Back from my appointment with the Thoracic Surgeon...

[Peggysl]

Hi Everyone

So.....not exactly the news I wanted. Great Surgeon and fantastic nurse who explained thoroughly that to remove just a section of the lung is more of a diagnostic thing, and that if it is cancer, they would need to remove the whole lobe anyway. So that would mean 2 operations.
They still don't know what it is, but on the PET it shows 2 tumours, one slightly below the other. The bigger one 'glows' at 3.2(???) and the little one at 1.7.....cancer normally glows at 4.5. But there ARE exceptions to that. Hence the best thing would be to remove the lobe first time. They even staged this tumour as T2 N0 M0, which means....small, not spread to lymph nodes, not spread to other areas. They feel very positive about getting it all out, and will do a frozen section during the surgery to get a quick diagnosis. If it's nasty, they'll remove all the surrounding nodes and a course of chemotherapy would be the thing to 'mop up' any bits.
Or, as the Doc said, if it's scar tissue or something not too sinister, I would have just wasted 3-4 hours of his surgery time!
I have to now do a set of lung funcion tests etc and I am on the waiting list for surgery at Southampton.
He did ask if I can come in on short notice...I suppose if they get a cancellation?
I am 'fit' and otherwise healthy, but intend to get bike riding so I can get as fit as possible for this. And lots of deep breathing.
Apparently the worst part is the physiotherapist after the surgery....this I know! They batter the crap out of you to clear the lungs.

We are so lucky to live so close to such wonderful hospitals with such incredible staff.

Pegs XX

[amu]

Do you know when you're likely to go into surgery? I'm crossing my everything for you, hopefully it will be just some scar tissue.
Don't know if personal stories help, but a family friend was diagnosed about 10 years ago with early stage lung cancer at 36 years old, she had surgery and chemo and she was cured. N0 M0 sounds very good to me!
But of course, hopefully it won't be cancer just one of those health scares! :hugs:

[Trish]

Hiya Pegs

Well hun they don't seem in any hurry to get you in, so to me that's a positive.

Thinking of you hun and sending you big:bighug1:

Trish xx

[Peggysl]

Hi Amu

Thanks soooo much for that! I love those success stories, and NO MO sounds good to me too...

Pegs X

[Peggysl]

Thanks Trish,

I'm sort of on stand-by, I think. I would much rather it was over with asap. The other thing I didn't mention...it is all done with key-hole surgery. But how do you hook a great family sized lump of lung through a 1,5cm hole?

Pegs X

[zippy]

Hope all goes well for you.How did they find out you had this have you not been well?

[Wee-Mee]

Awww :hugs: I hop eit all goes well hun.

And they probably have their ways hun.

Wish you all the best.

Will be thinking ofyou

xxxxxxxx

[suzy-sue]

The recovery time is less with keyhole surgery,so thats good.Ido hope they dont keep you hanging about ,nothing worse than anticipatory anxiety.At least its good news it hasnt spread.Wishing you all the best Peggy .and a speedy recovery .Love Sue:bighug1: xx

[Nordvest]

Thanks Trish,

The other thing I didn't mention...it is all done with key-hole surgery. But how do you hook a great family sized lump of lung through a 1,5cm hole?

Pegs X

I don`t know for certain but I guess it`s because it`s soft tissue. My father-in-law is scheduled to have his left kidney removed next week due to cancer. They be using keyhole surgery on him too.... And that`s good because the recovery is much swifter and there is almost no scarring (which I guess would have been pretty extensive if they had an open surgery on you).
Godd luck and all the best!!

[tashbarnes87]

thinking of you, hope it goes well :)X

[RosieXXX]

Hello Peggy,

It is always very reassuring when you can meet your Surgeon and Know you are going to be in safe hands.

With the two tumours being so close to each other, and all others things considered, it makes perfect sense to remove the whole lobe; fantastic they can do it with key hole surgery too! You can take great comfort from the fact that, if these lesions should prove to be cancerous, they have not spread, and that they have caught it at a Very early stage.

I take my hat off to you Peggy; you have coped so well, and I think it is a great idea to get as fit as possible before the operation. I am sure you would like to get it over and done with as soon as possible. I am wishing you all the very best. x x x

[Trish]

I agree with Rosie....Pegs you are an inspiration to us all:bighug1:

Trish xx

[kittykat]

Yes well done for being so positive throughout all of this , i know you put me to shame, wishing you well through it all, take care xx

[justbananas]

thinking of you pegs, keep us posted! also - when my dad was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer, the doc wanted to push his surgery way back as there were so many appointments in front of him. my mom did everything she could.. showing up at the hospital with cupcakes (crazy i know), getting to know the nurses and scheduling staff, calling the docs over and over.. she looked like a bit of a crazy person but long story short, she managed to get someone to agree to get him in within a couple weeks, rather than months. somtimes a bit of pushing goes a long way. that was back in november, my dad's surgery went really well and he's recovering nicely. we are all beyond happy that my mom was being so aggressive and annoying because hey, my dad may have still been waiting at this point! and instead he's just been on two vacations and is back at work full time, doing his monthly checks and looking good. i guess what i'm saying is.. if you feel worried and want to get a move on things, don't underestimate the power of the human touch, and how one person can move through and above a maze of a system. best of luck to u and lots of love!

[Peggysl]

Good Morning All!

Thanks again, for all your good wishes and positive notes.
I love to hear the success stories, and remind myself it's not all doom and gloom.
I just want this op asap so I can get on with my life.
It may even turn out to be not an ominous thing, but by removing the whole lobe it is taking a more aggressive approach and not leaving anything to chance.
Suprisingly, my hospital stay would only be 3 days, and take it easy for a week, and back to work after 4 weeks.
As it happens, I havn't been able to get a job with all this looming, so it'll be great to get it over with!
Amazingly, I am not spinning out with panic/anxiety, but am a tad worried about the op.
The Surgeon was lovely, and very confident which totally rubbed off on me.

Our weather in Poole is stunning again, so I am off for a bike ride!

Take care,
Pegs XX

[PoppyC]

Hi Peggy :)
I hope it all goes well for you and though its easier said than done, and easy for me to say, try not to focus on the worst, because it could turn out to be scar tissue.
You sound like a very positive upbeat type person and having that attitude that will help you a lot I am sure.
It is nice to hear praise for the NHS too for a change :yesyes: Having a good hospital team helping you makes such a big difference.
I hope that it is all sorted out for you soon and that you can get on with your life.
Enjoy your cycling! :)

[jojo2316]

Hi Pegs - I thinkk we could all learn a lot from you - you seem to be coping wonderfully well. And all in all it does sound like positive news......... Since the lumps are glowing with quite a low number presumably that means that if it is cancer it is quite a slow growing, non-aggressive kind. And since it is contained it should be pretty easy to deal with. Again, I'm not sure if personal stories help, but my friend's mum was also diagnosed with early stage lung cancer - that was 10 years ago and she is doing fine.
Good luck and keep us posted!
xxxxxxx