CancerCompass message board discussion started by Lavender on 3/11/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,21876,0.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ I had a deep tissue sarcoma removed from my leg with clean margins. Now (10 months later) there are some suspicious nodules in my lungs. If they grow in the next 3 months I will have them biopsied (cut out of the lungs). Does anyone know what the recovery from such a surgery is like? What is the best way to prepare for a healthy recovery? Any and all information is most welcome. Lavender Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT I have had 2 bilateral thoractomies. It depends on the size of your tumors and how they decide to take it out. VATS is a simple procedure and you heal quickly. Thoracotomies are deeper and usually wedge resections. As I said, if you have big tumors and are operable, you will take 3 to 4 months to heal, otherwise,much less. I have not been the same since I had 2 of these procedures but if your tumors are small and you catch them early, you should not have the surgical trauma I had. Good luck to you, Foodmaven Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/13/2008 Foodmaven wrote:I have had 2 bilateral thoractomies. It depends on the size of your tumors and how they decide to take it out. VATS is a simple procedure and you heal quickly. Thoracotomies are deeper and usually wedge resections. As I said, if you have big tumors and are operable, you will take 3 to 4 months to heal, otherwise,much less. I have not been the same since I had 2 of these procedures but if your tumors are small and you catch them early, you should not have the surgical trauma I had. Good luck to you, Thank you so much for your reply. All I know so far is that one is 15 mm and the other 2 are much smaller and the bigger one is in a separate lobe. The surgeon said the only way to remove them is to cut but I know no more than that and cannot get him to return my call even though he assured me I could talk to him if I have any questions. I find this stressful. I will look up the terms you introduced me to. Again, I thank you. Lavender Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Your nodules are very small and you should have no problems. I hope you are going to a multidisplinary hospital where doctors work as teams. I am a patient at MSKCC in NYC and followed very closely. I am also an almost 27 year survivor of 2 sarcomas. Never give up hope. Foodmaven Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/13/2008 Foodmaven wrote:Your nodules are very small and you should have no problems. I hope you are going to a multidisplinary hospital where doctors work as teams. I am a patient at MSKCC in NYC and followed very closely. I am also an almost 27 year survivor of 2 sarcomas. Never give up hope. Your words are music to my ears. I filled in a survival calculator online and it totally terrified me. My encologist never intimated anything like that. My original sarcoma was grade 3 but it did have clean margins, which may explain the bad survival stats. If you are doing so well I am heartened. If you have any prevention tips that you would like to share, I am eager to hear them. I'm very motivated to do whatever it takes. Thank you again. Lavender Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT You know, a biopsy is not surgery. They do not cut them out. They numb you and under a ct scan, take out cells with a needle. Pathology will tell you if it is metastatis. Years ago, I took a lot of sugar out of my diet as glucose levels are important in cancer. It feeds on it. I do not eat simple carbs if I can help it. I take vitamins and supplements and exercise, walking for many years. I don't eat junk food and I eat healthy. I have been a stage IV since 1992. Don't go by statistics. I don't fit into any of them. I am just here....and grateful and thankful for all the extra years.Ro Foodmaven Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/13/2008 Foodmaven wrote:You know, a biopsy is not surgery. They do not cut them out. They numb you and under a ct scan, take out cells with a needle. Pathology will tell you if it is metastatis. Years ago, I took a lot of sugar out of my diet as glucose levels are important in cancer. It feeds on it. I do not eat simple carbs if I can help it. I take vitamins and supplements and exercise, walking for many years. I don't eat junk food and I eat healthy. I have been a stage IV since 1992. Don't go by statistics. I don't fit into any of them. I am just here....and grateful and thankful for all the extra years.Ro Actually, the surgeon said he would have to cut into the lung for the biopsy. Perhaps I should get a second opinion, although he is highly regarded. But first he wants to wait 3 months, will then take another ct scan and see what the modules look like.  I too eat healthily but will now cut out the little sugar I eat, as you suggest. Also, I'm told I'm very acidic which cancer cells like. I would like to find out how to neutralize the acid. Have you heard about this? Lavender Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT I think that sarcomas are very resistant to treatment. I don't know about an acid or alkaline diet. Only a doctor who practices complimentary medicine would know. Cutting out a nodule is surgery, a biopsy is only getting cells out with a needle to see what the cells are. Only in breast biopsies do they cut it out fully if it is small.  It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion at a sarcoma center. Do you have leiomyosarcoma or another sarcoma? Waiting will tell the surgeon whether it is growing fast or slow.Good luck whatever you do.Ro Foodmaven Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/13/2008 Foodmaven wrote:I think that sarcomas are very resistant to treatment. I don't know about an acid or alkaline diet. Only a doctor who practices complimentary medicine would know. Cutting out a nodule is surgery, a biopsy is only getting cells out with a needle to see what the cells are. Only in breast biopsies do they cut it out fully if it is small.  It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion at a sarcoma center. Do you have leiomyosarcoma or another sarcoma? Waiting will tell the surgeon whether it is growing fast or slow.Good luck whatever you do.Ro I had a deep tissue sarcoma in my thigh which was surgically removed in May with clean margins. My surgeon was shocked to see new modules in my lungs. I had lots of tiny ones which is apparently common in Indiana due to pollution. He did not expect this because my underlying health has been quite good. Hearing more about what a biopsy is about is helpful to me. Thank you again. Lavender Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT