I have found that it's so important to be very proactive with your care.  I too have lung cancer and was stage 4 when diagnosed and told that I had only 6 months to live if we did nothing.  I was not really given any other options other than Chemo.  But I had a very bad reaction (allergic) to the chemo they gave me.  I decided not to continue with that treatment and if there was no other option I would start palliative care.  But then the oncologist suggested Immunotherapy and that has been working so well for me.  We are now 14 months down the road and tumors have shrunk, cancer has not spread and I feel well.  I have had little to no side effects with the immunotherapy.  I was not ill when I found out I had cancer and I refused to be sick or live a life with no quality.  Of course this is different for everyone but I wanted to have a happy fulfilling remainder of my life not be bed ridden 2 weeks out of every 3.  I did change oncologists just due to travel -  I wanted to be closer to home.  That was a seamless transition.  But I also have an amazing GP.  I pretty much talk to her about anything that is not directly related to the lung cancer, but she is interested in that and is taking a proactive approach too.  Good luck with everything. ... View more

Hi Rikki ,   Yes, please do keep me posted.  I totally understand you being uptight.  Its not nice worrying about your heart on top of everything else.  I had to wear a Holter  monitor last week, as I was having episodes of AF.   It is scary. I hope you get some GOOD pain relief. 😊👍   Budgie ... View more

Hi @Rikki1 ,   Never apologise for having pain or complaining about it.   If you dont complain,  no-one will know there's something wrong. Intense pain 4 weeks after any surgery is not normal.   Do you think there's any chance of infection at the op site?   I would advise you to make an urgent appt with your GP & get some stronger pain meds, & a blood test.  Get some answers to put your mind & body at ease.   All the best   Budgie  ... View more

I have a lung function test booked for mid-January. I assume that once the radiotherapy team s finished with me, they will refer me back to the lung clinic for follow up. As I will require regular CT scans for both the lymphoma and the lung cancer, someone will need to co-ordinate a single scan being used to evaluate both to reduce my radiation exposure. ... View more

Dear Budgie, thanks for replying about hair loss with radiation. It’s great to hear your hair grows back, and I’m still hoping I’ll be able to keep my hair which is thinning. Thanks again Budgie 🌺 ... View more