Need Advice about Radiation/Chemo Treatment--Lung

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Terence2 - 16 Apr 2004 11:03 GMT

Hi to All ,
Without going into a lot of detail ,I was given a Cat Scan of the
Heart on november of 2003 . The Cat Scan ruled out
an Aneurism of the Aorta but did catch a growth in the periphery of the right
lung . A second Cat San revealed that this
tumor has grown from 3 mm to 6 mm in two months . The Oncologist ruled out
small cell lung cancer which is the deadliest
type . The Oncologst supects cancer but still in stage one . St. Michael's
Hospital in Toronto , Canada is in the process of
scheduling a Video Aided Thoroscopy to remove the tumor in late may . The
Oncologist did mention the surgical removal of some Lymph glands followed by
Radiation and Chemoteraphy afterwards . I Spoke briefly to one patient that was
in the sort of a similar situation as I'm now but he had 3/4 of one lung
removed . He told me that that the lung tissue removal was't as
bad as the Radiation/Chemo which he got last december and january . He told
that right now he feels pretty " good " with the exception of catching all
types of colds, flus ,sore throats , etc. as a result of a weaked immune system
.
Basically , he trys to avoid contact with sick people as his system recovers .
I wasn't able to find out much about the side effects of the Rad./Chem. as he
was called for some tests .
Basically my question is , if you had the treatment what were your side
effects. More specifically , energy level , ability
to concentrate and be able to to do mental tasks , appetite , nausea , etc.
Thank you for any personal experiences that you can provide . With some
practical knowledge I will be able to better plan a
schedule for the next few months .
Bless you all ,
terence

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J - 17 Apr 2004 01:54 GMT

> Hi to All ,
> Without going into a lot of detail ,I was given a Cat Scan of the
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> Bless you all ,
> terence

Hello terence, You've posted before about a solitary nodule (in January).
I'm sorry about your situation and that you had to wait until they saw growth
before they acted.

Others may reply but everyone's different on treatments/type/side effects etc.
I expect you'll have to see what they suggest after the surgery to ask about
treatments and side effects.

I'm wondering if/since he can tell it's not SCLC (small cell lung cancer), why
doesn't he know exactly what type it is?
There's sarcomas, maybe lymphomas, NSCLC (non small cell lung cancers)

I posted something a while back about solitary nodules http://tinyurl.com/37wcj
(for what it's worth)

I'm concerned about the growth in such a short time and wondering if there's a way
to speed things up at all?
I'm wondering/concerned that it might have a very good blood supply and that's why
it's grown so fast? (perhaps Steph could comment). If I recall the prognosis is
better if the size is less than 5mm. You're pushing the limit by having to wait,
in my opinion.

With "Black Sheep" a while ago, I suggested calling and asking about a cancellation
list.
Also tell them "the world's watching on how well Canada does with one of their
patients" (ie many readers of the cancer newsgroup from all over world_. Sadly, if
there's a cancellation it could be because someone progressed/spread too fast and
surgery was no longer an option or they were transferred to a different type of
surgery, or they went elsewhere for their surgery or they passed away.
Those who go elsewhere are a benefit to you, if you get moved up in surgery.

Meantime, if you're a smoker, I hope you can try to cut back and get into a walking
program daily to increase your lung function as best you can.

Keep in touch terence,
Sending good vibes your way that there's a surgical solution.
Best,
J

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