My Lung Cancer Journey

[Wendiau]

============================================================================================================================ July 2009 My name is Wendy Jackson.. I am a Professional Entertainer / Vocalist and gig at Clubs, and for Nursing Homes and Retirement Villages I had bronchitis and pneumonia so I gave up smoking. I had a mark (approx size 3mm dia) above my top lip. Skin Cancer (from the Sun) Went to Skin Specialist and he took biopsy from lip...and took another freckle from my nose. Biopsy came back as SCC and it needed either surgery (cutting half my top lip off) or radiation...I took radiation..every day for 6 weeks. Lip is looking great now... Forward to July 2010 I started to put on weight 3 dress sizes to be exact..and I was becoming breathless..walk 20 feet and need to rest to get my breath back. I went to one Dr in ........ I was told I was "Fat" so I didn't do too much about it untill 30th July 2010. I was going to Mackay to celebrate my dads 90th Birthday..but decided to drop into the Dr's on the way home from my 2 gigs.... I couldn't breath...and when the Dr saw me she put me on Ventolin and called the Ambo's. She couldn't hear any air in my left lung. I had been doing my gigs (approx: 4 months) with a Collapsed lung. I was rushed to hospital and a CT scan was ordered which found a "blockage" in my left Bronchus. The heart specialist thought it may have been a clot in the lung..but no...it wasn't. I also had a bronchoscopy, that had to be aborted as I started vomiting during the procedure. I was in hospital for a week at that stage....and was booked in to see a Thoracic surgeon to see what options there were for me. I was booked in to see a Professor from ..... Hospital,but had a call back explaining that he was in Intensive care himself. So I thought..."What about Me" I ended up with Proff McCaughan from RPA Hospital (One of our Best) 13th September My left Lung was removed with a 17 Lymph nodes 1 with cancer.. They won't give me chemo as it would be too toxic and at this stage I am not strong enough for the treatment. I will be monitored... I am willing myself to get thru this.... I am healing ok now.....would like no-one to experience what I have gone thru in the past 4 months... I was at ease I guess with them taking my lung out...took a while to sink in...but then I realised it was the only thing they could have done...and I was starting to deal with that ok..... Then I went in the second time...2 weeks after my Pneumonectomy. I was taken to hospital with chest pain on Sunday evening...then sent home Monday around 10am...the following Wednesday morning around 6am I was in so much pain that I couldn't handle it anymore so I called 000,they came and picked me up.... I had 3 cm of fluid in the lining around my heart and have never felt so much pain as I did with this...it was Life or Death situation....and they had the heart draining within 2 hours of me getting to hospital.. I see a "psychologist" now and she puts it down to (a form of shell shock) it has been really keeping me down and I cry at the drop of a hat and even if I think of it....I have to talk about it....if I don't and keep it bottled up, my mind wont get better...I really thought I was going to die. I have started singing...but I think there will be a problem as it is hard to get to the Low notes as well as High notes....and in between is a bit shaky as well.....I really hope this is just a small setback..and as I develop strength in my right lung it will be fine, It scares me and would break my heart to think I could never sing the same again. It is still really hard to walk to one end of the house and back and not have to literally sit down and get my breath...I drove to Coles the other day by myself...got out of the car...walked across the road (20 metres) and had to sit and rest..before I could move on..(and same going up and down the isles) then the same on the way back..when I finally got home..I was really tired. I don't want to be a burden to anyone....I feel useless and stupid...I know I shouldn't feel like this but I do..and I cant help it. Smoking is a bad habit to get into...I am the first to agree with that...but it was my choice to smoke.... The first Question asked with mainly this Cancer...."Do You Smoke?" Please take the Stigma out of LUNG CANCER. I am just wanting All People to listen....too many people are dying from this dreaded disease and they don't smoke...and are not around smokers...what it this telling us?? Lung Cancer does not care who it takes..... I have Lung Cancer.....But I don't Deserve It.........