Hey Debbie!
I'm 6 months post and doing great.
The doctors I saw were my lung specialist and the thoracic surgeon.
Here's what happened and I hope this helps relieve the stress.
1. Diagnosed
2. Surgeon discussion, I'm very statistics driven so I asked for % and stuff which they were happy to provide. In my case there was a 0.5% of death. Chances of it returning(without known rootcause) , etc.
3. Surgery.
My surgeon saw me post surgery after I was discharged but it was my specialist that gave me the info and root cause. If you do the CT and they find cancer elsewhere, they may cancel the surgery and run you through radio. At least that's what they said would happen in my case. Once my root cause was identified from the slices, I was given more details of it returning and where they will potentially appear.
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4. Recovery was not fun but now it feels like a distant memory. If you have family or someone who is taking care of you, I would suggest laying out clear expectations like meal preferences, etc but your surgeon will tell you to ensure a high protein intake.
5. Be kind to yourself and sleep when you are tired. While in doing fine now 6 months later, I'm still in recovery. Your body will feel different to what you are used to but you need to learn the new you.
6. Be aware of your pulse, especially if you are at a high risk of a stroke. If you sense anything too different with yourself, the surgeon will happily hear you out.
7. Major surgeries come with... "gifts that keep giving". My acne is a lot better now but I've never had acne needle so prepare for hormonal changes.
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8. The cold sucks and sometimes I get twinges of pain where the surgery was.
9. My April was clear, waiting on October to tell me if it has returned or if I need to change off to 12 months routine check or whatever the next course is.
Hope this helps! Hang tight, it'll seem like a lot but it'll be over before you know it.
