How soon should chemo start after having lobectomy?

I see your message in my email but it's not here on the page!! I did not have an open lobectomy. I had Vats. I called surgeoen nurse the other day and told her stitches are coming out of my incisions again!! She said they were supposed to be dissolvable sticthes but apparently didn't. Guess not!! So they are coming out!! So weird. Doesn't make sense. Going to my primary tomorrow to have him look at them, cut off the parts that have come out. I can't pull on them because it feels like I am tugging on stuff inside...ugh...so no idea how long it will take for them to push out. doesn't make sense to me. Seems my body is putting all its healing efforts into attacking these 'foreign' bodies...stitches, to get them out of my body instead of healing right. it's really freaking me out. Anybody know why this is happening or if he put wrong stitches in????? really bothering me. It feels so weird under the one on my back that keeps coming out. Pretty long right now. I can't see it myself with it being on my back but can feel how long it is!! wild!! Hope your surgery goes well. So why does onco say no immunotherpy now w/ your decision??? Still learning about this. And who said they are takinng Laetrite and Finbin. What do they do, how do you get them and how much? My mind is totally gone now after surgery. one doctor asked if I was w/o oxygen for a while since I can't remembrf what i say as soon as i say it. I have no idea! I just know my body temp was 92 in the recovery room. Wonder if that brain damaged me. I kinda walk sideways and drop everything now. Just broke my dead mom's fave possession and am devastated. hope yours goes well. I asked the nurse about the hypothermia and of course she has no record of that.....

NSCLC cell specs are tricky. Suggest starting chemo asap after Lobectomy.

Husband had clean cut LL Lobectomy end Dec 2023. Started Chemo Feb 2024. That month metastatic mass was found on left Adrenal gland, was eradicated by chemo end of April.

This month new area of concern on different area of left lung. Sigh.

Pls let us know how you are doing. Lots of support here.

Yes, I was gung-ho to get started on chemo but now the heart issue. Don't think I can take it. And still not healed. Doc said if Echo is ok he would do a PICC line instead of port for some reason. I guess to see if I handle it ok. As I said, as soon as I say something or someone tells me something, I forget it the next 2 seconds. So that is the plan. IF Echo ok, try chemo w/ picc line first to see. I dunno. Now I kinda wanna give up on chemo after palliative care is already threatening to put me in assisted livign or call adult services just because I am still recovering from surgery.. If chemo gets me down, this house will look even worse. Not sure what palliative care is supposed to do if all they do is lock me up somewheere because i' m too sick/weak to take care of the house. It's just me so yup, it's a mess. So if hubby's lobectomy was clean, why chemo? Just to make sure? Like in my case, if my lymph nodes had come back negative, i don't think they were gonna do chemo and consider me 'cured' by the lobectomy. Encouraging to know they eradicated his mass in 2 months!! wow!!!! Are they gonna do surgey on left lung now or has he had biopsy yet? I guess I thought once all cancer cells were gone, we were fine but am finding out it can come back anytime?

No cancer found in nodules harvested during surgery, Pulmonologist said clean cut - no need for chemo or radiation, just monitoring. PCP said pls consult with oncologist, who explained about traveling cancer specs, so he agreed to 4 rounds of chemo. Declined port bc only getting 4 chemo infusions, then monitoring. But then adrenal mass came/went. So after chemo agreed to 1-2 years “insurance” immunotherapy. Now “something” tbd on lung.

I was overwhelmed by NSCLC dx, but up after Lobectomy. Then very down re adrenal metastasis. Now concerned but not nuts over new lung issue. I have gotten stronger. Must take each day as it comes.

You are going through a lot. I have read many remarkable stories here from people doing aggressive treatments and from those doing palliative care. Making decisions about your care is stressful. It’s a lot to consider. I know you will get stronger. Take one day at a time. Sending healing wishes your way. Keep in touch.

I mentioned before my biomarker results took 2 months (6-7 weeks) for results to come back. Check with your surgeon's office to inquire.

@julie67, you're going through a lot. Understandably, you feel like you have no control. That's the first thing we learn in this lung cancer world: we are not in control.

First, decide what your treatment goal is. Do you want to kill the cancer as soon as possible, side effects be damned? Do you want to live in your house as long as possible and remain as comfortable as possible while trying to remove the cancer? Somewhere in between? Once you've decided on your goal, tell you oncologist.

If you can't remember what you've heard and learned, write it down in a notebook dedicated to your cancer journey. Better yet, bring a friend to each visit and, after the meeting, discuss what you have both heard.

FYI: Chemo is really hard on your veins. That's why they recommend a port or PICC line. I knew a woman who insisted on taking chemo through her arm vein. Once the chemo was done, they couldn't use that arm vein again. When her lung cancer returned, they had to insert a port.

There is no "cured" of lung cancer. There IS, however, cancer-free as I am now. Will it come back? That would be the way to bet. But I don't think about it at all during the times that I'm cancer-free. If/when it comes back, I'll deal with it then. At the moment, we've been in a drought, and I have trees to water, fall plants to get in the ground, and, oh yeah, my day job is to help NASA take people back to the Moon.

Dealing with lung cancer is a marathon, not a sprint. All we can do is take it one day at a time. During the rough times, like what you're going through now, it might be one hour at a time. Staying hopeful and positive is the best medicine. I wish you all the best.

@julie67, If samples were sent out to a special lab for biomarker testing, results generally take about 2 weeks, but as others have noted it can be much longer. Some larger hospitals with large labs are starting to do their own testing on-site.

@abob, Unfortunately we are forced to become stronger, or less reactionary, at each turn in the process. Wishing you both well.