just diagnosed stage 2/maybe 3 lung cancer.

My surgery was in July, 2005. I have had clean scans since. I was diagnosed by the PET scans as stage 2A. My surgeon after review the CT and PET scans diagnosed me as stage 3A. I had 6 weeks of weekly chemo and daily radiation. It went very well. I never got sick nor lost my hair. My oncologist did not want me working because I teach high school and kids and germs were to much of a threat. Later I had surgery which was followed by two sessions of a much stronger dose of the same chemo (carboplatinum/taxol). My hair came out and I was achy for three or four days following the infusion. I found it helped me very much to take Aleve pain pills as soon as I got home from chemo and I kept taking them every four hours until I felt back to normal. It really helps to get in fron of the pain. Also be sure to drink lots of water. Hope this helps.

Carol

Hey BBanner - I can't tell you much more than what has already been stated - treatment IS different for everyone. But your doc should be able to give you general ideas on what to expect. I had limited SCLC diagnosed last year, was able to handle chemo and radiation fairly well. I had the infusions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and by Friday was feeling "achy/flu like" until Monday and then it was back to hauling the kids to school, grocery shopping, etc. So maybe you can schedule your treatments so that the effects will come over the weekends. Also, you will have to be extra careful around people, germs, etc. Carry the germy gel with you and uses the wipes provided at the grocery stores (those carts are full of germs!) About smoking - isn't funny how hearing you have cancer can stop you from that habit that you may have tried to stop but "just couldn't do it?" I haven't smoked since the day of my diagnosis and I was a heavy smoker. The old "triggers" just kind of went away. Now, after the first 6 months, some personal things happened and the urge to smoke came back as well as a mild depression (imagine that!) so I got on Wellbutrin which helps to eliminate the urge to smoke. You might want to keep that in mind if you need it down the road. Also, I will still have the urge at odd times but it passes so quickly (I take big, deep breaths)and I just know in my heart I will never smoke again. So if I can do it, I know you can too. Keep the faith, hope, love and trust to see you through this and keep us posted on your progress. Take it easy - Budders

hi, my name is carla. in my opinion would use your short term disability because you will need to focus all your strength on your illness. i am writing you to encourage you. i was diagnosed with small-cell carcinoma in 1995. my cancer was inoperable. the doctor said i had 12-18 months to live. well, PRAISE GOD here i am 12 years later cancer free. i do have copd as a result of 30 years of smoking. they treated my cancer aggressively. i had chemo and radiation together. i was preety sick. i had to carry a paper sack with me when i went somewhere in case i had to throw up. but i have a friend who went through chemo and it hardy affected her at all. if you don't mind me asking, how old are you? i am 47. was 35 when diagnosed. do you have small-cell or non-small cell? please write back, carla. i really do want to encourage you. the sickness was well worth it.

Hi, my name is Carmen. I was diagnosed in March. I went to the hospital that night, because I had symptoms similar to pneumonia. I felt bad enough to get out of bed and get myself to emergency. They found a tumor in my lung, about the size of a gulf ball. I was told by the emergency doctor, that night, that if I didn't get treatment right away, I wouldn't make it to my birthday in November. I went through surgery in April and recovered from it just fine. They took the tumor, part of the lung, and the affected lymph nodes. About four weeks later, I started chemo. I was scheduled for four treatments -- I thought it would be a breeze. I don't know why but I was tough through the diagnosis, the surgery and recovery. But chemo threw me for a loop -- I started stressing out, and it started to weigh on my heart. By now, I've had several a-typical heart episodes, and they decided to take me off the chemo after two treatments -- my body and mind just couldn't seem to take it. Right now, I am cancer free. It wouldn't make sense to continue with the chemo and cause me to have a heart attack that could potentially kill me, in an effort to fight the cancer. As you see, we all react differently to the treatment. I felt sick two days after, but I wasn't sick to my stomack (they gave me things along with the treatment to prevent that) instead, I got very disoriented and labored with language. As you can see, and in reading all the other posts, we all react differently. I would follow your doctor's advice. I worked in private and public schools for 12 years, and I know the best way to catch some germs is being around children. I tried very hard to keep myself away from situations where I could contract a cold, or flu, or anything else. I really tried to stay healthy. I am 64. My birthday is in November and I'm glad to say: it looks like I'm going to make it after all. In my case, I took early retirement; I can alway get a job later. I'm learning a lot from this ordeal, and probably the most important is: one thing at a time, one day at a time. I'll keep you in my prayers. God Bless.