Living with lung cancer - Introduce yourself & come say hi

If it comes to that, I would not feel comfortable with Sutter, no matter what my PCP says.
My GI Doctor, that works there, told me to get a second opinion and said a hospital in the next town, has a Cancer Center and work with Stanford.

My thought would be that a Top 20 ranking nationally still says they are at the top of the game compared to the majority. I guess my question would be how do they compare to this Sutter Gould? If I were sure I wanted to stay local I would want to try to find the best option I could on the local level. I wonder if your local American Cancer chapter could help with any insight?

Thank you for taking the time to check. I did check that list and Stanford and UCSF are on the list but not at the top. My GI said Stanfird has a satellite Cancer near us I could get treatment at. I also read any biopsies should be sent out for genetic testing and he said they automatically do that but I don't trust things being done right.

Well, I am in Sutter Health and things are convenient for tests, labs, etc. I have looked up other doctors and one's with good reviews are not taking new patients.

Oh Margot that's totally unprofessional. You really need to find a good doctor. I fear for you.

Hello Maria @maraki,and welcome to Connect. It’s but natural to be worried and anxious when your spouse has cancer – I’m so glad you’ve joined this group. I'd like to introduce you to @burrkay @basil9 @bestcare @ina3 @sderbin @lady1lake, who are also living with or caring for someone with stage 3b or 4 non small-cell lung cancer. I’m also tagging @reibur1951 and @lighthouse68 who have some experience with immunotherapy and lung cancer and may be able to give you more insights.

@maraki, it’s very normal to want to “fix” things when your loved one is ill, but as one of our Mentors mentioned in another discussion, I sincerely encourage you to "try not to dwell too much on the future or the past – just stay in today. That is sometimes difficult but always useful!”
And, please lean on the Connect community for support, even if you just want to talk. We’re here and we’re listening.

I pray that will be a be case. I messaged my GI Doctor, the only one I have any faith in around here, and he called me at home as others can read messages sent. He looked at the CT and said let's wait for the results of the PET scan. He also suggested I get a second opinion if it goes that way. At least he is some support! My Pulmonologist said he thought it was lung cancer, aggressive, handed me two phamphlets to read and left the room. My PCP gave me the name of his church and priest!

I realized I skipped over something that in my case led me to leave my state for Mayo, but likely is just what you are looking for where you are. Google "best lung cancer hospitals in California" (and also just "best lung cancer hospitals" to see the National list) and you'll see a US New & World Report article on patch.com. In my case our major metro hospital wasn't even in our own state's top 10 and even the better ones nearby didn't look that much better compared to the Top 20 nationally. Since travel wasn't as issue we quickly decided with that info we wanted to travel. In California it looks like both of the places you asked about are listed in the National Top 20, which would give me great comfort with staying in your area.

I too had spots (3) on my liver and went through a liver biopsy that proved they were they were nothing!