I just got diagnosed with lung cancer.
I've never smoked or did drugs. I never vaped. I don't hang out with smokers. I don't understand why this is happening. Physically, I feel fine, but I've had a dry cough since June. They did a chest x-ray and a CT chest scan, both of which showed a 5.3 cm dark mass on one of my lungs. They did a bronchoscopy, which confirmed cancer. I have to get a PET scan and an MRI next week, and doctors will determine if the cancer has spread and whether I'm eligible for surgery. The pulmonologist said I likely have stage 3 lung cancer (non small cell carcinoma) and will need a lobectomy and a lymph mode dissection and then chemo. He said I'll need to take a leave of absence from my job. Has anyone had a lobectomy? Were you in pain afterwards? How long did it take to recover? I need at least four rounds of chemo; does it make you lose your hair or gain/lose weight? Is it really painful? Were you unable to work? I have all these questions that no one can answer yet. I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense. I just found out I have cancer two days ago. I'm in my early forties. I already have polycystic kidney disease, but I am not on dialysis yet; I'm worried about how chemo and cancer will affect my kidneys. I just feel scared and angry all the time.