I Had My Ups and Downs, but I'm Doing Fine

Hi, it's Yoko. I left the blog alone for almost a year after my last post, and I'm sorry to everyone who worried about me. Thank you to those of you who saw the blog and reached out. I figured I should at least let you know that I'm doing well, so here is my first update in a long while.

The surgery was a success

First of all, the surgery went well. I was admitted to the hospital a few days beforehand and had a variety of tests. On the morning of the surgery I met with my doctor, who told me, "We won't know whether we can do a partial resection or a lobectomy until we open you up," so I was feeling pretty blue.

I later read an article about a woman who was found to have the same lung adenocarcinoma as me. After her lung surgery, the chest on the operated side had become less sensitive. I remember being chilled to learn that the larger the area removed, the bigger the burden on other parts of the body.

After the meeting, you change into a surgical gown and wait in your room until it's your turn, and I couldn't settle at all. I was nervous and fidgety the whole time. After a while my name was called, and before I knew it I was going through a door straight out of a TV drama, the classic operating room door. I assumed there would be an operating table right behind it, but it was actually a corridor lined with the doors of several more rooms. In the corridor I tied my hair back and had my blood pressure taken, and then I went into the room where my surgery would be done. Obviously the room was reserved just for me, which made me feel oddly luxurious...

I lay on my back on the operating table, and by the time the needle for the anesthetic drip went in, my nerves were at their peak. I wanted to look calm, but the ECG beeping echoed through the room, so everyone could hear my heart pounding. I was chatting with the anesthesiologist (a kind person) about how the anesthesia takes effect when I saw my usual surgeon walk into the room... and that is where my memory ends.

The next thing I knew, someone was calling my name and saying, "It's all over!" I tried to answer but no voice came out. My throat was parched. My upper body was freezing and I couldn't stop shaking. I believe the surgery took about three to four hours.

Hooray for partial resection!

The best thing of all was that a partial resection was enough. The area removed was apparently about the size of two or three pieces of liver. The lung tissue was sent for examination, and it was confirmed to be a slow-growing cancer. It was caught at a very early stage, and I really think I was lucky. I did take a photo of the removed lung, so if any of my friends want to see it, please contact me individually...

How I've felt since

In a word, I can live almost exactly as I did before the surgery. If I had to name differences, cigarette smoke has become even more unbearable than before, I drink much less alcohol, and I sometimes get short of breath when I walk fast in a mask or talk quickly (though that might be my imagination). I have a surgical scar, but because it was a partial resection it's only a small one.

I wouldn't say it changed my outlook on life, but I do feel that building up stress is the worst thing. I've become more aware of not pushing myself too hard, treating myself well now and then, and doing what I want to do right away.

So that's a quick update from me. What I most want to say loudly to everyone is that a lung X-ray is too rough to catch lung cancer early, so it may be worth getting a lung CT scan once (and maybe a brain MRI while you're at it). That said, if a small lung cancer like mine is found, you only have two choices, to have it removed or to watch and wait, so you need to be prepared.

There is a lot more I'd like to write about, such as the recovery from the day of surgery until I could go about daily life, but it would get long and drift too far from the theme of this blog, so I'm thinking of writing it on note instead.

Until next time!