My journey so far............

[packla]

Hi guys I have only just joined this group and would like to share my journey so far with you all.

I have had a tickly night cough since January this year, some nights I would cough for an hour, others for a couple of minutes some not at all. I eventually contacted my GP and was sent for a routine chest x-ray on 11th May 2022. Within 6 hours of having the x-ray a GP from my practice was back on the phone saying that a mass had been found on my lung and I would have to go for a blood test and CAT scan. As you can imagine I was totally devastated not only by hear this but also the way I was told over the phone!!!!.

I had a CAT scan on 19th May and then on the 25thMay I actually spoke to my Thoracic consultant again over the phone but this time he told me that he was 99% certain that the mass was cancer. Myself and my wife spent nearly an hour on the phone to the consultant asking every question we could think off. The consultant said that the tumour was in the left lung lower lobe and I would most probably be offered surgery and they would remove the whole lobe. The next day, 26th May, I had a lung function test which proved to be excellent I was told that my lung function was at the top of the scale, which was great news. I then had a PET scan on 10th June and waited for the results.

The PET scan confirmed that I had lung cancer so on 4thJuly I went in for a biopsy via a CT scan. Later that week I had a MRI scan on my head to make sure that there was nothing sinister going on in my head. On the 14th July it was confirmed that I had Stage 2A NSCLC Adenocarcinoma. I was told that the treatment would be surgery and they would remove the whole lower lobe containing the tumour and some of the lymph nodes in the area as a precaution. The cancer had not spread to any other part of my body which was also good news.

The following week on the 21st July I meet with the surgeon, had the pre op assessment on 22nd July, surgery on 27th July and discharged from hospital on 29th July .

It has now been 15 days since surgery and I feel really well I am walking every day to make sure that my lungs get back to the capacity that they were before and just completed a 1.8 mile walk !!. I now have to wait 4 /5 weeks before I have my follow up meeting and they will then tell me if I have to have a course of adjuvant chemo or not. If I don't have to have chemo then look out Marbella, Spain, I will be there on 6th November !!!

I can not believe that it was only 11 weeks from the initial chest x-ray to the surgery being performed.

I do hope that sharing my journey will help some of you because with a positive attitude we can fight this disease.

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hello Packla,

Thank you for sharing your journey it is very inspiring to read. It sounds as though you have been through a lot in the last 11 weeks. It is good to hear that you are recovering so well after surgery, such a positive attitude and building up your fitness will all help in the rehabilitation process.

Hoping that you get your well deserved trip to Spain in November.

Kind Regards

Roy Castle Support Team

[Concerned2021]

Glad you’re doing so well , this gives me hope , my dad met with the surgeon today and he’s been declared fit for surgery x

[Paristomasmicheal]

I wish my 57 year old husband could of had his lung removed but it has spread but only tiny bit so please for you and we will continue with treatment and fight as long as we can💙

[JanetteR57]

Well done on your successful surgery - walking and keeping active will make a great difference in redeveloping your lung capacity. I had my upper left lobe removed in Dec 2010 by open surgery as less invasive VATS didn't exist then.

I was back at work and swimming by end March 2011 and went on over time to rebuild my swimming to my previous regular distance of 160 lengths (had stopped going after my A&E admission in the October )- by a considerable margin (increased it by regular increases to 360 in a single session). Mine was stage 2b adenocarcinoma.

The left lung has two lobes and the right lung has 3 so the percentage of lung removed even by taking a single lobe can differ although most of us don't use our full lung capacity anyway. I had no idea about this until my appointment with the surgeon. I was told at the time that chemo didn't work for my specific rare type but now things have changed and with the size of the tumour being 7cm, I would have been offered it. good luck with your continued recovery..... onwards and upwards...

[Treeclimber62]

I wish my hospital was as quick so far I've waited 3 months for surgery for sarcoma o my right lung it was 2 cm in size but now I fear it's bigger still no sign of surgery .but good luck to you your doing well

[Hope2thrive]

Congratulations on getting so far with your treatment and recovery! I’m so glad to hear you are progressing so well.I’m trying to mentally prepare for my surgery and keep wrestling with bouts of fear. I find strength in hearing it has gone well for others

God bless you