NED may
be the sweetest medical acronym I’ve ever met. No Evidence
of Disease (NED) maybe.
Seven
months ago, three days before Christmas, I got the phone call informing me of a
vague nodular density in my lung.
My mind
immediately went to the darkest corner of my imagination where everything and
anything I thought I knew about lung cancer crawled to die while I pretended to
smile through my last Christmas.
Yet here
I am just 7 months later with only a small wedge removed from my lung during lung cancer surgery, no
measurable loss of pulmonary function, no loss of physical abilities, no
radiation nor chemotherapy required and today after my 4 month post-surgery CT
scan I can add NED to my cancer timeline.
Yes of
course a medical disclaimer is necessary.
I will be scanned again in 4 months and then again yearly to monitor for
any return of cancer. There is not only a chance but an increased risk since I had a wedge resection vs a lobectomy.
There
are some ominous statistics about lung cancer survival. The past and even recent
past has not created many success stories to be told.
In the
now and in the tomorrow there can and will be more success stories. One voice
at a time we can share.
Recently
I reposted the earlier entries from my Multiple Sclerosis spouse caregiving
blog. Entries about lung cancer like everything else were swallowed by MS
caregiving. My lung cancer survivorship needed to stand alone, be heard, and be
shared.
Why me? Why
was I lucky? I held my Dad through the long night as he died of pancreatic
cancer 15 years ago. I can easily tick off at least a handful of friends who have
died of lung cancer through the decades.
Screening
and early detection is absolutely how the formula for success begins in my
story. I had no symptoms then and I
still have no symptoms. Yet today unlike 7 months ago I have no evidence of lung
cancer, maybe.
by Patrick Leer
there we go; the link worked! Great idea to make a separate blog for your lung cancer diagnosis/treatment, etc. It is interesting that you got it, Patrick; not being a smoker. I've typed many a report with those diagnosed with it and then giving up smoking after they get the diagnosis. You're a bit of a anomaly (but then the care giving you do is a bit of an anomaly too :)
ReplyDeleteMay you always get NED year after year after year after year!
betty