This is actually Lisa's husband Michael starting this "blog"... We aren't "blog people" and Lisa hasn't decided on keeping it up, but I thought it would be good for her, and maybe for me, as well as helpful for our friends and family who want to stay updated, and perhaps for other people who have something similar going on.
After two and a half weeks of a light cough, mild chest pain, and occasional shortness of breath, Lisa went to the cardiologist just to get checked out, since heart disease runs in her family. With EKG and other tests showing her heart to be fine, she decided to go to the pumonary specialist I'd been to in the past for my own lung issues. She expected no real problem, but a spot showed 
up on a chest xray, appearing to be around 2 cm in size (the diameter of a nickel), so a CT scan was ordered to show more detail. It revealed the actual size was much larger, a 7.2 cm by 7.9 cm irregular mass in one lung, also extending through the lung wall into what's called the mediastinum area (central chest side of the lung) and the lymph system there. A biopsy via brochoscopy was scheduled right away (last Thursday), and the doctor could actually see the tumor going through part of the brochial airway. I'm grateful to our daughter Ramona and two of Lisa's co-workers who sat with me at the hospital.
up on a chest xray, appearing to be around 2 cm in size (the diameter of a nickel), so a CT scan was ordered to show more detail. It revealed the actual size was much larger, a 7.2 cm by 7.9 cm irregular mass in one lung, also extending through the lung wall into what's called the mediastinum area (central chest side of the lung) and the lymph system there. A biopsy via brochoscopy was scheduled right away (last Thursday), and the doctor could actually see the tumor going through part of the brochial airway. I'm grateful to our daughter Ramona and two of Lisa's co-workers who sat with me at the hospital.Lisa had moderate pain through the next day and part of the weekend as she recovered from the biopsy, starting to feel better on Sunday. Having to wait for the test results didn't help either of our spirits.
On Monday 1/24 we were informed that the preliminary pathology report showed definite cancer. More pathology had to be done to determine just what type of cancer it is, but I just got off the phone with the pulmonary doctor and it is as it was initially presumed, NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer)... it could have been worse. Still, NSCLC is unusual in people like Lisa who have never smoked, though not unheard of. Because of the size, and that it's grown into the adjacent lymph node(s), this would be classed as a Stage IIIa (T2N2M0) lung cancer presuming it hasn't also gone to any other part of the body.
The first attempt at an appointment with an Oncologist was set for more than 2 weeks away. We said that wasn't acceptable, so we got an appointment with another in the same office for one week away. We knew we'd need a PET scan (like a CT scan but with radioactive injection) to be sure that the tumor mass in and around the lung is the only one, and the next day I called our referring pulmonary doctor, Dr. Jason Smith, and asked him to schedule a PET scan without us waiting for our Oncologist appointment. He did even better by personally calling the Oncologist and getting him to work us in for an appointment that very same day (yesterday) at the Clearview Cancer Institute. The Oncologist, Dr. John Waples, patiently explained that chemo is a certainty, but whether surgery or radiation would go with it is yet to be determined. He scheduled the PET scan for tomorrow. We'll take the disc with us the next day (Friday) to a thoracic surgeon who will determine if the mass is operable, and also decide if he can go in with a laser and burn out the part of the tumor that is blocking the airway. Monday morning we're scheduled to also consult with a General Surgeon who would eventually put in a "port" in the upper chest which is used for the chemo and also for taking regular blood samples, then Monday afternoon we'll be back to meet with the Oncologist.
The Oncologist told us yesterday, "You'll be very busy", but this is good that we're hitting the ground running rather than being on hold before we get this fight started. We have so many friends, family and neighbors praying and offering help... we are very grateful.
Michael
