Newly diagnosed lung cancer

Hi Ludlow , yes it can be a scary time , I had my op 5 yrs ago and like you I was scared but I put my faith in the surgeon to get me through it and he did even though I have other health issues I go through it , ok it may have been a bit of a struggle but I got there , i had a drain in for 2 days and pain relief was readily available, they had to take me off the morphine I was hallucinating on it  , I had a couple of conversasion with " a wee woman "  the nurses must get some good laughs with some patients

Wishing you all the best for the 19th , please let me know how you get on 

Hi Alexi 52, im so happy your doing well and i thank you so much for giving me hope with your success story ,i need to get me some of your lovely positive mind set just the thing  to keep moving forward.I suffer with panic disorder and when your alone with your thoughts at 2am reading statistics ,...well I'm sure you understand.

I have 2 rescue dogs that need me fit for walks,how long was it for you before you felt able to walk easily.

Hi Ludlow.

First thing to do is stop reading the statistics. Those on line are often out of date. Also everyone's cancer is different so you won't necessarily fit into any particular slot.

I had upper right lobectomy a year ago. I had VATS (video assisted). There is also RATS (robot assisted). If you are being offered one of these types of surgery then usually the recovery period is much quicker. I think maybe two to five days in hospital these days if there are no complications. Normal surgery takes longer to get over.

When you first leave hospital you will be tired and quite sore for a while. I also gather from this website quite a lot of people are now being sent home with the drain still in. Hopefully not the case for you. Can someone else walk your dogs? Or could you put them in a kennel for a few days? Particularly if they are boisterous. My op went really smoothly but I wasn't really up to walking my mutt properly for about three weeks. 

It's natural to be frightened but try not to dwell on it. Easy to say but many people here will tell you that, though not pleasant, it is not as awful as you might think. But a lobectomy is a major op so prepare for looking after yourself as well as your dogs. Get in easy to cook food and sort out some loose clothes to sit around in while you read a book or watch TV and heal. And definitely don't stress about the housework!

Wishing you lots of luck.

Hi Baytree,many thanks for reply  .I am also having upper right lobectomy and feel after your experience i can do this.unfortunately one of my fur babies is reactive to strangers so although an absolute sweetie really, most people would be a little intimidated.Ive just moved county so know no one yet and don't have family but do have a decent sized garden and 3 weeks sounds an awful lot quicker than I'm reading online.Hospital have said tube removed before discharge so there's another positive ,plus surgeon said I will be one of the fittest patients he's had on his list ....thank goodness for doggies walks and being a gardener most of my working life.Did you do anything specific to get such a good recovery ,I need to be really proactive and own this otherwise my panic will take over.

Hi Baytree,forgot to say also having op using vats method so again sounds positive.

Hello Ludlow.

It's very scary at the start but do try not to worry too much, being able to have surgery is your best chance of a cure. I had my right lung removed 10 years ago on 10th June and am still here alive and kicking.

I know it's easy to be tempted, but please do be careful where you look for information and stick to reliable sources such as Macmillan, Roy Castle etc. in the UK because there is tons of unreliable, out of date and unreliable information on the internet which will do you no good at all.

I'm sure all will go well and this will soon be nothing more than a memory.

Hi Excavator,bless you for your positive message,I'm so pleased to hear you are doing so well.Having the ability to use this forum to meet people like yourselves is proving to be a godsend as i thought the online info was my only scource which had me so scared i was thinking it wasnt worth having treatment.Gonna put my big girl pants on now cos you've given me hope.Again bless you.

Hi. Like you I was pretty fit (for  a 64 year old). Cyclist, walker etc. no illness or symptoms. Cancer was found by accident during X-ray for something else.

Didn’t do anything special. My op was 7am and by evening they had me sitting up in a chair. Next day I was wandering up the corridors very slowly dragging my drains and drips with me. Given a plastic  contraption to blow into to strengthen breathing. I made sure I did this as often as I was told to. Some gentle physio exercises too.

Once home I made sure I got up and wandered around house as much as possible, did my exercises,  rested a lot etc until I felt safe to head out for short walks. Back to normal and walking gorges again within three months. I really hope you recover as well as I did. Sounds like the doc thinks  you will. So fingers crossed.

I have had some setbacks since but that’s just the way  this blooming thing  goes.

Wishing you all the very best. 
. 

Hi Such inspirational stories. Yes please put ur big girls pants on and rock them . I was only given 6 months im into my 7th and feeling okish . Thanks for the hints on holiday insurance. Any phone numbers of companies would help. As concentrating on the screen tends to hurt my eyes .

Keep on keeping on all .

Bug love from Little Rehana 

Hi Ludlow,  tbh I can't remember how long it took me ( old brain ) but what i did do was small walks each day gradually going a wee bit further each time , when i climbed the stairs at the front door i felt like Rocky Balboa when he ran up the stairs in one of the Rocky films , you say you have a decent size garden so walk around it or up and down to build yourself up . Remember everyone is different i also have COPD , emphysema,  atrial fibrillation and my diaphragm is pushing up into my right lung so my walking any distance took a bit longer . When you're on your own you do tend to go onto Dr Google for info DON'T  just take each day as it comes don't push yourself past your limitations and you'll get there as for housework leave it till you feel better , I batch cooked meals before my op and froze them so all I had to do was " ping " one each day , i stocked up before hand also just made life easier and no stress of shopping or cooking .

Take care x