squamous cell lung cancer

dierksc said:

squamos
I am so sorry to hear of the return of your cancer. I am 53 years old and was diadnosed with this disease in April. I had the upper lobe of my lung removed. I still have pain in my back and I am frightened all the time. How did you get through this. I must also say my father died two weeks before my diagnosis of throat cancer, my brother threeyears ago of melonoma and my mom nine years ago of acute mylongenous leukemia-my entire immediate family gone. perhaps you can shed some light. I am not great on the computer but I am trying God Bless You

squamous cell v small cell
dierksc: Please be advised that everyone's situation with cancer seems to be at least a bit different, and there is dramatic difference in some cases.

With respect to what you have written, you should be comforted somewhat with the knowledge that squamous cell is a non-small cell cancer. Small cell lung cancer is considered much more aggressive. The fact they performed the lobectomy on you indicates, at least with limited information given, that yours is isolated or appears to have BEEN isolated to one lobe at time of diagnosis and that the docs therefore had some strong hope of ridding you of it by ridding you of its home in that upper lobe.

It has now been some six months since your surgery, and I would expect that you have been receiving checkups, bloodwork, perhaps CAT scans, every three months, minimally. If you have been or are taking follow-on chemotherapy, the blood work is being or was being done even more regularly. If they have not found any lingering cancer in this six months, that is the beginning of very hopeful news for you!

I cannot give you false hope, however: it happens that it takes a whole lot of cancer cells to get enough of them together to even show up, from what I understand, and so they may still be in there somewhere lingering. Still, it is good news for now, may continue to be good news, and you should enjoy the good news, live with the good news, and not allow the cancer to take over other parts of your life.

What I mean is that while we all retain some fear of a recurrence, even when pronounced NED (no evidence of disease) or cancer-free, we cannot let the fear rule us. The cancer takes what it must, and we cannot permit it to have more.

That said, anxiety and even depression or not uncommon effects of cancer, its treatment, and even its 'announcement'. If you feel it will help you with your fears, do not hesitate to seek professional help. Your doctors should be quite aware of this common experience among survivors and more than happy to provide a referral.

Otherwise, I would advise you to return your focus to those things that made you happiest prior to the diagnosis, and maybe even find new activities to take on, in celebration of your survival and perhaps in honor of your parents and brother.

As for the back pain, I understand that this is fairly common as well, and may last for some time. I had a VATS procedure when my lower right lobe was removed at the end of January this year, and did not experience prolonged pain, but I have heard many stories about folks that received different surgeries who DO experience such pain. Please advise your doctors about this if you have not yet done so. Pain management, to my mind, is critical to your success in survivorship. You should be able to live without that pain, and they should be able to help you do so. Any good doctor knows that pain management is vital!

In the meantime, best wishes for complete recovery.

Hope and humor!

Take care.

Joe

dierksc said:

happiness
Joe, First off I hope you recieve this! Thank-You so much for responding to me. I am very grateful. I was wondering if you ever were a smoker? I was and I know I created my own medical problem. Believe or not I have had a few cigarettes since my surgery. I am ashamed. I am taking chantix right now and it is working. I hope that today is a very special day for you because you are obviously are a special and smart guy! God speed, Nancy

smoking etc
Nancy, thank you for the kind words.

Yes, I was a smoker. It cost me part of my tongue and neck as well as that right lung lobe, although you could hardly notice, they did such a good job with putting me back together again.

Like you, I considered that I created my condition. I have come to have some ambivalence about that. And I do believe strongly in one fact: the tobacco companies were complicit in my cancer, and I darned sure am not going to allow them to profit any more by buying more of their poison sticks. That, if losing bodies part were not enough, is quite sufficient to keep me from smoking.

Still, if the smoke is far enough away, it lures me like an expensive woman's perfume (not the woman, the perfume ).

Good luck with quitting! Try to remember that those companies have profited - KNOWINGLY - from you cancer, and maybe that will give you greater incentive to break the next cig in half before you light it.

Take care,

Joe