Hi that's the idea of forum being able to talk about things with people who understand , or just to rant and let off steam .

Remember your welcome anytime , please keep us posted how things go .

I've got prostate cancer gone to lymph nodes spine ribs pelvis and a lung i was diagnosed Feb 2016 .   I've got usto living with my univited guest now,we go every where together .

Take care keep safe and sure.

Billy

You might have to watch the holiday part if you're going abroad, and it turns out to be worst case scenario.  Insurance companies can be fickle when it comes to certain conditions.

I would read the detail about disclosing pre existing conditions before travelling. The biggest worry is, you need some sort of medical care when away, then find out your insurance company refuses to foot those bills. If you're remaining within the UK, then that's all irrelevant.

Hmm, yes, I didn't think of that.

So, the PET scan looks for active cells which indicate C. They showed up. I have to have a biopsy for final confirmation. I asked the doc what my chances would be if if it is C. He said there is a good chance it is curable as it only shows in one area (when it has spread it's a different matter).

I'd kept things to myself up to this point but brought my wife this time and told her I'd pretty much known but hadn't wanted to tell her or anyone. She was mad at me for doing that but was happy to be at this appt. 

So, not dead yet and may even survive C. Glass half full.....

hi & welcome to the club no one wants to be in. 

I saw your first post and have been watching for your pet ct update, hoping you would have good  news. 

I was in the same position as yourself and cancer suspected but not confirmed. Was told could be all sorts of things and pet ct will highlight but not confirm without biopsy. 

I’m glad you have now told your wife. Support is so important and you will feel so much better for not hiding it. I see your due to go away on holiday. Do ensure your consultant is aware/approves and you have adequate health insurance.

do you know what treatment you will be having? 

I was advised to cancel my holiday as risks of infections from foreign destinations would mean delaying my treatment for a period to ensure I would be safe for surgery. 

I too had lung cancer, June 2018. My pet scan illuminated  but couldn’t get a biopsy due to “tumour” position. Had surgery around 2 week after pet scan, they did a frozen section (biopsy) whilst I was under anaesthesia and was told if benign, I would have a wedge resection but if malignant they’d remove that lobe, upper right.  Well it was malignant and out it came. I had a VATS procedure which is less invasive so I was greatful for that.

its a scary road to be on but having a positive attitude really helps. I wish you all the best and please don’t hesitate to ask me anything. Im no doctor but I can  share my experience if it helps  if you have surgery, what to expect, what  aids help afterwards etc. Take care and please keep us updated . Sending good wishes to all on this journey 

Thanks Hutchi. 

At the moment I am going in for a boipsy in a couple of weeks and get resutls before going on hols. I'm not 100% confirmed to be part of the Big C Club but 99% I think.

No idea on what the treatment will be either. One sstep at a time.

My wife knows and my neighbour (who is close to us). I can see already how different they act towards me. My wife is very loving and attentive, even more than she is normally and I know why. I spent the first couple of days I wondering how she was taking it as I'd been through that a few weeks ago. It has stressed her but not too much I hope. She's clearly worried of course but I am carrying on as normal which hopefully helps.

My neighbour is also very cuddly when she sees me. I feel like telling them not to be but I think they need it more than me at the moment. It's good that they have someone to talk to about me. 

Hi Hutchi,

You said '...but if malignant they’d remove that lobe, upper right.  Well it was malignant and out it came. I had a VATS procedure which is less invasive so I was greatful for that..'

What is a VATS procedure? How long did it take to recover? Are you on meds following this? Any side affects?

Ross

Hi ross

VATS - video assisted thoracic surgery.

Better than open surgery as quicker healing smaller wound and not as traumatic recovery 

sugery incision was made at the side of rib cage under my arm as opposed to open surgery where they cut open through the front centre of chest. 

I had 3 incisions if memory serves me right. , 1- for camara and 1 for surgery ( wound looked like an arrow about 5 inches long and one for a chest drain post surgery to drain excess fluid/ blood. This drain came out on day 5 before I was discharged.

i was given a manual  breathing machine from consultant to take into hospital for use post surgery with physiotherapist and to use at home, post discharge to build up the depth of my breathing

The surgery lasted about 4.5hrs as my tumour was too near my heart.

It was painful and difficult to get comfortable afterwards but obviously better than if I’d had open surgery. The wound took about 2 months to heal outside but inside was still very sore and took a good 9-12 months before I was comfortable standing up from sitting or sitting down after standing. 

I was advised by a neighbor who’d had same surgery to purchase a ‘V’ shaped bamboo pillow to use against cushions or pillows at home to aid being propped up to sleep or when sitting in armchair.

Best £15 I ever spent as I couldn’t lay flat to sleep, so firmness of v pillow was a good means of support.

i had good clear margins having had the whole lobe removed rather than just the tumour cut out so didn’t require further treatment ( chemo)

my tumour was T1b N0 M0 poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma 

I took about 18 months to feel better post surgery, and feel weaker than before it, not as much energy and breathless easily and I was very fit active & well prior. 

But im still here!!!

i hope your biopsy Brings you better news than I had. 

I was smothered by family too but they explained they were trying to keep me positive and worried I’d give up and not fight the fight.

It helps them too, as they can’t do anything to change it - so support is all they can give. 

so feel blessed and let them ‘in’ as you don’t realise how helpless they’ll feel. 

Best wishes and fingers crossed for you

please keep us updated

Thanks Hutchi, that was really interesting. I know my situation may be better/worse but it gives me a bit of an insight into potentially what could happen.

Does the loss of a smaller part of the lung really make such a big difference (I guess it does but you know what I mean)? how limited are you with any form of exercise?

I think one thing I am not sure about is how it will affect me in my every day life. We (wife and I) run our own business and although I am mostly home based I do go out to see clients. It's going to be an issue if I can't work for a long period of time. Need to give that some thought...

Thanks again for taking the time to provide such a comprehensive reply.

I hope your situation will have a better outcome. 

Obviously everones experience differs. I think the more positive you remain and the healthier you try to be can only have better outcomes. 

I didn’t exercise as such before my diagnosis but my job was pretty demanding physically. I worked as a train guard and walked through the train constantly throughout my shifts to undertake my ticket checks as quickly as possible between stations. 

Post surgery it took a while to be able to get back to anywhere close to that level of fitness. 

Being your own boss and being able to choose what you want to undertake and what you don’t is a bonus and I think you’ll probably fair pretty well if you have to have any surgery and you know your own body and what your capabilities are. Having to have chemotherapy may be a different thing altogether. My sister in law had it for breast cancer and knocked her for six, however her brother has just finished it for kidney cancer having had surgery first then 6 weeks later started chemotherapy and sailed through with no problems at all. 

Everyone is different Ross 

If worst comes to worst n you need surgery, remember anything is possible and just takes time to build back up to a level that your happy with but time is what you have to give it. Don’t expect too much too soon or push yourself too hard as you’ll encounter setbacks. Everything in moderation 

im 4 years post surgery and I’m actually ok with my breathing. Latest tests claim my breathing capacity is at 95% of pre surgery so that’s pretty good.

I’m currently awaiting a scan as  I have another area of concern on my left upper lobe that has been monitored the last 6 months. Currently grown only 1mm so not doing a biopsy unless there’s cause for concern.

Having had a previous cancer it is something that your constantly aware of and anxious about reoccurring but positive attitude is the way to deal with it for me and obviously regular checkups and being aware of changes out of the norm.

stay positive and good luck with biopsy Ross