Lung cancer surgery 3 weeks ago now need chemo

Hi Rose,

Hope you are well and enjoying life.

I had my third chemo two weeks ago now. I have been a bit worse than the last round, but not as bad as the first. One to go I hope. I will have to have scans after the next round I suppose......a bit scary. How did yours go?

I am looking forward to finishing the chemo but at the same time I am quite anxious about the thought that the cancer can come back somewhere in my body. 

Lately I have been hearing so much of cancer diagnoses. It seems to be everywhere. 

I am looking forward to some better weather, two days and it is spring here....can't wait. It has been a long cold winter.

Will have to have blood test on Thursday and see what bloods are showing. If ok will have last chemo.....fingers crossed next Monday.

Take care and let me know how you are going.

Shas xx

Hello Shas,

Gosh, that's great you are almost done!!  I think that you have managed the chemo much better than I did.

Have been enjoying seeing family and friends, which has really helped my mental health. With moving countries I have had to involve myself in getting medical records from Canada to N.Ireland.

I hope that I can see an Oncologist shortly here, as I was advised in Canada that I needed further medication, as I am in a particular genetic subtype that may need further treatment.

My appetite has improved and I have been able to cook and tolerate the associated smells. I am out walking in the little village her and nearby wood most days and although sometimes slower, getting in a large number of steps . Thinking about attending a yoga class locally, which I think will be good for recovery.

My husband returns from Canada next month and all being well, we intend to help our son, in Scotland, move house end of October.

U are almost done!!!  U are doing great, keep it going and get it finished!!

With spring here, you can start to look forward to better days. 

Take care and keep in touch.

Rosex

Hi there Rose,

I saw my oncologist yesterday and my nwutrophils are a bit low, just 1, so I will have another blood test on Monday and if it comes back 1.3 or higher  it will go ahead. I could have just said I will wait a week because she said that is an option at this point, but I said I just want to get it over with.

Oncologist told me I will then have a scan in 3 months, I had thought it would have been sooner than that but that is what she said. I am also due for a mammogram but my left boob is still sore from surgery so she said if I am worried I should probably have a mammogram maybe in a month or two and also an ultra sound but it is not covered so will cost a few hundred dollars. The one I normally have is free. I have never had ultra sound before for breast check. 
She had a look and feel and said everything feels ok to her, no lumps or bumps, but I am due and she said ct does not  show up well for boobs, so I will have think about that.

I am a bit nervous about not having scan for 3 months, but that is their normal procedure so I just have to trust that they know what they are doing I suppose. So no treatment, nothing for 3 months, just recovery.

Hope you are doing well and I will let you know how next chemo goes, if it goes ahead on Monday.

Thank you for these chats, I find them very helpful to have someone else going through similar journey to me to chat with.

Shas xx

Hello Shas,

Just wondering whether your bloodwork results allowed you to go ahead with chemo?

I saw the Cancer Dr here and she is happy for me to start a targeted med for my egfr mutation. To see her next week for bloods and ecg and then will start this new med, Osimertinib, which is a daily pill, for afew years or possibly indefinately, not totally sure yet.

Rosexx

Hi Shaz,

it it immunotherapy you are on ?  My husband has mesothelioma incurable, has just finished 6 cycles of chemo. Now we are on watch & wait. Possibly immunotherapy next. I have had melanoma, my sister had thyroid cancer and melanoma, it seems to be everywhere 

• we have a big scan on Monday to see if chemo has worked ….. so nervous 

Hi Rose,

Yes chemo went ahead Monday bloods 1.4 so just made it. 

I am not feeling too good today, indigestion and constipation again, I seem to recognize the symptoms now and roughly when they occur. I went for a half hour walk yesterday but don't think I will make it today. My taste is not good at moment, coffee tastes horrible. Oh well hopefully this is the last one.

Still not sure why waiting 3 months for ct scan but that is what oncologist said. 

I read about your egfr mutation - did you ever smoke? Oncologist told me in the beginning I had a bit of a rare cancer that would respond to pills if it comes back but didn't seem to want to elaborate on that at the time.

So now recovery and hopefully no more cancer, but have to wait 3 months for ct scan. I might look into mammogram if my boob gets a bit less sore over next month or so and maybe ultra sound but I will have to pay for  that. I ran out of gabapentin the other day and have been debating whether to get any more. I have been taking it since the lung op for nerve pain.

Well keep in touch Rose, all the best x

Shaz xx

Hi Another day,

No I am not on immunotherapy, I have been on 4 rounds of chemotherapy after surgery to remove top left lobe of lung for lung cancer adenoma. Finished chemo for now and have scan in  3 months, Yes that will be very nerve racking time. 

Stay positive and I will be thinking of you and sending good vibes!

Shaz x

Thank you, it is so good they could operate on you…. They can’t on my husband as it is the lining  of the lung, to remove everything they say would be major and they say would make him too weak to have anymore treatment. So the aim is to try to manage it. Mesothelioma can be stable or aggressive.  More and more people are finding they have this from asbestos exposure. 

Hello Shas,

Good that you were able to have chemo. No, I have never smoked and I have had good health up to this year. So the whole thing was a total shock. I have been told I will never know what caused it, but exposure to something, whether air pollution, radon gas, who knows?
Yes, my consultant in Canada also advised me at the start that I would need pills at the end, our cases seem similar.

Take it easy and talk soon.

Rosexx

Hi there Rose,

Hope you are well. It has been over 3 weeks since my last chemo and am still recovering I suppose.

My taste is still not right and still feel quite tired, but am managing to walk every other day and actually went

to my dance practise this week. I am apprehensive still about scan in a couple of months and worrying about the mamogram I am overdue for.  Good to be finished with  horrible chemo and hopefully will just continue to improvel.

How are you going since you finished ?

Shas xx