Hi folks, the other day I mentioned in a post( I dont remember what forum or day) that the doctor wanted me to do a night test at home to check my 02 level while I sleep. He seems to think I may need to be on oxygen while I sleep. I dont know if its false pride or fear but the thought of being on oxygen really bothers me. My thinking is if they put me on it at bedtime that it is only a short time away from being on it 24/7. I have to admit that many times I awake at nightime full of anxiety and worry,I dont know if thats from not getting enough air or what. I know this morning when I woke up I was very short of breath for the first hour or so but it got better as the day goes by. I have alot of trouble with plugged sinuses,couldnt that cause the shortness of breath? Are any of you on oxygen yet and how do you deal with it? I quess I just hate the thought of being hooked up to a machine. I need to make up my mind if Im gonna have the test done. Any thoughts on this subject would be appreciated.

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Dxed nslc stage2b,Aug.05 had right lung and 17 nodes removed which 2 had shown to be effected.August 27,05 had surgery redone again to stop bleeding. Started chemo sept.05 as a precaustioary. Have 3 month visit followups and have been ned so far and am hoping and praying to stay that way.Grade3 squamous cell type(T2,N1,Mo)tumor 10.5 cemtimeters,1 peribronchial node and 1 10R node involved

Mike - don't know if you saw my post from yesterday that was actually on Thursday's Air - but I mentioned that lack of O2 can damage other organs including your heart. The nighttime test is easy - I'd do it. If your O2 is really really low, you could do more damage by ignoring it. Then again, it might come back OK. Nothing to lose by taking the test.

Diane

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3/98 Dx squamous cell NSCLC 2a at 50 yrs
4/98 Left lung removed, no chemo/rad
8/08 Persistent cough and shortness of breath, first appt. with pulmonary doc 11/4/08
11/08 X-ray and CT show tumor in right lung. PET scan confirms tumor, shows no apparent spread
12/08 CT/needle biopsy shows squamous cell NSCLC IIIB, doctors don't seem to agree if its a new cancer or recurrence - but onc believes it is a new one
12/08 Start concurrent radiation/chemo, Cisplatin/Etoposide
1/09 Chemo switched to Carbo/Taxol due to intolerance of Cisplatin
2/09 Radiation completed
3/09 Chemo completed
5/09 CT shows spot where tumor was likely/hopefully scar tissue
6/09 Begin Lucanix trial
9/09 CT scan - stable
12/07/09 CT scan - stable
3/1/10 CT scan - stable
6/1/10 CT scan - stable - begin 2nd year of trial
8/23/10 CT scan - stable
10/25/10 CT scan - stable
1/20/11 CT scan - stable
4/25/11 CT scan - stable - completed drug portion of trial, now follow-up with 3-mo scans
8/1/11 CT scan - stable
10/24/11 CT scan - stable. At my request, switching to 6 mo scans.
4/24/12 CT scan - stable.
10/30/12 CT scan - stable.
2/26/13 CT scan - stable

Avatar is with 10-mo-old grandson Ethan at Xmas

Thanks Diane. I probably will call tommorrow and set up for the test. I know my sister had copd and was on oxygen for a number of years. I know its silly thinking but I tend to think that if I start now that my breathing will deteriate even faster. I only have 1 lung left and Im sure there is damage done to it also from the many years of smoking.

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Dxed nslc stage2b,Aug.05 had right lung and 17 nodes removed which 2 had shown to be effected.August 27,05 had surgery redone again to stop bleeding. Started chemo sept.05 as a precaustioary. Have 3 month visit followups and have been ned so far and am hoping and praying to stay that way.Grade3 squamous cell type(T2,N1,Mo)tumor 10.5 cemtimeters,1 peribronchial node and 1 10R node involved

Mike,
My husband Rick has to wear a cPAP machine because he doesn't get enough oxygen when he sleeps, and ontop of that his sleep apnea causes him to stop breathing sometimes...and he used to wake up full of anxiety and months of being exhausted from lack of sleep.

I'm not sure that can even compare to what you're talking about, but he is on a machine at night. It hasn't deteriorated his day time breathing, I do know that oxygen helps your brain function better, lack of oxygen kills cells. oxygen can help heal, and getting better rest from being able to breathe better is a good thing.

Your body needs oxygen and you need rest. I agree with Diane too, take the test- nothing to lose and maybe something good to gain.

Please keep us posted.
Hugs

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- Katie Brown, Co-Founder and Director of LCSC-

15 yr cancer survivor.

"Any of us who have experienced the cancer journey- and survived it-
have an obligation to make the path clearer and aid those that come after us."
- Lance Armstrong

In memory of Jessee Dewey, SCLC
December 29, 1938 - September 6, 2003
Lisa Dewey- Jan. 22, 2007
my parents are together in heaven


facebook www.facebook.com/lungevity

Thanks Katie!

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Dxed nslc stage2b,Aug.05 had right lung and 17 nodes removed which 2 had shown to be effected.August 27,05 had surgery redone again to stop bleeding. Started chemo sept.05 as a precaustioary. Have 3 month visit followups and have been ned so far and am hoping and praying to stay that way.Grade3 squamous cell type(T2,N1,Mo)tumor 10.5 cemtimeters,1 peribronchial node and 1 10R node involved

Hi Mike, I was not on O2 at all until the second dx. After they removed my rt. upper lobe, (with left being removed five years before) they said I only needed O2 during the day when I was active. I think I posted here about my thoughts on that. Being female, and vain (hate admitting that) I just did not want to do this. People told me that SOB would feel like breathing in through a straw. It kind of did. Not quite that bad for me, but I just was not getting air in like I used to. I noticed that I got tired much easier than I did before and the doc explained that my body was working harder to get the O2 to the organs which was making me more tired. I also noticed that when my air was low, my heart would kind of skip beats.

My pulmonologist didn't know that I was only on Air during the day. He asked why I didn't wear it at night and I said "no one told me to." LOL. I do follow directions well. Logically I thought I would not need it at night because my body was at rest, and not needing as much. He explained that when we sleep our respiration and blood pressure go down as our bodies relax. He said that I actually needed the oxygen more when I slept than when I was awake because of this.

So to make a long story longer (sorry), I did wear it at night and was surprised by how much better I felt when I woke up! I slept better, and woke up refreshed, I guess because my body was not laboring for the air that my organs needed.

On the sinus issue? I have allegies and was surprised that the oxygen actually helped with that.

On the idea of being hooked to a machine? I hated the idea Mike. But, like anything in life, I got used to it quickly! It surprised me. I can remember in the past that when I saw people in public on oxygen how bad I felt for them. I thought that must be the worst to have to carry an oxygen tank around with you. But there again, I was surprised by how quickly I got used to it.

Now I forget I even have it on. It was a major hassle trying to get used to it, trying to plan my outings with oxygen tanks and how much to take, etc. But I figured it out with the help of my oxygen supplier. And now? It is okay.

Oh...except for one thing. I love to shop for shoes, don't you? *wink* I do! It is a hassle with the oxygen tank bending down and putting shoes on and getting up and walking around, etc. You know.... Anyway, that is one thing that I do on-line now. I get them at home, and try them on and ship them back if they don't fit! I get my ladies shoe shopping fix, but without the hassle!

Judy in MI

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6/07 DX NSCLC, Left Upper Lobe wedge resection: Stage 2.3/4, (2B?) Adenocarcinoma, measures 2.5x1.5x1.1cm. Involving visceral pleura but not through it. 5 rounds chemo, carboplatin and Taxol. Subsequent scans NED.

1/11 3.5 mm node found. 10/11 CT node now 8 mm, and new 6 mm node. 11/11 CT Pet shows slight uptake. 1/4/12 Biopsy - Pneumothorax complication. 1/14/12 Lobectomy of upper rt. lobe. NSCLC Adenocarcinoma in situ, nonmucinous (bronchioloalveolar carcinoma) 1.4cm involves pulmonary parenchyma.
3/14/12 Begin 4 cycles of Cisplatin/Navelbein, with Neulasta shot
4/6/12 Chemo changed to Carboplatin/Navelbine without Neulasta shot. Reduced chemo by 50% due to intolerance.
7/5/12 CT scan is clean, NED for lung cancer! There are issues with liver and stomach that will be investigated but not believed to be because of cancer. Wait and see!

*Avatar was taken 7/3/12 on our way out to see the Fireworks on a friends boat on their lake!

Mom dx SCLC 1/96, passed 10/19/96, age 62
Dad dx Brain cancer 4/87, passed 6/87, age 57
Sister dx Brain cancer 4/83, passed 12/83, age 25

Thanks Judy. Lately I have just been so tired. Eveytime I sit down to watch tv I fall asleep. I may fall asleep 5 or 6 times a day. Also I have been having some memory issues and a little comfusion. I just thought it was from not getting enough sleep and a lack of exercise. Also like Katie said, I thought I might need a cpap machine but my wife has one and wont wear it. I tryed it on and I dont know if I would wear it either. Basically dont a cpap machine and being on oxygen do the same thing? And I gotta admt also as you said that vanity or pride about wearing one bothers me. Living in a small town I quess I dont want others my age to know the shape Im in.

_________________
Dxed nslc stage2b,Aug.05 had right lung and 17 nodes removed which 2 had shown to be effected.August 27,05 had surgery redone again to stop bleeding. Started chemo sept.05 as a precaustioary. Have 3 month visit followups and have been ned so far and am hoping and praying to stay that way.Grade3 squamous cell type(T2,N1,Mo)tumor 10.5 cemtimeters,1 peribronchial node and 1 10R node involved

Mike, I don't know the answer about the CPAP and oxygen being the same thing. My husband wears the CPAP and he loves it because he sleeps so much better. But he was diagnosed with sleep apnea where he stopped breathing through the night, so much so that he'd wake up suddenly without even knowing it. So his sleep was constantly interrupted so he never got good rest. The CPAP helped him with that. The tests will help determine that for you.

What you are saying about falling asleep like that and the confusion, yeah I had that too.

I live in a little town too. I worried about what they would think too, but they have treated me so kindly that it just touches my heart. I have not felt 'judged' at all. I think it was my guilty conscience that was getting to me. Sometimes I have to fight the feeling that I deserved this because I once smoked. Like this site has taught me, no one deserves cancer. It has helped me understand that the "no one" includes me!

I have to remember that not all smokers or ex-smokers get lung cancer. And a lot of people who never smoked get lung cancer. It does not discriminate. The important thing is that research is done to find a cure.

_________________
6/07 DX NSCLC, Left Upper Lobe wedge resection: Stage 2.3/4, (2B?) Adenocarcinoma, measures 2.5x1.5x1.1cm. Involving visceral pleura but not through it. 5 rounds chemo, carboplatin and Taxol. Subsequent scans NED.

1/11 3.5 mm node found. 10/11 CT node now 8 mm, and new 6 mm node. 11/11 CT Pet shows slight uptake. 1/4/12 Biopsy - Pneumothorax complication. 1/14/12 Lobectomy of upper rt. lobe. NSCLC Adenocarcinoma in situ, nonmucinous (bronchioloalveolar carcinoma) 1.4cm involves pulmonary parenchyma.
3/14/12 Begin 4 cycles of Cisplatin/Navelbein, with Neulasta shot
4/6/12 Chemo changed to Carboplatin/Navelbine without Neulasta shot. Reduced chemo by 50% due to intolerance.
7/5/12 CT scan is clean, NED for lung cancer! There are issues with liver and stomach that will be investigated but not believed to be because of cancer. Wait and see!

*Avatar was taken 7/3/12 on our way out to see the Fireworks on a friends boat on their lake!

Mom dx SCLC 1/96, passed 10/19/96, age 62
Dad dx Brain cancer 4/87, passed 6/87, age 57
Sister dx Brain cancer 4/83, passed 12/83, age 25