JackAhrndt's Journey:

In January 2012 I thought I had pneumonia. I had a pain in my back near my left shoulder blade. I went to the doctor and he prescribed antibotics (5 day dose). After 10 days it still hurt and was actually worse. I went to ER and they said I had probably cracked a rid and I should rub it with and analgesic. 10 days again and it was worse. Once again to the ER they prescribed a 10 day dose of antibiotics. It was sorer after that, and I was loosing feeling in my left arm. My wife called my primary care physician, who told us to get to ER again. They did a CAT scan it showed a mass on the upper lobe of my left lung and was identified as a Lung tumor. OH NO! We were back in the hospital on Monday now March, and they did a PET scan. We were at the doctor and they showed us the tumor, the size of a golf ball and it was pushing on my vocal chords, trachea and esaphagus. It was wrapped around my main artery to my brain. They advised that they wanted to do a biopsy on it but only one doctor was willing to attempt it due to it's location. He did the microscopbic biopsy a week later. We were told that it was Stage III A Lung cancer (Superior Sulcus Tumor) malignant non-small cell with Large cells this puts me into a 10% category. Without treatment I was given less than 5 years, and with treatment 20% chance to make 5 years. That is where we are at this time. They advised 4 to 6 weeks to recover from biopsy before starting Chemo and radiation. As I look back now on my life I realize that this is probably been going on for over 3 years. I was and still am very short of breath and have no energy. Also in a lot of pain in left quadrant and down my arm. Where do I go from here?