Petrified

squeak313

Oh boy, I am not diagnosed yet, but a chest x-ray and cat scan (looking for something else) showed a 2 centimeter mass on my lower right lung. I am convinced I will be dead in a year. Can somebody give me some good news....

rpatt

My husband has stage 3B nsclc, but we started out the same way; with a chest x-ray. That was in April 05' and now it looks like he may possibly go into complete remission (no visible cancer cells). The stage that he has is considered inoperable/incurable, but it seems that he has beaten the odds so far.
From what I understand, the stage (1-4) at which you are diagnosed makes a big difference in the survival rate, but, as my husband's case shows everyone has a chance. So my advice is to keep up hope and surround yourself with as much support as possible to help you through whatever ends up coming your way.

AJL

Hi
My name is Andy and I'm 48 year old.
Back in Oct 01 I was diagnosed with sclc on my left lower lung. The mass was 8cm long and 4cm wide. Like you I thought I was a dead duck. I did 1 round of chemo and radiation in 01 but in 02 the cancer came back. This time they told me it was inoperable/incureable. I started round 2 of chemo and the tumor began to shrink to 4cm long and 2cm wide.It been that size since 02.
Now I'm closing into my 5th years with this cancer. Since my chemo treatment I'm still able to run 30-40 mile a week and I also ran 2 marathon. So don't give up hope. There are many many survivor out there. Yes, it will be tough but if you stay positive anything can happen.

God Bless

Andy

Plymouthean

Hi. I was diagnosed with lung cancer, inoperable and incurable. I was absolutely terrified. I, too, needed some good news. Well, here it is. I was diagnosed almost five years ago, and I'm still here, cancer free. To begin with, a two centimeter mass on a chest x-ray doesn't automatically mean cancer. Assuming that it is cancer, - I had a 3x5x7 cm tumor on the upper lobe of my right lung, and now that's gone. The oncologists and surgeon got rid of everything and now I'm cancer free. Your emotions can easily get out of control at this stage, - that's normal. Try to stay calm (easy for me to say) and wait for tests to be completed. Once the doctors have evaluated all the test results, you will have a good picture of the direction in which you will go. For now, believe me when I say that if you do need treatment for cancer, it's usually not nearly as bad as the stories we've heard. Take it slow, - stay calm, wait for test results, and please keep us posted. And DON'T pay any attention to statistics. Statistics can be made to say anything that you want them to say. Ernie (ernplym@adelphia.net)

MadelynJoe

Dear Squeak:

You give up being "petrified" this instant! You are actually in a good place (as good a place as any cancer diagnosis can be).

I am a 55 y/o Caucasian female and, like you, I was diagnosed during a routine physical on 5/9/05, I had a 2.8cm nodule on my lower R lung. Had lower R lobe removed on 6/6/05. Scans (CAT and PET) showed no other cancer in my body. I underwent 2 chemo treatments just as a precaution.
2 subsequent scans show nothing.

My Oncologist says I have an 85% chance of living a normal life span and that is factoring in things like getting hit by a truck! You are NOT doomed by any means. Get on one of the chat rooms offered on this site and talk to some long term survivors; it can be very therapeudic.

God bless you and best regards, Madelyn

rldcgrma

I was diagnoised with lung cancer in October of 1995. In November of 1995, I had the lower 1/3 of my right lung removed. In January of 1996, I underwent radiation ( no Chemo) for 6 weeks and am still cancer free to this day...March 2006. Lung cancer is NOT a death sentence. Have faith , a lot of support and for Gods sake, if you are a smoker...STOP.