feel nervous. Is it possible to hook up a laptop in a hospital room? I don't want to get too far away from you guys. I am trying to remember things that happened 4 years ago that I would change this time.....would appreciate any and all suggestions to make this as easy as possible. Got to get back to work. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. Love and hugs, Nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie B Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Hey Nancy, Got it marked on my calendar! Surgery Nancy, Next Wed. June 2, 8:00 a.m. YOU'LL DO JUST FINE!!!! What to do different. hummmmm Give the doctor a kiss before surgery???? Tell him he looks very handsome the day of surgery???? Can't hurt to get on his good side! I know it's NOT funny! Just felt you needed a smile right about now! Hope I was able to give you one. Well, for me, I put my party hat on and away I went. HONEST, my friend Rhonda brought me a party hat for my open heart surgery and boy did that take some of the pressure off us all. You need a Rhonda to lend you a helping hand. Then you need a Donna G to rub your feet and give you lots of TLC and bring you a stuffed doggy, when you come out of surgery. Oh you also need a Rhonda to come and bring you a bag of goodies after surgery with PJ's and a cold beer, and fruit. They were just AWESOME before and after my surgery. So, that's what you need to line up. Lots of POSITIVE friends and family before you head in and after you get out! Wish I could be there to give you a HUG. I'll do it now. (((((((NANCY))))))) You know your in my prayers and let us know how the stress test goes. OY VEY, STRESS TEST BEFORE SURGERY????? What's up with that??? BAD TIMING I'm GUESSING! Think PARTY HAT when your doing the stress test. Much Love, Hugs, and Support Coming your way, Connie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Nancy, I'll be right here rooting for you! My best piece of advice to you is--get the epidural and tell them if you are in pain--they can make it stop but it may take some adjustments.......took about 24 hours for them to get me pain free, but that sure did help with the breathing exercises and walking the halls---also, remember to hold your side when you cough or sneeze....geez mine still hurts to sneeze. Another thing--it helped me to sleep with my head elevated a little bit for a while--seemed I could breathe a lot better..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 Connie - you did make me smile, thanks. I love the idea of a party hat - I am going to see if I can find one suitable. I appreciate the prayers and hugs. I guess the stress test is to make sure my heart can handle this and they don't get any surprises during surgery. I have an irregular heart beat but nothing more serious than that. Chloesmom - I will definitely stay on top of the epidural thing - I had no idea last time that it wasn't working right - I just thought there was suppose to be that much pain. Also, I had forgotten about sleeping elevated - that helped me also. Not sure what to do about the sneezing, my allergies are in full swing right now. Ow, hurts to think about it. Thanks guys Love Ya! Nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Nancy, Actually some hospitals do have internet My mom's did, she didn't use it, but it was tehre. I was like how cool!!!! I hope you log on! And most importantly, I wish you a speedy fast easy recovery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debi Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 Nancy, This must be so scary for you right now... The one thing I would do different would be to not worry about taking "too much" pain medication. Last time I thought I had to be a hero or something and didn't want to take more drugs than I needed. I would wait till the last possible moment and it would take about 15 minutes to work again. I finally "got" it like 3 days after surgery, but I had suffered needlessly for those 3 days. Someone from here actually had given me the best advice..told me that the first day I would feel like a fleet of trucks had run into me but every day after that, it would be one less truck. Believe it or not, that helped me because on any given day, if I was feeling bad, I knew the next day was going to be "one truck" better. The visual helped. My thoughts will be with you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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