@annalee, yes, it's a big surprise when you first hear your doctors want to remove the whole lobe, but it's very common. In the past, like in 2018, they almost never took out just a piece of the lobe. Nowadays, it happens, but it's still rare. You'd have to ask your oncologist what qualifies for removing less than the whole lung lobe.

I was diagnosed with Stage 2b and had my upper right lobe removed using robotic-assisted surgery using the da Vinci II robot. I can't even find the 4th little scar most days. And it's a good thing they did take the whole lobe because they found out the cancer had already metastasized to a nearby lymph node.

The original plan was surgery with no chemo or radiation. But because it metastasized, I had 4 rounds of chemo. The cut line also stained positive for cancer cells, so I had 33 rounds of chemo.

Life expectancy is much higher when they do the initial surgery as quickly as possible. I now give talks on lung cancer awareness and the importance of prescreening. In my talks, I describe the days after diagnosis as "the whirlwind" because it sure feels like that. Sound like your doctor has the right plan

My nonsmokers lung cancer metastasized to my brain 2 years later, and I had to have brain surgery. In that case, they DID just remove the cancerous cyst and not the entire brain lobe. 🙂 Also, realize that cancer care, especially lung cancer care, has made HUGE strides in the last 10-15 years. I have the EGFR Exon 19 mutation and take a daily pill. I also had zero nausea during chemo.

Good luck with your surgery. Let us know how to goes and what comes next for you.