survival

congoody

i just had surgery for stage 1A adenocarcinoma lung - still crying daily 8 weeks post-op and cannot convince myself that I will survive this - anyone out there who is a long term survivor to show me that indeed it is possible - and please do not tell me how lucky I am to be 1A - nothing about this feels lucky

cobra1122

You will survive
Congoody, From what I just read you should be dancing around with happiness, I am a 2+ year survivor of stage 4 borh SCLC AND NSCLC, if you read my bio you will see I have multiple health issues that make my survival a real supprise.
There are chance of it coming on worse at some stage, but you should be thinking positive because that and the right attituge and support are what is going to get you through. You may not seem luck but you are they caught it early and you have a strong chance of beating it.
Heck, with all my health issues and the fact that I am on Hospice now for couple days short of a year, I feel lucky, I have out lived every prognosis I have been given.
Now is the time that you should be thinking of what you can do as a positive image in the fight against cancer,using your story to help other.
Unfortunately, we are all goimg to pass someday, but what you do with that life is the important part, you can become a voice for those of us who wont be able to carry on the fight for much longer. you can help other understand the impact this disease makes on their life even when they become a survivor, how there is still the constant fear of the cancer in their life.
I ask you to start looking at yourself as a survivor and become an active voice in both helping others through this and with letting others know that we are still far short of a cure for this disease and we must continue on the search for a real cure, not a temporary fix.

Our Prayers and Best Wishes to You, and Your Family,
Dan (cobra1122) and Margi Harmon

catcon49

cobra1122 said:

You will survive
Congoody, From what I just read you should be dancing around with happiness, I am a 2+ year survivor of stage 4 borh SCLC AND NSCLC, if you read my bio you will see I have multiple health issues that make my survival a real supprise.
There are chance of it coming on worse at some stage, but you should be thinking positive because that and the right attituge and support are what is going to get you through. You may not seem luck but you are they caught it early and you have a strong chance of beating it.
Heck, with all my health issues and the fact that I am on Hospice now for couple days short of a year, I feel lucky, I have out lived every prognosis I have been given.
Now is the time that you should be thinking of what you can do as a positive image in the fight against cancer,using your story to help other.
Unfortunately, we are all goimg to pass someday, but what you do with that life is the important part, you can become a voice for those of us who wont be able to carry on the fight for much longer. you can help other understand the impact this disease makes on their life even when they become a survivor, how there is still the constant fear of the cancer in their life.
I ask you to start looking at yourself as a survivor and become an active voice in both helping others through this and with letting others know that we are still far short of a cure for this disease and we must continue on the search for a real cure, not a temporary fix.

Our Prayers and Best Wishes to You, and Your Family,
Dan (cobra1122) and Margi Harmon

Survivor
Hi. I am so sorry that this has to happen to you or anyone. But it does and we can't help it. I was dx with Stage 1a adenocarcinoma lung cancer July of 2008. Had VATS surgery September 2008. I wanted to curl up in a ball and just die. Tons of cancer in my family. I was scared to death. But here I am 1 1/2 years later still free of cancer ( if anyone can say that). I go in for my check february 5, 2010. Just had my CAT Scan. I also had some trouble feeling LUCKY. But I am. I want to see my children have children. I want to grow old with my husband. These are the things that keep me going when I begin to get upset. Just continue with your appointments as scheduled. I also spend alot of time praying. Things will get a little easier as time passes. I get nervous right before any cat scan or xray. And after reading some of the posts here you may begin to look at your self as lucky.
I wish you all the best and also will remember you in my prays. keep posting

congoody

catcon49 said:

Survivor
Hi. I am so sorry that this has to happen to you or anyone. But it does and we can't help it. I was dx with Stage 1a adenocarcinoma lung cancer July of 2008. Had VATS surgery September 2008. I wanted to curl up in a ball and just die. Tons of cancer in my family. I was scared to death. But here I am 1 1/2 years later still free of cancer ( if anyone can say that). I go in for my check february 5, 2010. Just had my CAT Scan. I also had some trouble feeling LUCKY. But I am. I want to see my children have children. I want to grow old with my husband. These are the things that keep me going when I begin to get upset. Just continue with your appointments as scheduled. I also spend alot of time praying. Things will get a little easier as time passes. I get nervous right before any cat scan or xray. And after reading some of the posts here you may begin to look at your self as lucky.
I wish you all the best and also will remember you in my prays. keep posting

thank you
thank you for your encouraging words - it is so hard to get my head and my heart around all this -with some time I hope I can feel the optimism that you have found - again thank you so much -connie

pkaz53

congoody said:

thank you
thank you for your encouraging words - it is so hard to get my head and my heart around all this -with some time I hope I can feel the optimism that you have found - again thank you so much -connie

survivor
Cobra you have a great attitude -they don't make too many like you, I hope you stick around for a long time, I have deep respect for you.

Congoody --I think your going to be alright due to early diagnose, treatment is going to wear you down --take in as much nourishment as you can and get enough rest.
All my hopes and prayers are with you

And indeed it is possible --I'm a survivor of small cell lung cancer 6yrs.

Be Well ...Paul..

cuppajoe

read blochcancer.org Bloch, from HR Bloch was diagnosed with lung cancer--died 26 Years later of...heart disease. People do survive, especially those who find it early, especially those who can have surgery. My thoughts are with you.

soccerfreaks

"I feel lucky"
No, you do not feel lucky, and that is normal. If you are like 99.9% of us, you have not spent your lifetime studying cancer, so the diagnosis feels like a death sentence, even though yours certainly is not.

I imagine that almost all survivors of ANY cancer, ANY stage, ANY location, felt the same thing, at least for a moment, and many of us for quite a bit longer.

In your case, while there is not cause for leaping through the roof in joy, at least in my estimation, there is cause for great hope. Your doctors have probably advised you about staging and about your particular brand of cancer. You probably know that 1A means that your cancer is small and localized, but that your brand IS rather aggressive, given an opportunity.

The best thing for you to do, as your doctors have probably suggested, is to be as aggressive in your treatment of the cancer as the cancer wants to be against you.

If you smoke, quit smoking. If you drink, quit drinking. Those are good places to start. If your doctors suggest removing the cancer surgically, please consider that it may very well be the near equivalent of removing worry. If they do not suggest that, ask them why not ... there are probably very good reasons NOT to do surgery at this juncture (I am not a doctor), but I would want to hear them. I would want to know the odds of it returning if I do not get surgery versus the odds if I do, for example.

If it's possible, never go to a meeting with cancer docs without a caring other by your side: you are going to be wrapped fairly tightly emotionally (I know I was and am every time I see these folks), so it is really important to have another set of eyes and ears with you, someone who can take notes for you, someone who can read the questions you write between sessions, so that you can get answers promptly and then refer to the notes to develop additional questions and to make decisions.

Please take the time to read in this board and elsewhere on this site. Please take the time to read some of the member pages, where you can get some more intimate information about the experiences and thoughts and emotions they have recorded. It will do you good.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Welcome to a bad club to join, due to the 'membership requirements', but the greatest of clubs when measured by the kindness and giving nature of its members. You have already seen a bit of that.

In that sense, at the very least, you are lucky .

Hope and Humor,

Joe