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Living with lung cancer - Introduce yourself & come say hi

Lung Cancer | Last Active: Sep 25 12:58pm | Replies (1044)

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@scoop2365

Hello Everyone.
I have found this group as I have nobody to talk to in respect to my wife and her terrible scare.( I am sworn to secrecy) About a week ago she had a chest x-ray and we were notified by the Dr's office that they wanted to talk to her ASAP as they had seen something that was of worry. It appeared that they discovered two growths or nodules on her right lung. One being 1.7 cm and the other 3 cm. They immediately booked her in for a CT scan within a week and that was on a Sunday. It is now Tues and the had pre booked us for an appointment for what I believe is to discuss what the CT scans reveled . My wife is the love of my life for over 28 years and I am so scared as she is as well. Does anyone have any encouraging words or advise as I don't know what to do.
HELP!

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Replies to "Hello Everyone. I have found this group as I have nobody to talk to in respect..."

Good morning @scoop2365, welcome to Connect. I have no medical trading. I have been and still am a caregiver for a cancer patient and I can share experiences that may have value for you. You are expressing so much love and compassion for your wife. I recall when my life partner first got the results of the scan and biopsy. He turned to me and said, “now Chris, we don’t have to share this with anyone”.

He also did not want to read test reports on the patient portal at Mayo. When we were in with the surgeon, he actually said, “Well, I can’t do this until after my fishing trip”. I finally got through to him and realized this was denial. Then came the anger about the interference with his life, his projects.

Finally he agreed to see a therapist and things got better. That might be helpful for you two. His outlook was dreary because both his father and grandfather had the same affliction.

So what did I do? I practiced active listening when he chose to talk. I gathered information from Connect and other sources to share with him. At first he refused to listen, still in denial. He said that if he didn’t know then he wouldn’t be scared. Slowly I convinced him that knowledge is power.

That’s chapter one. Post surgery is another chapter. Hold on to your hat.

May you both be free of suffering. I know that other members may be in touch. They bring knowledge and understanding. What is your greatest need right now? Chris

@scoop2365- Hi Scoop-- You aren't alone and you have every reason to be frightened. Being told that there was something picked up on a CT scan is pretty darn scary. I am a mentor for Mayo Clinic's Connect Lung cancer and disease groups and I welcome you.
Your wife's nodules are small. They are respectfully about 1/2" and the larger one just a bit over 1 ". Did they tell you if they were in the same lobe or not? You have three in your right lung and two in your left. Each lobe can be taken out, if necessary, leaving plenty of lung tissue for a full life.
I am a 22 yr lung cancer survivor. I actually go for a follow-up CT scan tomorrow. And I'm nervous, even after all this time.
There are several things that you might anticipate. First list any and all questions that you might have down and make sure that they are answered. You both have the right to know everything about your wife's condition.
I know that you know very little right now because it will depend on what her lesions are but I'm sure that you will have a million questions buzzing around. Right now try not to get too carried away with anticipation if possible. Try and keep busy, if your wife is able too.
Try and keep your chins up. So far the only thing that you know is that there are lesions, not that they are cancerous. When is her next appointment?