Surprise - You Have Lung Cancer
My husband passed in 2017 after having kidney failure; he refused to have dialysis. We had hospice care at home for him. I had a lot of adjusting to do and to start my new life without him. We had been married over 40 years. I also was employed with a wonderful job for 48 years. During my annual physical my family doctor told me to get a chest X-Ray since I'd been smoking for several years.
Diagnosed with lung cancer
It's scary - you don't want to know if you have cancer and you think it will never happen to you - well it did. After several grueling tests, it was determined that I had to have my left lung removed. I found a surgeon who could perform VATS surgery. I had my lung removed on 5/2/18. I was lucky that it was found early, it was stage 2Anon-small cell.
Recommended treatment
My oncologist prescribed 4 rounds of chemotherapy just to make sure there were no cells remaining. Finished all my treatments on 9/28/18 and have had two clear scans. The feelings we go through during our journey are indescribable. I blamed myself because I smoked, I thought I was being punished for something I did.
Family support
Thanks to my loving family (two sons, two daughter-in-laws, two grandsons and a daughter I got through it. They were with me every step of the way from bringing home-cooked food to the hospital, making sure someone was with me for the first two weeks, taking me to chemo. They were so worried about me and never thought something like this would happen to me. I'd never been sick, never been in a hospital (except to have my children), it was always me taking care of everyone else. I'm still very scared that the cancer will come back. I see a counselor regularly and am currently on an anti-depressant. I stay active in Silver Sneakers and a Book Club and try to keep busy. All of us who have cancer must know and accept the fact that it's ok to feel sad, angry, depressed, and anxious.
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