Left Lung Nodule

arlekim

Hola a todos

I have been diagnosed with 2 lung nodules on both lungs.. Great!! The one that is suspecious is the left one which measures 1.8. I'm having surgery this friday which my surgeon says he will start the surgery, remove the nodule n biopsy it right there. If it's cancerous, he will remove the lower lobe, if it's not (God willing) he will just remove the nodule. I would like to know if anyone has had this procudure done and how did it go? My doc says that I will be in the hospital for 2-3 days n discharged right after the chest tube is removed. I have a very small pain tolerance so I'm going to have an epidural, as recommended by the docs due to low bp. I'm scared, very scared but I know God is with me... Oh, I must say, I don't smoke n have never been exposed to 2nd hand smoke, so where did this come from? Un-known to me. I'm 45 yrs old n have 2 girls age 22 n 19. Seeking info n advice...

Gracias

z

arlekim
Hello, Sorry you had to find us. I had the vats procedure to remove a lung nodule out of my right lower lobe. It was biopsied in the OR and determined to be squamous cell (smokers cancer), so the lobe was removed. That was on 9-23-10 and so far so good. I was in the hospital 3 days. Use a recliner to sleep in or lots of pillows when you get home. Hopefully yours will not be cancer and just some sort of scar tissue. Ask your dr if it is cancer, to test for mutations, because there are targeted drugs that will wipe the cancer out. I wish you well, its a slow recovery but one day at a time you will feel better. I went back to work 1 month after the vats surgery. I have a physical job and had no limitations from my dr.
Lori

arlekim

z said:

arlekim
Hello, Sorry you had to find us. I had the vats procedure to remove a lung nodule out of my right lower lobe. It was biopsied in the OR and determined to be squamous cell (smokers cancer), so the lobe was removed. That was on 9-23-10 and so far so good. I was in the hospital 3 days. Use a recliner to sleep in or lots of pillows when you get home. Hopefully yours will not be cancer and just some sort of scar tissue. Ask your dr if it is cancer, to test for mutations, because there are targeted drugs that will wipe the cancer out. I wish you well, its a slow recovery but one day at a time you will feel better. I went back to work 1 month after the vats surgery. I have a physical job and had no limitations from my dr.
Lori

Hola Lori
Thanks for the
Hola Lori

Thanks for the responce. I'm scared, so scared. I am affraid of the pain I'm gonna go thru n the outcome of this biopsy. Today I had my mammogram b/c when I had the Pet-scan, some tissues lit up n my doc became very worried. Thank God it was ok. Tomorrow I need to be at the hospital at 6am n surgery is scheduled for 7:30am. I've been holding it together for my mother n dauthers but once I start to walk away from them, I know I'm gonna break down. U c, we have been thru this journey once b4. My dad passed away in 2001 of colon cancer n I'm gonna be walking the same hallway that he once walked, n I remember watching him looking back at us n whispering "los quiero mucho." I was a mess. So now I can feel what my dad once was feeling. Well Lori, I feel like I'm writing a diary, don't want to overwhelm u. Gracias for answering back, I thought no one would respond. N I will ask my doc about the mutation.
Marcia

barbebarb

arlekim said:

Hola Lori
Thanks for the
Hola Lori

Thanks for the responce. I'm scared, so scared. I am affraid of the pain I'm gonna go thru n the outcome of this biopsy. Today I had my mammogram b/c when I had the Pet-scan, some tissues lit up n my doc became very worried. Thank God it was ok. Tomorrow I need to be at the hospital at 6am n surgery is scheduled for 7:30am. I've been holding it together for my mother n dauthers but once I start to walk away from them, I know I'm gonna break down. U c, we have been thru this journey once b4. My dad passed away in 2001 of colon cancer n I'm gonna be walking the same hallway that he once walked, n I remember watching him looking back at us n whispering "los quiero mucho." I was a mess. So now I can feel what my dad once was feeling. Well Lori, I feel like I'm writing a diary, don't want to overwhelm u. Gracias for answering back, I thought no one would respond. N I will ask my doc about the mutation.
Marcia

You will get thru the surgery
Marcia-sorry you must go thru this surgery. I understand your fear. I had a left lung lobectomy on 2/9 and sm still recoopetating. Recovery varies by individuals but you will have much support from these boards and wealth of knowlege to help you.
Prayers for u and your family. I have a 20 & 22 year old.

arlekim

barbebarb said:

You will get thru the surgery
Marcia-sorry you must go thru this surgery. I understand your fear. I had a left lung lobectomy on 2/9 and sm still recoopetating. Recovery varies by individuals but you will have much support from these boards and wealth of knowlege to help you.
Prayers for u and your family. I have a 20 & 22 year old.

Gracias
Muchas Gracias Barbebarb, I'm counting down the hrs n minutes like a kid waiting to open his present not knowing what's inside the box. I'm trying to relax before 5am, N I know I will not sleep. I build myself up n my mom keeps calling me to tell me to relax, don't think about it, she tells me. But I do. I will keep you ladies updated once I'm able to sign on.

Gracias

barbebarb

arlekim said:

Gracias
Muchas Gracias Barbebarb, I'm counting down the hrs n minutes like a kid waiting to open his present not knowing what's inside the box. I'm trying to relax before 5am, N I know I will not sleep. I build myself up n my mom keeps calling me to tell me to relax, don't think about it, she tells me. But I do. I will keep you ladies updated once I'm able to sign on.

Gracias

How r u?
Thinking of u and saying prayers for you!
The countdown is nervewracking.
Barb

barbebarb

arlekim said:

Gracias
Muchas Gracias Barbebarb, I'm counting down the hrs n minutes like a kid waiting to open his present not knowing what's inside the box. I'm trying to relax before 5am, N I know I will not sleep. I build myself up n my mom keeps calling me to tell me to relax, don't think about it, she tells me. But I do. I will keep you ladies updated once I'm able to sign on.

Gracias

How r u?
Thinking of u and saying prayers for you!
The countdown is nervewracking.
Barb

arlekim

barbebarb said:

How r u?
Thinking of u and saying prayers for you!
The countdown is nervewracking.
Barb

Hola
Hi Barb, im home now. Had my left lower lobe lobectomy on friday n I'm gonna tell u " it hurts like hell" I never imagined this! But i know I will make it thru. Now waiting on results. i'm like, results? U already removed my lobe! ????? What results!!!! But God only knows. i'm on tylenol 3 n lidoderm patch for this terrible pain. Will keep u posted.

Gracias

mamacita5

arlekim said:

Hola
Hi Barb, im home now. Had my left lower lobe lobectomy on friday n I'm gonna tell u " it hurts like hell" I never imagined this! But i know I will make it thru. Now waiting on results. i'm like, results? U already removed my lobe! ????? What results!!!! But God only knows. i'm on tylenol 3 n lidoderm patch for this terrible pain. Will keep u posted.

Gracias

So happy that you made it
So happy that you made it through the surgery okay. I had VATS to remove my lower left lobe. I would say it took a good 6-8 weeks before I began to feel somewhat normal again. I was certainly not in pain the whole time just AWARE that I had had major surgery. You will cough, cough, cough as you begin to heal and this can be normal as your inards start the healing process. Keep your pillow hugged up against you when you cough, which will be everytime you try to speak! Your ribs will hurt too for quite some time a bra might be out of the question. I did not hurt enough to where I had to stop wearing one, but other women have. Feel free to ask ANYTHING if you have questions, someone here has gone through it! By the way I was dx NSCLC stage 3a, never smoker, 2 years ago.

barbebarb

arlekim said:

Hola
Hi Barb, im home now. Had my left lower lobe lobectomy on friday n I'm gonna tell u " it hurts like hell" I never imagined this! But i know I will make it thru. Now waiting on results. i'm like, results? U already removed my lobe! ????? What results!!!! But God only knows. i'm on tylenol 3 n lidoderm patch for this terrible pain. Will keep u posted.

Gracias

It will get better
Good to hear from!
Stay w/your pain med schedule so u can be pain-free as possible, because walking is very important for recovery. My surgery ese 2/9 and I am finally walking farther etc. I was on ibuprofen and Norco.
Use lidocaine patch and go w/out a bra too. Barely there makes support tank tops that support but yet keep u comfortable if your boob feels heavy or numb.
Take it a day at a time and u will get thrum this to wellness!
Barb
I am scheduled for next surgery 4/11.
Will check in on u soon :-)

arlekim

mamacita5 said:

So happy that you made it
So happy that you made it through the surgery okay. I had VATS to remove my lower left lobe. I would say it took a good 6-8 weeks before I began to feel somewhat normal again. I was certainly not in pain the whole time just AWARE that I had had major surgery. You will cough, cough, cough as you begin to heal and this can be normal as your inards start the healing process. Keep your pillow hugged up against you when you cough, which will be everytime you try to speak! Your ribs will hurt too for quite some time a bra might be out of the question. I did not hurt enough to where I had to stop wearing one, but other women have. Feel free to ask ANYTHING if you have questions, someone here has gone through it! By the way I was dx NSCLC stage 3a, never smoker, 2 years ago.

Hola
Hola Mamacita, I'm glad you are doing much better. I dont under stand why I'm in so much pain, I am resting n taking my meds on schedule. Not able to walk that much yet but I walk around the apartment as much as I can. N I can tell u, I'm coughing A LOT! O boy, I believe I will cough forever. Not able to wear a bra yet but I can find something to lift up these droppie things. Lol. Mamacita, what is NSCLC stage3a?


Gracia
Marcia

arlekim

barbebarb said:

It will get better
Good to hear from!
Stay w/your pain med schedule so u can be pain-free as possible, because walking is very important for recovery. My surgery ese 2/9 and I am finally walking farther etc. I was on ibuprofen and Norco.
Use lidocaine patch and go w/out a bra too. Barely there makes support tank tops that support but yet keep u comfortable if your boob feels heavy or numb.
Take it a day at a time and u will get thrum this to wellness!
Barb
I am scheduled for next surgery 4/11.
Will check in on u soon :-)

Hola Barb
Barb, why are you doing surgery again? I will keep u in my prayers. And about the numb boobs? Oh boy! It feels like I have rocks inside! Go figure. Keep me posted.

Gracias
Marcia

barbebarb

arlekim said:

Hola Barb
Barb, why are you doing surgery again? I will keep u in my prayers. And about the numb boobs? Oh boy! It feels like I have rocks inside! Go figure. Keep me posted.

Gracias
Marcia

Surgery for us lobectomy queens
Hola Marcia
Have tumors go be wedged on right lung and they will remove
liver tumor at same time.
This will happen next Wed.
Prayers for u too feel better each day!
Getting the house prepared for this surgery. My mom is coming in and I am making lots of things waist level for easier reaching!
Btw-Do u have stairs?
Barb

arlekim

barbebarb said:

Surgery for us lobectomy queens
Hola Marcia
Have tumors go be wedged on right lung and they will remove
liver tumor at same time.
This will happen next Wed.
Prayers for u too feel better each day!
Getting the house prepared for this surgery. My mom is coming in and I am making lots of things waist level for easier reaching!
Btw-Do u have stairs?
Barb

Hola
Buenos dias a todos. Hola Barb I will keep u in my daily prayers. i am staying w/ my mom in her apartment b/c I live on the 5th fl walk up n my doc said "that will b a no no" Mom lives on the 3rd fl w/ elevator n she is my main rock. I'm a 5 yr old again, she says. She helps me bathe, lol, I would have not made it this past wk w/ o her.

Keep me posted


Marcia

arlekim

barbebarb said:

Surgery for us lobectomy queens
Hola Marcia
Have tumors go be wedged on right lung and they will remove
liver tumor at same time.
This will happen next Wed.
Prayers for u too feel better each day!
Getting the house prepared for this surgery. My mom is coming in and I am making lots of things waist level for easier reaching!
Btw-Do u have stairs?
Barb

Hola
Buenos dias a todos. Hola Barb I will keep u in my daily prayers. i am staying w/ my mom in her apartment b/c I live on the 5th fl walk up n my doc said "that will b a no no" Mom lives on the 3rd fl w/ elevator n she is my main rock. I'm a 5 yr old again, she says. She helps me bathe, lol, I would have not made it this past wk w/ o her.

Keep me posted


Marcia

mamacita5

arlekim said:

Hola
Buenos dias a todos. Hola Barb I will keep u in my daily prayers. i am staying w/ my mom in her apartment b/c I live on the 5th fl walk up n my doc said "that will b a no no" Mom lives on the 3rd fl w/ elevator n she is my main rock. I'm a 5 yr old again, she says. She helps me bathe, lol, I would have not made it this past wk w/ o her.

Keep me posted


Marcia

NSCLC St 3a
Sorry it is easy to forget that people new to the site, and a diagnosis, don't know the meaning of all the acronymns we use. NSCLC is Non Small Cell Lung Cancer stage 3a is simply a way of defining the size and spread of the disease. I was staged 3a because I had a large tumor that had spread to some lymph nodes in the immediate area of the tumor. I am now considered stage 4 because the disease has spread to a distant area of my body (lower spine). I am very glad that your mother is caring for you while you are recovering from your surgery. Some people experience more pain than others so don't worry that you are still in a lot of pain. Just keep on taking those pain pills on schedule.

arlekim

mamacita5 said:

NSCLC St 3a
Sorry it is easy to forget that people new to the site, and a diagnosis, don't know the meaning of all the acronymns we use. NSCLC is Non Small Cell Lung Cancer stage 3a is simply a way of defining the size and spread of the disease. I was staged 3a because I had a large tumor that had spread to some lymph nodes in the immediate area of the tumor. I am now considered stage 4 because the disease has spread to a distant area of my body (lower spine). I am very glad that your mother is caring for you while you are recovering from your surgery. Some people experience more pain than others so don't worry that you are still in a lot of pain. Just keep on taking those pain pills on schedule.

•Stage 1A – T1N0M0
Hola a todos

This was my diagnosis today, Stage 1A T1N0M0... No chemo or radiation needed, According to my pulmonologist. "U had a blank stare" my doc said to me. The only thing I could whisper was "I don't or been exposed to 2nd hand smoke?" He said " A Frozen section demonstrated findings that were consistent with adenocarcinoma. But we caught it on time, no spread, nothing. Ur life expectancy is 90%. We will monitor u every 3-6 month n do ct n MRI scans." He had such a blanck cold look on his face. I wonder if he is tired of giving such bad news..

Mamacita, still recovering, slowly but surely will get there. I'm out of work till 2nd wk of June. I'm learning all the medical lingo thru web-sites n on here.

Good luck to all... Must go eat, my mom is calling n screaming "u have to eat every 2hrs, put on a sweater u gonna catch a cold." All in spanish.. I will come on later on tonite..

z

arlekim said:

•Stage 1A – T1N0M0
Hola a todos

This was my diagnosis today, Stage 1A T1N0M0... No chemo or radiation needed, According to my pulmonologist. "U had a blank stare" my doc said to me. The only thing I could whisper was "I don't or been exposed to 2nd hand smoke?" He said " A Frozen section demonstrated findings that were consistent with adenocarcinoma. But we caught it on time, no spread, nothing. Ur life expectancy is 90%. We will monitor u every 3-6 month n do ct n MRI scans." He had such a blanck cold look on his face. I wonder if he is tired of giving such bad news..

Mamacita, still recovering, slowly but surely will get there. I'm out of work till 2nd wk of June. I'm learning all the medical lingo thru web-sites n on here.

Good luck to all... Must go eat, my mom is calling n screaming "u have to eat every 2hrs, put on a sweater u gonna catch a cold." All in spanish.. I will come on later on tonite..

arlekim
Hello, This is great news. I was a stage IA also, and have the same follow up as you. That is so funny what your mom is screaming, I just love moms, lol. I wish you well. Lori

barbebarb

z said:

arlekim
Hello, This is great news. I was a stage IA also, and have the same follow up as you. That is so funny what your mom is screaming, I just love moms, lol. I wish you well. Lori

Thoroctomy-done!
Hi all-i am your colon cancer mets on lungs and liver friend!
All went well w/removal on R side and liver tumor as smaller than anticipated.
See surgeon in am-he told me I as NED now but will follow-up w chemo in 4-6 weeks.
What an emotional roller coaster its but I hope I heal fairly quickly and look forward to summer and work, as god seeks it.So far, epideral has kept pain away and they started Seneca S.
Your stories have made long lonely days at home healing,more bearable.
My mom came in who is 81 (and in very good health) to help me.
I have my 20 and 22 year olds living with me,,,,
Bless you all and thank u for sharing what helped you.
So very helpful for recovery and spirits!
Prayers and peace all.
I wanted to write before they get me walking tomorrow etc-ugh

arlekim

z said:

arlekim
Hello, This is great news. I was a stage IA also, and have the same follow up as you. That is so funny what your mom is screaming, I just love moms, lol. I wish you well. Lori

Hola
It is grt news Lori, the best I have received so far, but I must wait for the original pathology to arrive. So the pulmonologist says. Mom is making lunch, "u must eat every 2 hrs, n I'm gonna make sure u do.." She tells me... Must go n eat green plantains..

chat later

grannylove

barbebarb said:

Thoroctomy-done!
Hi all-i am your colon cancer mets on lungs and liver friend!
All went well w/removal on R side and liver tumor as smaller than anticipated.
See surgeon in am-he told me I as NED now but will follow-up w chemo in 4-6 weeks.
What an emotional roller coaster its but I hope I heal fairly quickly and look forward to summer and work, as god seeks it.So far, epideral has kept pain away and they started Seneca S.
Your stories have made long lonely days at home healing,more bearable.
My mom came in who is 81 (and in very good health) to help me.
I have my 20 and 22 year olds living with me,,,,
Bless you all and thank u for sharing what helped you.
So very helpful for recovery and spirits!
Prayers and peace all.
I wanted to write before they get me walking tomorrow etc-ugh

Wonderful news!!
So glad all is well and you are on the mend Barbebarb. This is no cake walk but you have this surgery behind you now and healing on the way. Walking is good...real good. Just don't try to overdue it. Take things slow. Your body has been thru alot. Breathing exercises are also a good source for therapy as well as pain. It brings oxygen into the blood that helps with pain. If you need to take meds.....ask. You don't want alot of pain to interfere with your moving and breathing. Glad you have a wonderful support team too. Mom will make sure a tight ship is run, I am sure. God bless and stay strong. Also FYI...narcotic pain meds also can give you constipation so make sure you ask doc for a stool softener. Natural Calm is a magnesium powder that you mix with hot water. It works wonders and you don't have to worry about chemicals...it's all natural. It comes in flavors and is available at most health or vitamin stores. Healing thoughts coming your way!! Cheryl