July 2013
Well I'm back.
I've had some scans done and now it's in my other lung. It's not even a year since treatment for the other lung finished (that tumour has gone).
I'm not even sure what to do this time. Do I just accept it?
The kids are 15 and 13, I have majority care, their father isn't very supportive, in fact he has been telling people cancer is contagious (the frightening thing is people believe him).
How hard do you fight when it's the third time in 3 years?
I've been trying to organise getting to my biopsy on Tuesday, no family live here, and my friends are too busy....Do I drive myself?
I drove myself to 5 and half weeks worth of radiation, don't think I can do it again....
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October 2012
Go Rubes. I wish I had that much energy.
I'm flat out doing two laps of the cricket ground, twice a week. I can't imagine doing 20 mins a day.
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October 2012
So treatment is finished, I had a chest x-ray and visit to my oncologist this morning.
No trace of the tumour at all. I'm very, very lucky. He was expecting that there would be some shadows still showing up as treatment finished 4 weeks ago. But my lung and the lymph nodes are clear. There is some inflammation in my lung but that should settle over the next few weeks.
My oncologist has now put my file in his boring pile :)
So hopefully in the next month or so my hair should start growing back, and I should start feeling less tired. He laughed when I asked how long that would take and told me not to be so impatient.
Thanks to everyone for their support and good luck to you all in your journeys.
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October 2012
Hi Molly
Black spots on CT scans are not the thing you worry about. Trust me on that!!!! Don't look at the scans til someone who understands them can take you through them.
I had to wait from January to June this year for my lung cancer to be confirmed.
I've just finished treatment. So don't worry til they tell you to worry. It doesn't help at all. Hard I know.
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August 2012
Thanks Rubes
It certainly was news I wasn't expecting. Especially as the original oncologist was telling me I wasn't going to get well.
I'm having the problems with the swallowing, finding it's worse in the morning. If it's getting painful speak to your nurses. I've had a few different things I've been using, mainly a difflam gargle which can numb your throat (you don't swallow it), just check with them and see what is available and suitable for where you are at. I'm finding that if I chew each mouthful as much as possible its less painful. Hope this helps.
My new oncologist said that we (young women with lung cancer)are more likely to get through this, especially if they caught it early enough. So fingers crossed for both of us 🙂
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August 2012
Hi Rubes
Hang in there!!!
I've just been through the chemo bit, only lasted one lot of chemo, bloods fell through the floor. Platelets so low that my blood wouln't clot, neutrophils nearly disappeared completely, and I ended up anemic. I've had a blood transfusion. Three weeks in hospital, no treatment at all for a month. I only had 11 sessions of radiation.
They gave me an interim scan and the tumour has disappeared OMG!!!
Back to complete the radiation just to make sure the sucker has gone for good. (also changed oncologists which is making a huge difference) Half the battle with this is remaining positive.
Give Dan a big hug, and make sure you rest!!!!!
Sending lots of hugs and prayers your way
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June 2012
Looks like you've been on the same websites as me.
I gave up looking it got way too depressing. The best I could come up with is that 2% of lung cancers diagnosed this year will be in people under 45. So there will be maybe 200 of us in Australia this year.
My oncologist doest tell me what stage I'm at, just that it's advanced. There isn't a lot of info for us young ones. Maybe it's something we should look at changing. Not sure how though.
Check through some of the info on the australian lung foundation site and the Kylie Johnstone website. She was our age, can be a bit depressing on there though....
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June 2012
Go Rubes
Yep we have to make the most of things. I had a big weekend with friends too. Chemo starts on wednesday, first day of radiation today YUCK!!!
Keep focusing on the wedding, best wishes to you and Dan 🙂
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June 2012
Hi Ruby
I have lung cancer too. I'm only 42 and have never smoked. The chemo/radiation process starts in a weeks time for me. Hope things go well for you.
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June 2012
So I saw my doctor a week ago. The cancer is looking and behaving as though it is a primary cancer. The biopsy is saying it's secondary. My brain stopped working at that point in the conversation. As far as I can work out I'll be damned regardless of whether I go ahead with treatment or not. The side effects of treatment will be the inability of being able to swallow and possibly the loss of my voice. Bearing in mind that my bowel and bladder and kidneys don't work properly any more the impact of treatment will make things much much worse. Tried doing some searching on the net but there is nothing much for young lung cancer patients. Most of them are already dead.
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