Living with Lung Cancer

This morning Joanie and I met with my pulmonary oncologist. Because he has access to all the scans and test results, we expected to get a complete diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis. But that didn’t happen. Some of the biopsy results won’t be available for another 2-3 weeks and until then, he won’t know the whole picture. But here’s what we know about the diagnosis. There is a very large mass surrounding and invading the main bronchial tube where it enters the right lung. The lung has not collapsed and that suggests air is still able to enter the lung but the air flow is greatly restricted. The rate of growth of the mass is classified as “intermediate.” There are also numerous metastatic lesions in both of my lungs and my liver, and single metastatic lesions in my brain and one rib. Therefore it is classified as a Stage 4 cancer. Today was my third radiation treatment targeting the mass. The purpose of the radiation treatments is to shrink the mass so that breathing will be e...

I had my first radiation treatment this afternoon. The position they had me in – with my arms straightened out beside my head – was a bit uncomfortable on my shoulders for those 20 minutes but it wasn’t too bad. I’m scheduled for 15 treatments Mondays through Fridays ending January 18 but that’s tentative and could change. Breathing is an issue. It’s not really difficult, it’s just that I have to expend energy with each breath and it gets tiring. The radiation oncologist told us today that my breathing should get easier in about two weeks and I’m really looking forward to that! Tomorrow I’ll see another pulmonary oncologist for a second opinion, and on Wednesday I’ll see my current pulmonary oncologist for all the details of the plan he has me on. Joanie and I are considering going to MD Anderson in Houston for yet another opinion, but we haven’t decided for sure about that yet. I’m overwhelmed at all the social media messages about prayers being offered for Joanie and me! I can’...

12/27/2020 I’ve developed a harsh hoarseness that’s a bit frustrating. Two of my meds list hoarseness as one of the many possible side effects, so I suspect one of those is the culprit. It’s interesting to me that my oxygen saturation is consistently in the low- to mid-90’s (that’s an acceptable range) but my breathing is much deeper and maybe faster than normal. Maybe that’s what my body is forcing me to do in order to keep my hemoglobin saturated with oxygen, but it wears me out. I never realized that breathing could be a tiring experience. A verse that’s been on my mind for several days now is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. ” Where to draw that line between trusting God and trusting our own research and intuitions for decisions related to medical care is an interesting exercise. There’s nothing wrong with researching all we can about lu...

It started a few months ago with a chronic cough. Then shortness of breath became an issue. Three months or so ago I could play three hours of pickleball without any problems. A couple months later I’d be breathing hard after just one game. X-rays showed nothing concerning. Then, on Tuesday December 15, 2020 I went into a fairly violent coughing spell and coughed up a lot of blood. We (Joanie and I) went to the ER at the hospital where my pulmonologist works. After doing a CT scan of my lungs the ER doctor told us I have lung cancer. The next day I saw my pulmonologist’s PA. She said the CT scan results were “suspicious” for lung cancer but a biopsy would be required to confirm that. She scheduled me for a lung biopsy the following Monday. She also commented that it is extremely rare for a non-smoker like me to develop lung cancer. The following morning (Thursday December 17, 2020) I coughed up more blood. We knew there is an excellent pulmonary oncology team at the Stephenson Ca...