How long have you been cured/NED?

@lhatfield96 I am just a little older than you and also lost my mom in 2023. I'm sorry you've had so many painful losses. even though no one wants to have cancer, catching lung cancer when it's still stage 1A is pretty miraculous! and while it's not easy to have to go for scans, just know that if you have any recurrence in the future - it will be found and treated. lung cancer is deadliest when it goes undetected. in the meantime - try to prevent getting respiratory infections like flu and COVID, get your vaccines and focus on doing the things that makes you feel happy.

Hello @lhatfield96
I’m so very sorry for the loss of your husband and Mom. This is a huge grief for you to process. Hugs.
I had adenocarcinoma also, stage 1a. I had a right middle lobe lobectomy about 5 months ago. It was a mass 2.2 x 1.3 x 1.2 cm they removed it along with lymph nodes.
All my pathology came back without any further treatment needed. My surgery was considered curative 😊 just like yours.
I’ve had 1 scan, which showed no recurrence of cancer. I go for 2nd scan in October.
When I catch myself in a “what if” thought, I tell myself that I will cross that bridge when and only if I have to. I then take lots of slow deep breaths. Anxiety will pass, give it time and a different point of view…. And that monster, as you called it so perfectly, will retreat.
Some of my way of looking at all this is knowing how lucky I was that this cancer was caught early, how incredibly grateful I am that I’m not undergoing chemotherapy or any other treatment. If my future happens to involve a reoccurrence, that with all these scans it will be found even earlier.
That is a huge plus.
Do I think about it from time to time ? Yes. Do I feel the weight of fear in that moment, yes…. I’m human, and I’ll no doubt get nervous as I get closer to each scan appointment. That’s all okay too.
Being told you have cancer is life changing, stressful beyond usual stress and not to mention very scary. I get it.
I’m also confident you will come to the other side of your health anxiety and PTSD with your Dr.’s help. Meanwhile as you work on this, be kind to you, you’ve got this, you really do even if it doesn’t always feel like it.
Positive thoughts and prayers are being sent your way.
Huge Hugs, Daisy 🤗

I'm so sorry your life has become so sad with your loved ones dying. That is very hard to cope with. My husband died in 2024 and I miss him terribly. But I do know he's up in Heaven and we'll be reunited in God's time as will you and your family. But it's not easy being left behind.

Having cancer on top of that is extremely difficult to cope with! However, your diagnosis sounds very good! My husband had stage 4 lung cancer and he lived 14 years with it. He had all the treatments they gave him and reacted badly to all of them; chemotherapy, Keytruda etc. Finally he took control and said "No more treatments"! After that he got a lot better. He ate healthy and for my husband healthy eating was good quality red meat like you can get from Allen Brothers. (No, I don't work for them.) He also ate a lot of vegetables and fruit. My husband was able to leaf blow the yard, and do some of his wood working and other things he enjoyed doing still for quite a while. We also prayed each day and read the Bible. We thoroughly enjoyed our 14 years together. However as God states in the Bible, "I give life and I take it away." My husband did die of his lung cancer in 2024. I miss him so much but that is part of life.

What worked for my husband; not taking the treatments, etc. may not work for you. But God will. Ask God for help in coping with the loss of your loved ones and your cancer. He will get you through it all. God has helped me a lot in dealing with the loss of my husband and the loneliness. This forum has helped immensely!

I will say a prayer for you also. I'm sending a big hug your way!
I wish you the best.
PML

I've been living with stage 4 cancer for almost 16 yrs.

72 at time of lower left lobectomy 11mm no spread in lymph nodes or anywhere else. I am a little over 2 years NED & just had a scan last Friday. I still feel a lot of anxiety leading up to scans. It seems cancer can just never really be taken out of the mind. I have found some coping skills and rational thinking that I walk myself through. I am grateful it was caught early and I wish you the best.

@dbeebe51 the process of having cancer is incredibly tough on mental health. I hope in the future that will be more of a consideration in how cancer is managed. Congratulations on +2 years NED - that is worth celebrating!

@mamajite ❤️❤️ thank you for your thoughtful response.

You have been through a great deal. Sending prayers for you!

You have been through a great deal. Sending prayers for you! Prayers for all of is on this journey. It is hard and scary.

You have been through a great deal. Sending prayers for you! Prayers for all of is on this journey. It is hard and scary.