New Diagnosis

[Brookbond]

Hi I’m new here having just been diagnosed with stage 1 tumour on top of left lung. I’m due to be married next June and this wasn’t part of our plans. I’m waiting for a date to have a lobectomy in next few weeks and obviously am very anxious about the surgery as much as I want this thing removing. I’m hoping to have the VATS procedure and would love to hear from anybody on here with similar experiencd

[Frances4r]

Hi. I also had a lobectomy in March for a stage 2 tumour. I had some complications after surgery due to a chyle leak. My recovery has been slower than I thought but 7 months down the line I’m back at work full time, exercising, not as much as before but getting there. I have had no recurrence and can honestly say I feel really well now. So focus on your wedding don’t worry about op it’s not as bad as I thought it would be and your body will tell you what pace to take. I don’t use any medication and stopped it all within a month. Nerve pain at site can be a wee bit troublesome but lidocaine patches are a great help. Take care of yourself and don’t google.

[Brookbond in reply to Frances4r]

Thank you and I’m glad to hear you are now recovered. It just goes to show you never know what’s round the corner. Stay well x

[Pip444]

Hello there, I wanted to reply and reassure you because I’ve had a similar experience - I had a lobectomy in jan 2020 after being diagnosed in nov 2019, a complete shock after having a chest X-ray for something unrelated. Surgery went well, vats procedure with no complications, I needed no other treatments, I was back at work in March and would’ve been going on holiday abroad in April 2020, had the pandemic not intervened! It’s only natural to be anxious about this, -take your time to recover and make the most of having to rest, but I’m sure you’ll be up and dancing along with everyone else at your wedding! And this site is just great for support if you need it.

[Brookbond in reply to Pip444]

Thank you so much for your reassuring message and I’m really happy that you are fully recovered. It’s very daunting and at first feel like I’ve been given a death sentence but I’m lucky it was caught so early. Making the most of this waiting time now to try and get Christmas shopping etc done 🤣🤣Take care of yourself xx

[JanetteR57]

Thanks for posting and congratulations on your forthcoming wedding - how wonderful to have something to look forward to like that. Your fear is understandable but try and curb your anxiety if you can - mine was found during a visit to A&E (with symptoms) but then missed for months and not taken very seriously - misdiagnosed as uncontrolled asthma - but a few months later I had a lobectomy and diagnosis in the January and was back at work and swimming by the end of March. That was 11 years ago when there was no keyhole surgery so it was major open surgery.... there is so much more information now to help you prepare and the UK now uses minimally invasive surgery in the majority of cases although not that many people are detected early enough for surgery to be even be an option. I didn't know that at the time so am even more grateful for having had that treatment. I was a regular distance swimmer before (130 lengths several times a week) and gone onto swim much further than I ever did in the years that followed - even 360 in one visit and 989 miles in a year... it takes time to recover but keeping active is very important. The major UK lung cancer charity regularly updates its information and I'm on the patient panel that reviews its literature - it only updated its surgery booklet last year so it's all still relevant whereas a lot of stuff on the internet is outdated and inaccurate. You're right about the time of year - in the fortnight between having my PET results and seeing the surgeon and the surgery I not only worked and delivered several client assignments, but wrote all xmas cards, bought and wrapped gifts, even sorted out a will and keeping busy helped me no end... good luck... roycastle.org/app/uploads/2...

[VerdeAzul]

Hello! I, too, wanted to reassure you. I was diagnosed also a stage 1, early diagnosis, May of 2019, and had my lobectomy in July 2019. No need for any other follow-up except regular MRIs every 6 months for the first 3 years. I had been originally scheduled for a VATS procedure, but during the operation, they found some scar tissue and ended up having to do a regular open surgery. I had been warned that this was a possibility, so not totally unexpected. Still, I was back at work within 3 months. It did take longer to heal, and the discomfort afterward was greater, but I was pretty much living my normal life before the 6 months' mark.

Be at peace, and be grateful that it was found so early. That is the key to a quick recovery. Lean on your partner, don't try to do too much, and don't try to be too strong. This is a real, life-changing event, but you will get through it, and your wedding will be an even more joyful event having gone through this.

You're in my prayers!

[RLP49]

Hi, I had a lower left VATS Lobectomy in December 2019 (aged 48), the procedure went well although because my tumour was >4cm I was offered adjuvant Chemo, however this was stopped in March 2020 after the second cycle due to my oncologist advising me that the risks of Covid at that time outweighed the benefits.I have been well since although I have atrial fibrillation and a sleep apnoea - this is how they found my cancer as I had a heart scan for my irregular heart rate. Thank goodness I spoke to a nurse about what I thought were peri menopausal symptoms which turned out to be AF which led to them finding the tumour at stage 2. I went back to work in July 2020.

I know this is such an anxious time but you are in good hands. Do the breathing exercises after your surgery and keep as active as you can. Best wishes for your wedding.

Ruth