Had 2 wedge resections, 2 tumors & 1 lymph positive What now?

Posted by zora0121 @zora0121, May 24 8:28am

Hi 62 yr old female, 2 wedge resections for small 1.7cm and .7 cm tumors. But 1 lymph node showed adenocarcinoma.
So I'm scared. Never showed up on MRI CT, PET. classed stage 2. Live in Canada, overwhelmed healthcare system. Waiting for oncologist appt. Regular Joe, can't afford 200k for foreign healthcare.
What are my options next steps, maybe could swing 80k usd..
Feeling overwhelmed, had no idea I was sick, found incidently 3 months ago..
Appreciate any advice

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@cbdoglover

Hi Zora 0121,
I had a segmentectomy of a nodule about the same size as yours about two weeks ago. I am 68. my surgeon called the pathologist during surgery to find out how much to take out (i.e. whether he thought it was cancer or not). (It was originally planned to be a wedge resection). I have gone through many tests for the last two years and when I mentioned this to my surgeon, he was not at all surprised that nothing showed up. He said that anything the size of our tumours do not show up on CT's and PET scans and biopsies. My Pulmonologist obviously didn't know this. I am also in Canada, in Vancouver and my surgeon was Dr. Yee, said to be the best in North America. Please look him up on YouTube and you will see his inventions and techniques that he has invented. He does many lung transplants. Maybe you will be able to afford to fly out here. You are welcome to stay with me.

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I'm actually overwhelmed by your generosity of allowing me to stay with you. Beyond kind. I see your name includes dog lover, I have 3 rescues currently, and walk them daily part of my healing, mental and physical.
My tumors were found incidently, by a CT scan. So I'm lucky for that. I'm mostly concerned by the one lymph node that showed cancer. No one has spoken to me about my pathology of the tumors or lymph, except to say they're cancer. I guess I have to wait for an oncologist..
I learned about these tumors mid Feb. And never found out it was cancer until this Tuesday. The Rollercoaster of maybe its nothing to maybe it spread( because of the lymph) is debilitating. Comes in waves of optimism to pessimism...
I know I need to handle this better..

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@zora0121

The biopsy came back. No one said anything about mutations or metastasis. I had to look up what the staging numbers meant, and there was no M, which I read meant metastatic if it was there. A large part of my anxiety is no one has sat down talked to me about anything..
My surgeon called said nothing about stage, just said that 1 of the 3 lymph nodes was cancerous. And he was going to send me to an oncologist.
????

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Hi @zora0121 , Welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm just catching up on your story. You mentioned that the cancer didn't show up on a PET scan, that's likely a good sign: indicating that the cancer cells may not have been overly active at the time of the scan.
Unfortunately, the oncologist appointment is what you really need to get some of your specific questions answered. This period of waiting can be so difficult. I know this is scary. Try your best to focus on the positive. There are many treatments available today that didn't even exist 10 years ago. Those treatments are saving lives like never before. The medications to treat side effects are also much better than in the past.
Has the appointment been scheduled yet?

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@zora0121

I'm actually overwhelmed by your generosity of allowing me to stay with you. Beyond kind. I see your name includes dog lover, I have 3 rescues currently, and walk them daily part of my healing, mental and physical.
My tumors were found incidently, by a CT scan. So I'm lucky for that. I'm mostly concerned by the one lymph node that showed cancer. No one has spoken to me about my pathology of the tumors or lymph, except to say they're cancer. I guess I have to wait for an oncologist..
I learned about these tumors mid Feb. And never found out it was cancer until this Tuesday. The Rollercoaster of maybe its nothing to maybe it spread( because of the lymph) is debilitating. Comes in waves of optimism to pessimism...
I know I need to handle this better..

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Hi @zora0121, what amazing advice you've received from fellow members and fellow Canadians. It is hard to wait. But you've come to the right place to gather information and get support. Here's an article to learn more about lung cancer mutations:
- Guide to Lung Cancer Mutations https://www.healthline.com/health/nsclc/guide-to-lung-cancer-mutations

A good thing to do might be a create a list of questions to prepare for your appointment with the medical oncologist. I can kick things off and invite @lls8000 @cbdoglover @trudyhs @whahoo @frouke to add anything I've left out.

- What type of lung cancer do I have?
- What is the stage of my lung cancer?
- Was my tumor tested for genetic mutations? (Certain gene mutations are linked to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).)
- Will I need more tests? Which ones?
- Has my cancer spread to other parts of my body?
- What are my treatment options?
- What are the potential side effects of each treatment?
- Is there one treatment that you think is best for me?
- What advice would you give a friend or family member in my situation?

@zora0121, what questions to you have?

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@zora0121

The biopsy came back. No one said anything about mutations or metastasis. I had to look up what the staging numbers meant, and there was no M, which I read meant metastatic if it was there. A large part of my anxiety is no one has sat down talked to me about anything..
My surgeon called said nothing about stage, just said that 1 of the 3 lymph nodes was cancerous. And he was going to send me to an oncologist.
????

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Hi,
I just wonder how you are doing.

I was diagnosed a year ago- I have had all the usual treatments. Did you get a final diagnosis? Stage? etc?

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@lls8000

Hi @zora0121 , Welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm just catching up on your story. You mentioned that the cancer didn't show up on a PET scan, that's likely a good sign: indicating that the cancer cells may not have been overly active at the time of the scan.
Unfortunately, the oncologist appointment is what you really need to get some of your specific questions answered. This period of waiting can be so difficult. I know this is scary. Try your best to focus on the positive. There are many treatments available today that didn't even exist 10 years ago. Those treatments are saving lives like never before. The medications to treat side effects are also much better than in the past.
Has the appointment been scheduled yet?

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Yes I have a date of July 8th, 4 weeks. In a subsequent conversation with my thoracic surgeon he stated that it is unlikely that an oncologist would start treatment prior to my 8 week recovery period for surgery.
The surgeon also explained that my tumor grew right next to the lymph node in question and he suspects that was the reason for that lymph involvement as the other nodes removed were non cancerous.
Has anyone heard of this happening?
He said he felt my case was most likely stagec1, the lymph involvement was due to the funky location of the tumor growth..

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@aprilradek

Hi,
I just wonder how you are doing.

I was diagnosed a year ago- I have had all the usual treatments. Did you get a final diagnosis? Stage? etc?

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Hi, no oncologist yet, but appt in 4 was. My surgeon said stage 2 but felt it more likely stage 1 as the tumor grew right next to the cancerous lymph node and other lymph nodes were clear.
But he said any lymph involvement is always stated as stge2

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@zora0121

Hi, no oncologist yet, but appt in 4 was. My surgeon said stage 2 but felt it more likely stage 1 as the tumor grew right next to the cancerous lymph node and other lymph nodes were clear.
But he said any lymph involvement is always stated as stge2

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Okay, thanks for the update.

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@aprilradek

Okay, thanks for the update.

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No thank you for checking in, it's amazingly kind.

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I think everyone on this site understands how anxiety-ridden this whole process is and it is important to support each other.

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