Anyone have multiple mets to lungs & a few in liver too??? Both places???

Buzzard said:

Jennie.......
What you have is not a cold...What your symptoms sound like to me is that you are still very antsy about your future and need someone to tell you its all going to be ok....I wanted the same thing as you do...for someone to tell me that its all going to go away, or better yet I will wake up and it will all have been a bad dream, but its not gonna happen for me or you. But, I will tell you what we will do, we will talk as long as you like so that you don't feel alone and have idle time to think about things...I needed to be kept busy also to keep my mind from wandering...I advocate to people about my cancer...it is actually a stress relief to get it out and tell people about the trials good and bad that I have been through and how they can sometimes circumvent the chances of occurence, by early testing or early detection...We all get antsy and we all feel when we are diagnosed that we have to have someone around to talk with at all times...Believe me, you will have all the attention you desire soon, then when its all over with you can sit back and relax because you have become knowledgeble about your disease and prognosis and comfortable with both. You are going to the top hospital in the nation...That in itself should be a confidence booster...They will take great care of you there and you will know every move they make or intend to make...Both people I know that were treated there have nothing but great things to say about the treatment there, both medicinal and personal...I know your nervous and you wouldn't be human if ou weren't , but just take solace in knowing that you have all of your friends you need right here and most of us are here all the time.....after its all over then maybe you can do the NED Nekkid Happy Dance in your cold pool !!!!!...LOL........

CherylHutch said:

Surgery is tiring
Jenny... your lungs are not messed up Lungs are the most amazing contraptions!! They are like balloons and it's amazing the abuse they can take. Back, not so long ago, it was totally socially acceptable to smoke. Smoking in restaurants, in planes and even in movie theatres! Back then, no one really knew that smoking was bad for you and even if it was questioned, it was no big deal... we just lived with it and most of us (or our parents' generations) didn't give it a second thought and everyone smoked. I'm not sure what it's like where you live, but smoking has pretty much been banned everywhere in Vancouver, even outside of public buildings or doorways. They are now going to ban smoking in cars if children are present. I think this is a pretty good indicator that smoking is really and truly not good for our lungs

I used to smoke. Hey, I don't know what it's like for folk who belong to teams, or sports, but in theatre, having a ciggie in one hand and a drink in another meant you were a TRUE artist ... and those of us who didn't act so didn't consider ourselves artists, smoked and drank because that's just what was expected. Oy vey! I wonder if I knew then what I know now, if that would have changed my way of thinking or if I would have just shrugged and figured I was invincible?

Anywho.... I bring this up to prove a point... the lungs can take a heck of a lot more abuse than just being told you/I have lung mets. Honey, you are just at the beginning of your journey... and you don't even have to go to that place where you think your lungs are shriveling up as you are getting over your surgery... it doesn't work that way.

My guess is, when you go to see your oncologist, he/she is going to tell you what the plan is they have for you. I am not a doctor, so I can't second guess him or her, but my guess would be that once you have had some time to heal from your surgery (usually about 8 weeks) they will then start you on the standard protocol of chemo... 5FU with Leucorvin and mixed with Oxypilatin. The standard length of time is 12 rounds, but most oncs will play it by ear depending on how you are doing and holding up to it. It is not uncommon for them to reduce the dosages as you get closer to the 12th round.

The whole purpose of the chemo is to catch any microscopic cells that may have escaped during the surgery and to shrink any known mets to the size where it would now be feasible to get rid of them through surgery. Sometimes, the chemo might shrink them down to nothing, so surgery is not needed. EVERYONE is different so you can talk all you want to someone with the exactly same situation as you and you both will have two totally different reactions to the chemo. Not only that, your onc might figure that since you've had one surgery, then he/she is going to put you on a different combination of chemos... chemo to deal with the liver mets first... or attempt to focus on the lung mets... or maybe the standard chemo that I mentioned above will be good for both areas at the same time. Like I say, I'm not a doctor so don't know what factors are involved for figuring out what would be the best for you.

The thing is... and it's something you are going to have to keep reminding yourself over and over and over again... You are a unique, individual and are not the same as anyone else on this board or in the cancer centre that you will be going to. And because you are a unique individual, your treatments are going to be customized for you and with your situation in mind. I could tell you that you and I sound like we have the same thing going on, but we may end up on totally different treatments... and the reason might be as simple as our weight difference, our age, our medical history, things that have affected us in the past, etc. So it's not as cut and dry as having a similar situation and expecting similar treatments, hence similar outcomes.

Now... your cold that you think you are coming down with. Your doctor is right... after any kind of surgery where you are cut open, and then sewn back or stapled back together, especially abdominal type surgery... you are going to end up with a cough. It has to do with the General Anesthetic and how that puts your muscles for breathing to sleep... hence, while you are out under the general anesthetic, they "intubate" you so a tube is actually doing your breathing for you. This tube irritates your throat and "bronchial" tubes... hence, after you are awake and your body has eliminated the anesthesia (usually takes some days to totally get rid of the anesthesia from your body)... the irritation begins, hence the coughing.

As for the mets in your lungs... if they are small, and I'm assuming they are because when you were told you had multiple mets to the lungs, no one said you had huge mets. These mets are probably mostly all under 7mm. Before they would even start to bother you so that you would notice them or any symptoms, they would have to grow to around 50mm or larger. When they are under 7mm, there's not too much they can do about them until they grow because they are too small to even be affected by the chemo.

So again, all I can do is advise you to relax, to breathe, and to focus on healing from your surgery as a first step. Once you've met with your onc, you will be meeting with a bunch of different specialists... and the more you learn about the plan they have for you, the more equipped you will be and no what to expect... and the more questions you'll have to ask here on the boards

So don't go jumping the gun again and try second-guessing what may or may not happen since no one knows at this point except an oncologist who has looked over your case... and only then, will they have an idea of what treatment you are going to get. They won't have a clue as to what the future holds... only the universe knows that

Cheryl