Lung Cancer: Liz's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Liz was 43 when symptoms that seemed unrelated to her lungs led to a cancer diagnosis. In late 2014 and January 2015, she had heavy, painful legs and swollen ankles. Blood tests showed a clear drop in red blood cells. Because her doctor was worried about a possible pulmonary embolism before Liz flew to Ireland for her father’s 80th birthday, she ordered a chest X-ray. The X-ray found a 6 cm lung nodule. After Liz returned, CT imaging and specialist review showed that it was a tumor, and biopsy confirmed cancer. The good news was that surgery was possible. In early March 2015, doctors operated to remove the tumor. The surgery went well, but pathology showed she also needed chemotherapy. Liz started chemotherapy on April 22 and finished at the end of July. She then had 6 weeks of daily radiotherapy, finishing in October. Treatment was physically hard: after chemotherapy she often spent 10 days in bed, had food aversions, metal taste, fatigue, and later breathlessness. Her husband accompanied her through many appointments and treatment sessions. In January 2016, Liz had a follow-up assessment and was told everything was well. She focused afterward on walking, breathing exercises, family, and enjoying ordinary life.