I smoked for many years, stopping in 2007. I retired in 2014, and my husband and I moved to a small town in Wisconsin. My new primary care doctor was a young woman whom I liked very much from my first visit. Since I was a former smoker, she immediately suggested a lung scan. My first was in 2016. My scan in 2018 picked up a small spot on my left lung. My doctor had me get another scan six months later based on that finding. Apparently, the spot was slightly larger, so I was referred to a pulmonologist.
The pulmonologist was very kind and said I needed a biopsy. He told me he would call as soon as the results were available. About a week later, I got that dreaded phone call and was told I had lung cancer. I was 72 and was not surprised by the diagnosis. I think all of my years of smoking, and losing a brother to lung cancer, made me fairly certain I would end up with this diagnosis.
I was treated at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I had an incredible team and felt very well prepared for the surgery and my recovery. My surgeon was surprised that I wanted the surgery so quickly, but I told him I visualized the cancer as a nasty little troll and wanted it gone as soon as possible. My surgery was scheduled about two weeks after I met my team.
The surgery was supposed to be laparoscopic; however, I had been prepared that if the cancer was difficult to reach, the surgeon would have to open me up, which is what happened. I had wonderful care in the hospital, went home after five days and had a difficult but uneventful recovery. The best news: My tumor was stage 1A, and I had no chemotherapy and no radiation.
I am now 6.5 years cancer-free, and I’ve told my wonderful primary care doctor that she truly saved my life. If she had not sent me for scans because I was a former smoker, that cancer probably would have gone undetected for many years and may have ended my life. But I’m still here and pushing age 79 — and I see aging and every day as a gift.
