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Radiation damage???

Berta
Berta CSN Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Last March, I lost the upper third of my right lung to stage II non small cell lung cancer. This was followed by 7 weeks of radiation therapy. I understand the burning and side affects from the radiation is pretty normal. They soon went away after they were concluded. I did not have any chemo. I am on clinical trial for Iressa for early stage lung cancer. The last few months, I am experiencing shortness of breath and wheezing. It is up just below my thoat and in the middle. No pain. I have also been having plugged nose at night so maybe having allergies.
Has anyone else gone through this?
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  • Plymouthean
    Plymouthean CSN Member Posts: 262 Member
    #2
    Hi Berta,
    I lost the upper 40% of my right lung a few years go, to nsclc, stage IIIa. Prior to surgery, I had radiation and chemotherapy. Post surgery, I had more chemo and radiation. The initial radiation did a lot of collateral damage. It paralyzed one vocal cord and distorted my esophagus. Surgical procedures pretty much corrected the damage to the vocal cord and esophagus. The loss of the portion of lung gave me breathing problems similar to yours for quite a while. I was helped immensely by respiratory therapy and medication (Atavan) to suppress anxiety caused by the breathing problem. Perhaps you could ask your doctor about that kind of therapy. Good luck
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