lung cancer and no symptoms

TKSpunkster
TKSpunkster Member Posts: 10
in Lung Cancer #1
So I'm curious how many ppl has lung cancer with no symptoms? And how did you tell everyone ? I have not been diagnosed yet cause I lost my health insurance in September but by then I had tons of chest pain, weight loss, and coughing blood, and many other symptoms before finding out I have a tumor over 9mm. I was suppose to go back in Nov but lost my insurance so couldn't but my pain has gotten worse and spread to my lower spine hip and ribs... I started keeping a list of things that hurt or bother me after been diagnosed with pnuemonia 3 times in the part 14months. It's a lot to explain....anyways I am going to Dr Tuesday with no insurance, if I get diagnosed my question is how did you tell ppl you loved? My family will prob understand because we have been thru it enough times tho I know they will take it hard, but my best friend who hides his emotions and has lost 2 important family members this past 8 months, and just found out his mom has cancer, how would you tell him? I don't wanna add more to his life or be mad at me? What do I do? I hide my health from him and the pain I feel so if won't worry.. but there is a good chance I might be ill and don't want to make things emotionally worse on him or my family...

Comments

  • sissylu1
    sissylu1 Member Posts: 66 Member
    #2
    suggestion
    I went in for a routine chest x-ray in Nov and was in surgery by the beg of Dec having a lobectomy..I am one of the lucky one staged 1a...I kept this information to myself for 10 days before I told anyone in my family and now I see for me anyway that was a mistake..is there anyone you can take to your doctors appts with you? It's time for you to start thinking about yourself and taking care of yourself and allowing others to take care of you as this is ALOT to digest without any support system in place. I am a social worker and a mental health professional..there are resources wherever you live that can assist you with some of these issues but you need to ask and again, maybe have a friend or family member advocate for you...Good Luck and we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    #3
    TK
    Hello, and welcome. The nodule (anything under 3 cm is considered a nodule), if this is cancer it will have been caught early. I had a 11mx9mm nodule removed by lobectomy on 9-23-10 and was given a 85% cure rate. When its caught early the results are better. You must proceed with what the dr suggests, and usually when its so small the only way to biopsy the nodule is by wedge resection or lobectomy. Since you haven't told your family yet, you might as well wait until Tuesday, then you'll have more information. The reason my nodule was caught was I was being scanned for previous cancer that I had been treated for. I did have a nagging ache in my back, but thought that was from the type of work I do. After the surgery I no longer have any nagging aches. Its fortunate for me that such a small nodule would give me such issues, and if it happens again I'll know to get checked.
    I wish you well. Let us know what happens. Lori
  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #4
    Symptoms (or lack thereof) and how to tell friends
    I'm new on here but not so new to the game (diagnosed NSCLC IIIb April 2010, chemo+rad = good news for close to a year).

    Based on what I've read and experienced personally, unless you're one of the fortunate few to be diagnosed via an "accidental" finding resulting from investigation of another medical complaint or a routine exam, no symptoms, or misinterpreted symptoms, are pretty much the rule. I know in my case, at least one of my caregivers pretty much ruled out everything non-life-threatening, and even after that had to be dragged almost kicking and screaming into recognizing the only remaining possibility.

    Regarding telling people, I guess you have to know the people, and work to your own personal style. I just came right out with it (i.e. "There's no way to make this sound good, but here's the situation"). I really had no choice at my job, because I wanted to get things lined up so I could work from home during treatment, and my family is local, so there was no good way I couldn't tell them, even if I had wanted to keep it quiet. I just made it clear that I didn't want anybody to go out of their way for me, and in fact that's how I preferred it. My wife handled the rest with a broadcast e-mail.

    People will want a chance to help you out in some way, and it doesn't have to be a burden on them. Go out to the track to bet on the nags? Come with me to the county fair? Take a few days in my time-share? Come visit us for an overnight? Heck, yeah.

    Let them help in whatever way they want. Would you want to know if it were your close friend? I'll bet yes.
  • merryls52
    merryls52 Member Posts: 2
    #5
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller said:

    Symptoms (or lack thereof) and how to tell friends
    I'm new on here but not so new to the game (diagnosed NSCLC IIIb April 2010, chemo+rad = good news for close to a year).

    Based on what I've read and experienced personally, unless you're one of the fortunate few to be diagnosed via an "accidental" finding resulting from investigation of another medical complaint or a routine exam, no symptoms, or misinterpreted symptoms, are pretty much the rule. I know in my case, at least one of my caregivers pretty much ruled out everything non-life-threatening, and even after that had to be dragged almost kicking and screaming into recognizing the only remaining possibility.

    Regarding telling people, I guess you have to know the people, and work to your own personal style. I just came right out with it (i.e. "There's no way to make this sound good, but here's the situation"). I really had no choice at my job, because I wanted to get things lined up so I could work from home during treatment, and my family is local, so there was no good way I couldn't tell them, even if I had wanted to keep it quiet. I just made it clear that I didn't want anybody to go out of their way for me, and in fact that's how I preferred it. My wife handled the rest with a broadcast e-mail.

    People will want a chance to help you out in some way, and it doesn't have to be a burden on them. Go out to the track to bet on the nags? Come with me to the county fair? Take a few days in my time-share? Come visit us for an overnight? Heck, yeah.

    Let them help in whatever way they want. Would you want to know if it were your close friend? I'll bet yes.

    STAGE 3B ADENOCARCINOMA-NO SYMPTOMS
    I also am new here. I was diagnosed 11/2008. It was MY FAULT. I had pneumonia, went to the DR., was given a script for a chest xray and antibiotics. Skipped the xray (as I had the pills). Two yrs. later had stage 3b. The lung cancer was incurable & inoperable. I went thru chemo & radiation. I was also told that it was NOT from smoking. Only about 27% of smokers get it. My closest cousin died from it (he refused treatment) 13 yrs. ago.
    Put it in remission, but never researched mets. In July 2010 began having numbness on the rt. side of my body. Was sure it was stress related, but finally went to the Dr.she ordered a head MRI and found 1 lesion-also inoperable.

    I will continue about the brain on that site.

    Keep fighting Ex_Rock_n_Roller
  • Ex_Rock_n_Roller
    Ex_Rock_n_Roller Member Posts: 281 Member
    #6
    merryls52 said:

    STAGE 3B ADENOCARCINOMA-NO SYMPTOMS
    I also am new here. I was diagnosed 11/2008. It was MY FAULT. I had pneumonia, went to the DR., was given a script for a chest xray and antibiotics. Skipped the xray (as I had the pills). Two yrs. later had stage 3b. The lung cancer was incurable & inoperable. I went thru chemo & radiation. I was also told that it was NOT from smoking. Only about 27% of smokers get it. My closest cousin died from it (he refused treatment) 13 yrs. ago.
    Put it in remission, but never researched mets. In July 2010 began having numbness on the rt. side of my body. Was sure it was stress related, but finally went to the Dr.she ordered a head MRI and found 1 lesion-also inoperable.

    I will continue about the brain on that site.

    Keep fighting Ex_Rock_n_Roller

    Merry,
    Thanks. Kicker is I had a clean chest X-ray on going into the ER for wheezing. It took one of the blind alleys (allergist) to send me for a CT scan, with the pronouncement, "Chest X-rays miss all kinds of things." Right he was, and end of discussion.

    Never-smoker and poster child for physical fitness to go with it. A little bit of family history two generations back. You just never know.

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