I believe I have seen on here somewhere (think it was NED's post) - a list of questions that you should ask your doctors when first diagnosed. I cannot locate it and I need to forward it to someone. Thanks,
Annette

_________________
5/5/09 Bad Cough - sent for xray
5/6/09 CAT SCAN
5/8/09 Pulmonologist - not good ordered bronch
5/14/09 Bronc 5/19/09 Breathing test & Results - NSCLC (Adenocarcinoma 3cm)
5/22/09 PET Scan - 5/27 referred to surg & onc
6/2/09-met with surg & onc. They say there are two spots. One small on left lung and one larger one on right lung 3.6 x 3.2 cm - they are pretty sure and approaching it as if it were two separate cancers staging the right at II and the left at I.
June 15 - RML removed - Pathology - margins clear and nodes clear. June 25 follow up with surgeon - doc agreed to stage I since it appears he got it all - June 30 return to work
July 7 Oncologist says Stage 1A - we don't recommend chemo for this stage
Aug 17 - surgery - again took ULL and some nodes -
Sep 8 to onc - Both sides IA - no chemo just watch closely
Dec 15, 2009 - CT Results - NED
March 10th, 2010 - CT Scan - Results - NED
June 15th, 2010 - XRay - Results - NED
Sep 15th 2010 CT Scan - Results - NED
Dec 2010 XRay Only - Results - NED
Dec 2010 MRI - Results - Clear
March 2011 - CT Scan - NED
June 2011 - XRay Only - NED
Sept 2011 - Scan & Vampires - Scared to death!!!!

FOR ALL PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER:
• WHAT TYPE OF LUNG CANCER DO I HAVE?
• WHAT IS THE STAGE OF MY LUNG CANCER? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
• SHOULD I SEE ANOTHER DOCTOR TO ASSIST IN MY CARE, SUCH AS A THORACIC SURGEON, RADIATION ONCOLOGIST, MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST, AND/OR PULMONOLOGIST? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF EACH DOCTOR IN MY CARE?
• DO I NEED ADDITIONAL SCANS OR BIOPSIES IN ORDER TO PLAN MY TREATMENT?
• CAN YOU EXPLAIN MY PATHOLOGY REPORT (LABORATORY TEST RESULTS) TO ME?
• WHAT IS THE GOAL OF MY TREATMENT?
• WHAT CLINICAL TRIALS ARE OPEN TO ME?
• WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF THIS TREATMENT, BOTH IN THE SHORT TERM AND THE LONG TERM?
• HOW WILL THIS TREATMENT AFFECT MY DAILY LIFE? WILL I BE ABLE TO WORK, EXERCISE, AND PERFORM MY USUAL ACTIVITIES?
• IN ADDITION TO TREATING MY CANCER, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO TREAT MY SYMPTOMS?
• ARE THERE ANY OTHER TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO ME?
• WHAT SUPPORT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO ME? TO MY FAMILY?
FOR PATIENTS WHO WILL HAVE SURGERY:
• WHAT TYPE OF SURGERY WILL I HAVE? WILL LYMPH NODES BE REMOVED?
• HOW LONG WILL THE OPERATION TAKE?
• HOW LONG WILL I BE IN THE HOSPITAL?
• CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT MY RECOVERY FROM SURGERY WILL BE LIKE?
FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE TO RECEIVE CHEMOTHERAPY AND TARGETED THERAPY:
• WHAT ARE THE NAMES OF THE DRUGS, AND HOW ARE THEY GIVEN?
• WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF EACH MEDICATION? WHAT SIDE EFFECTS OR PROBLEMS SHOULD I WATCH FOR?
• WHAT CAN BE DONE TO LESSEN THESE SIDE EFFECTS?
• HOW OFTEN WILL I NEED TO VISIT THE DOCTOR TO RECEIVE THE THERAPY, AND HOW LONG WILL EACH VISIT TAKE?
• WILL I BE ABLE TO GO TO AND RETURN FROM THIS TREATMENT ON MY OWN, OR SHOULD I ARRANGE TO HAVE ASSISTANCE?
FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE TO RECEIVE RADIATION THERAPY:
• HOW WILL MY TREATMENT BE PLANNED? WHAT TYPES OF SCANS WILL BE USED?
• WHERE WILL I RECEIVE RADIATION THERAPY?
• HOW OFTEN WILL I RECEIVE RADIATION THERAPY?
• HOW MUCH TIME WILL EACH TREATMENT TAKE?
• HOW MUCH OF THE NORMAL LUNG WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RADIATION FIELD?
• IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO RECEIVE CHEMOTHERAPY WITH MY RADIATION THERAPY? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE ADDED SIDE EFFECTS OF GIVING THE CHEMOTHERAPY AT THE SAME TIME, COMPARED WITH ONE AFTER ANOTHER?
• WILL I BE ABLE TO GO TO AND RETURN FROM THIS TREATMENT ON MY OWN, OR SHOULD I ARRANGE TO HAVE ASSISTANCE?
FOR PATIENTS CONSIDERING A CLINICAL TRIAL:
• WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR STANDARD TREATMENT?
• WHAT OTHER TREATMENTS THROUGH CLINICAL TRIALS ARE AVAILABLE TO ME?
• HOW WILL MY EXPERIENCE DIFFER IF I ENROLL IN THIS CLINICAL TRIAL, AS OPPOSED TO STANDARD TREATMENT (DIFFERENT RISKS, EXTRA TESTS OR TIME COMMITMENT, SCHEDULE)?
• WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS CLINICAL TRIAL? IS THIS A PHASE I, II, OR III CLINICAL TRIAL? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
• WHERE WILL I RECEIVE THE CLINICAL TRIAL TREATMENT?
FOR PATIENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THEIR TREATMENT:
• WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT MY CANCER WILL RETURN?
• IS THERE ANYTHING MORE I CAN DO TO REDUCE THE CHANCE THAT MY CANCER WILL RETURN?
• WHAT FOLLOW-UP TESTS WILL I NEED AND HOW OFTEN WILL I NEED THEM?
• WHAT TESTS WILL I HAVE DURING MY FOLLOW-UP VISIT?
FOR PATIENTS WHO SMOKE:
• HOW CAN YOU HELP ME TO QUIT SMOKING



viewtopic.php?f=58&t=40762

Thanks Katie,

I saved that to my computer. Maybe you should make that a sticky.

Maryanne

_________________
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take...but by the moments that takes our breath away"
[size=75]
Husband Joel, 58 dx 10/18/04 Smoker since age 15 stopped when diagnosed
Adenocarcinoma- stage 1B
Lobectomy Left upper lobe on 12/15/04
biopsy on lymph nodes - negative NED
1/13/04 Oncologist appt.to see about preventive Chemo.
Cancelled due to chronic fatigue
1/12 fentynal patch for pain
1/14 discontinued Fentynal patch bad reaction
1/15 Blood test showed high T levels
2/1 Endoconrinologist visit diagnosed over-active thyroid
2/8/05 took Radioactive Iodine to kill thyroid
2/16/05 appetite back, fatigue leaving
2/24/05 visit with Pulmonary Doc. Breathing at 96% capacity,
Next visit 3 mos.
3/9/05 Endocrinologist visit -T levels went from 25 down to 5.
3/30 started Synthoid(thyroid med)
3/31 Oncologist. appt. CT results NED...
4/14 starting adjunctive Chemo (carbo/taxol) 4 treatments
3 weeks apart.
6/15/05 Joel finished chemo, chest X-ray clear, Next CT in August
9/01/05 1st CT since Chemo.. NED
11/17/05 CT - small nodule found 4 or 5 mil. in his good lung
1/10/06 CT - nodule Stable
7/2006 CT/ Nodule stable
10/2006 CT Nodule seem to have grown from 4 to 7 mil.
10/2006 Pet- showed some uptake
10/2006- operation- wedge section right upper lobe turned out to be cancerous 2 nodules next to each other. 2 different types of cancer. 1 squamous cell carcinoma (new primary)2- adenocarcinoma-(not sure if new primary or metastasis)
May be restaged to IIIB
11/07/2006 will start 4 rounds of taxotere. 3 weeks apart. Will take Decadron before, day of and day after. Will get a shot of Leunesta the day after. Here we go again.. Joel's attitude.... great as usual
Horrible reaction to the neulasta shots. One night(New Years eve) went to ER. Spent 3 days in hosptal.
Feb 2007 finished chemo.
March 2007 had his CT .. as expected right now all is clear.
June 2007 NED!!!
Sept 07- CT- small nodule 3.5 mm
Going to do another CT in 6 weeks.
October 07- CT done, results STABLE...YEA
Jan. 2008... STABLE!!!
April 2008 little growth but still called stable
July 17 208 nodule doubled in size to 9mm. Needs Pet Scan, tests, hopefully cyberknife...
July 29 met with his surgeon... said Cyberknife is the way to go.
August 1- Cyberknife visit... Joel is a canidate, its a go...Happy B-day Joel...
Sept 22, 2008 finshed up the last of 3 cyberknife procedures
Nov. had CT scan
Nov. 9th results of CT from Cyberknife..... Tumor completely gone... right now NED!!!
Feb. 09- Pet/CT results. . . NEd!!!
May 09 Pet/CT results. . . NED!!!
Sept. 09 Pet/CT results.....NED!!
Jan. 2010--- NED!! Pet now will be every 6 months.
June 8,2010 Pet scan on our Anniversary... hope thats a good sign..
June 17, NED!!!
Dec. 30,2010... NED!!!
June 20,2011... NED!!!
March 2012....NED!!!

pic of Joel and our daughter Nicole at walk NOV. 07

[img]http://www.freewebs.com/beansprouts2005/nik_and_dad_1LC_walk.jpg[/img]

http://www.babababies.com