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November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

Lung Cancer | Last Active: Nov 14, 2020 | Replies (3)

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@ta52

Excellent post, Merry. My diagnosis of metastatic NSCLC was a little more than two months ago and, quite frankly, I feel guilty when I read other lung cancer stories like yours. My second immuno/chemotherapy session is forty-eight hours away and I have – so far -- been completely free of side effects. As a matter of fact, if it hadn’t been for an accident where a CT scan revealed a lung nodule I still am not at a point where I would have suspected anything (especially lung cancer) and sought medical attention. Other than COVID-related issues, my life has remained pretty much unchanged up to and including daily three to four-mile walks. People who don’t know me don’t suspect that I have cancer and we have made the conscious decision to selectively share my condition with friends. No one realizes any change in me or my life.
Maybe that’s the story: perhaps I am the new face of lung cancer one where it no longer has to be an insidious, terminal disease but rather one where advanced medical technology has changed lives. I have a high quality of life with lung cancer and maybe that is a story that should be told and, hopefully, told more often. I am fortunate to have the gold standard of health care Mayo provides. It hurts to see the pain and suffering that some lung cancer patients go through especially when compared to my experience, yet people need to know that lung cancer isn’t what it was not so long ago. Cancer treatment today can give us hope of living a better life with lung cancer and to one day be cancer free.

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Replies to "Excellent post, Merry. My diagnosis of metastatic NSCLC was a little more than two months ago..."

@ta52- Good morning. I went through a period of feeling guilty for not needing chemo for my first lung cancer. Although it was extremely fast-growing it was very small and there was no chemo protocol for it. What I was doing was comparing my cancer experience to others. Cancer is cancer is cancer. If your experience isn't spending your time at home bent over a toilet consider yourself very lucky. By the way I din't vomit at all.

I hope that you have a contiued easy time with your treatments.

Please tell your story everywhere you can.