Postby NWgirl » Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:29 pm
I feel like the queen of lung mets. I had VATS a couple of years ago, not so much to "cure" my lung problem, but to diagnose that it was in fact a recurrence of my rectal cancer - and yeah, it was. Several spots were removed. As surgery goes, I found VATS pretty easy to deal with. Earlier this year the remaining spots grew and a couple of spots of lymph nodes between my lungs lit up. My oncologist wanted me to continue chemo (which I'd been on for 2 years already) but I really pushed for surgery and/or radiation. Well, sometimes you can push as much as you want and it doesn't do much good - which was my situation. I got a total of 3 opinions - one from the radiation doctor in my current practice and two opinions from major cancer centers - before a tumor board; both came back and said no to both radiation and surgery due to the location of the lymph nodes.
Bottom line - if I had to do it all again, I would still opt for the 2nd and 3rd opinion. I'm not happy that I'm not a candidate for surgery/radiation - but at least I KNOW I'm not a candidate. If your only option is chemo - it is what it is. But if you can possibly swing it, push for a 2nd or even a 3rd opinion from both a surgeon and a radiation doc. You need to know for your own peace of mind what you're dealing with and all of your options. And my oncologist admitted that if he were in my shoes he would have done the exact same thing.
Belle - "Don't Retreat - Reload"DX 10/07 Stage III Rectal
Surgery 11/07; 27 of 38 nodes
Perm Colostomy 8/11
12/10 recurrence lungs & LN's
VATS Jan 2011
Radiation Oct 2013
Chemo for Life
2012 Colondar Model