You might have to watch the holiday part if you're going abroad, and it turns out to be worst case scenario.  Insurance companies can be fickle when it comes to certain conditions.

I would read the detail about disclosing pre existing conditions before travelling. The biggest worry is, you need some sort of medical care when away, then find out your insurance company refuses to foot those bills. If you're remaining within the UK, then that's all irrelevant.

Hmm, yes, I didn't think of that.

Hi ross

VATS - video assisted thoracic surgery.

Better than open surgery as quicker healing smaller wound and not as traumatic recovery 

sugery incision was made at the side of rib cage under my arm as opposed to open surgery where they cut open through the front centre of chest. 

I had 3 incisions if memory serves me right. , 1- for camara and 1 for surgery ( wound looked like an arrow about 5 inches long and one for a chest drain post surgery to drain excess fluid/ blood. This drain came out on day 5 before I was discharged.

i was given a manual  breathing machine from consultant to take into hospital for use post surgery with physiotherapist and to use at home, post discharge to build up the depth of my breathing

The surgery lasted about 4.5hrs as my tumour was too near my heart.

It was painful and difficult to get comfortable afterwards but obviously better than if I’d had open surgery. The wound took about 2 months to heal outside but inside was still very sore and took a good 9-12 months before I was comfortable standing up from sitting or sitting down after standing. 

I was advised by a neighbor who’d had same surgery to purchase a ‘V’ shaped bamboo pillow to use against cushions or pillows at home to aid being propped up to sleep or when sitting in armchair.

Best £15 I ever spent as I couldn’t lay flat to sleep, so firmness of v pillow was a good means of support.

i had good clear margins having had the whole lobe removed rather than just the tumour cut out so didn’t require further treatment ( chemo)

my tumour was T1b N0 M0 poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma 

I took about 18 months to feel better post surgery, and feel weaker than before it, not as much energy and breathless easily and I was very fit active & well prior. 

But im still here!!!

i hope your biopsy Brings you better news than I had. 

I was smothered by family too but they explained they were trying to keep me positive and worried I’d give up and not fight the fight.

It helps them too, as they can’t do anything to change it - so support is all they can give. 

so feel blessed and let them ‘in’ as you don’t realise how helpless they’ll feel. 

Best wishes and fingers crossed for you

please keep us updated

Thanks Hutchi, that was really interesting. I know my situation may be better/worse but it gives me a bit of an insight into potentially what could happen.

Does the loss of a smaller part of the lung really make such a big difference (I guess it does but you know what I mean)? how limited are you with any form of exercise?

I think one thing I am not sure about is how it will affect me in my every day life. We (wife and I) run our own business and although I am mostly home based I do go out to see clients. It's going to be an issue if I can't work for a long period of time. Need to give that some thought...

Thanks again for taking the time to provide such a comprehensive reply.

I hope your situation will have a better outcome. 

Obviously everones experience differs. I think the more positive you remain and the healthier you try to be can only have better outcomes. 

I didn’t exercise as such before my diagnosis but my job was pretty demanding physically. I worked as a train guard and walked through the train constantly throughout my shifts to undertake my ticket checks as quickly as possible between stations. 

Post surgery it took a while to be able to get back to anywhere close to that level of fitness. 

Being your own boss and being able to choose what you want to undertake and what you don’t is a bonus and I think you’ll probably fair pretty well if you have to have any surgery and you know your own body and what your capabilities are. Having to have chemotherapy may be a different thing altogether. My sister in law had it for breast cancer and knocked her for six, however her brother has just finished it for kidney cancer having had surgery first then 6 weeks later started chemotherapy and sailed through with no problems at all. 

Everyone is different Ross 

If worst comes to worst n you need surgery, remember anything is possible and just takes time to build back up to a level that your happy with but time is what you have to give it. Don’t expect too much too soon or push yourself too hard as you’ll encounter setbacks. Everything in moderation 

im 4 years post surgery and I’m actually ok with my breathing. Latest tests claim my breathing capacity is at 95% of pre surgery so that’s pretty good.

I’m currently awaiting a scan as  I have another area of concern on my left upper lobe that has been monitored the last 6 months. Currently grown only 1mm so not doing a biopsy unless there’s cause for concern.

Having had a previous cancer it is something that your constantly aware of and anxious about reoccurring but positive attitude is the way to deal with it for me and obviously regular checkups and being aware of changes out of the norm.

stay positive and good luck with biopsy Ross 

My brother in law is quite ill with a skin issue, one of those rare things that causes blisters everywhere. My wife has been really worried about him and he called her today and said he is improving slowly. He added...'it's bad but it's not like it's cancer thankfully.':neutral:

We went out on Saturday for dinner with my mum and had to get into a small lift to get to the restaurant. There was one poster in the lift, about cancer support lines. 

I seem to see cancer stuff everywhere now and while I accept my (still to be finally confirmed) cancer, it's hard to put it to the back of your mind when it is everywhere. 

Still dreading telling veryone, will put it off for as long as I can...

More random ramblings to follow....:laugh:

People sometimes say stuff out of ignorance or as a misguided attempt to reassure. I hear what you say about the psychological impact of the word "cancer".

It's still the case that a lot of cancers can be successfully treated nowadays (while some of those rare blistering diseases can't or their treatments become too much for the body to tolerate over time – more so in the elderly/immunocompromised).

It's really good that your brother-in-law is improving and, while I understand how his careless comment has impacted on you, don't dwell on it.

Hope you start your treatment plan soon as waiting is truly horrible. Keep hold of positives like Hutchi has given you. And try to make the most of every day rather than letting cancer drag you into a psychological black hole ... 

Thanks RSB. I am, at the moment, unbothered by it all. I don't know if I am going to last 6 months or 26 years. Or get run over by a bus tomorrow! For me, I'm not letting it affect me and, as I feel 100%, I am carrying on as normal.

It took a couple of weeks to get over the initial shock for me but since then I have been fine. However my wife is just into the second week of finding out and so I spend time reassuring her a lot. 

Sounds like a great strategy RossM and this forum is a fab place to unload.

Sounds like your wife has been hit double time given her brother's skin issue, which doesn't make things easy!

Went in for my biopsy today (results next week). I was home by 11am! Amazing that they can scan you, go right into your lung, take samples and you’re home before lunch.

At least that's the biopsy over and done with, and 1 week isn't too much of a wait for the results either with all things considered, though small comfort I know. Will keep everything crossed for you - please let us know how things go.

So...firstly, went to see the consultants last week. I was slightly forgotten in the outpatients but they found a spare consultant to see me. I was slightly confident it wasn't bad news if they just were going to find a random consultant for me.

However, I was expecting the worst and..... they said the biopsy was not showing any cancer and so it was probably a touch of pneumonia or something and I should take some antibiotics. they had sent my test off to another lab to double check though. So, fantastic news and a big relief for my wife.

But...we came back from hols today to find a letter asking me to come in on Monday. It may be just to confirm all is ok but now we can't help wondering if it is something they found in the second lab....

So...firstly, went to see the consultants last week. I was slightly forgotten in the outpatients but they found a spare consultant to see me. I was slightly confident it wasn't bad news if they just were going to find a random consultant for me.

However, I was expecting the worst and..... they said the biopsy was not showing any cancer and so it was probably a touch of pneumonia or something and I should take some antibiotics. they had sent my test off to another lab to double check though. So, fantastic news and a big relief for my wife.

But...we came back from hols today to find a letter asking me to come in on Monday. It may be just to confirm all is ok but now we can't help wondering if it is something they found in the second lab....

Argh, firstly that's amazing news and it must have been such a relief for you, but then it probably feels like a never ending nightmare with the letter appearing when you got back. It must be so stressful. But I hope it at least enabled you to have a worry-free holiday and you had a nice time away... 

Fingers crossed that on Monday it's just a case of them confirming the test results came back negative again, leaving you free to get on with your life. I don't know for sure but I get the impression they would call you back to confirm and discharge you either way(?) so perhaps pointless reading into why they want you to return.

I'll be thinking of you on Monday! Please do continue to keep us updated.

Thanks Paul. Looking at the letter it says  'Clinician: lung Function Room' i wonder if it is just some lung function test...

As you say, great news and then maybe not!

Hi RossM,

Hoping you're OK. Just thought I'd check in - was it this Monday you went back in? Understand if you don't want to reply just yet or maybe you're busy, but wanted you to know I thought of you nonetheless.

Hi, yes, so I went in and just had to have a lung function test, just blowing into tubes, nothing else. I think it was just soemthing they wanted to do earlier but things just progressed faster on the scanning front.

No idea of the result but the operator said it looked fine (but then they probably always say that).

Ploughing through antibiotics at the moment...

Hi Ross,

A bit of good news by the sound of it... And no, they don't always say "it looks fine"!

Hi Ross,

That makes sense - I'm glad the appointment went OK. And I agree with Rose... doctors have a duty to remain candid, so they wouldn't say it looked fine unless it really did!

it was just the guy who did the test rather than the doctor but I am going for anther scan in a few weeks and they are expecting to see everything back to normal following the antibiotics (fingers crossed).

Hi Ross

Just catching up on your posts. I sincerely hope that all of this is the end of it and that you are as fit as a fiddle and it was just a scare - certainly sounds very promising. Best of luck to you for the future :)

Thank you for your message. 

The doctor called last week to say the double check on my biospy confimred what they thought. just the final CT scan check to do at the end of the month. 

Big scare and it did change my outlook on life a bit too (putting fewer things off and getting them done/booked in sooner).

I'll do an update after the final CT.

Just spoke to the Consultant. All clear, only a v.small lymph nodule at the bottom of the lung which they are not concerned with. What a roller coaster! I did have a bit of a moment after the call. Will probably have another.

Big relief as you will understand and I hope this post goes to show others who may be panicked into thinking the worst, that it may not be. 

Thank you to everyone who responded and I hope that your Big C is losing the battle wirth your body.

Also a massive thank you to the NHS who were amazingly fast to investigate aand check everything out for me. 

Thank you once again.

.