The Lung Cancer Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like lung cancer, you are never alone. Countless men and women have faced exactly the same diagnosis and have survived and thrived. The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey through lung cancer with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge. 

TSC has scoured the Web to assemble links to the very best lung resources: articles, blogs, forums, and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional, and other challenges you're facing now.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Lung Cancer Guide even more helpful to survivors like you.

JUST FOUND OUT 

Survivors say these are the best resources for those who have just found out -- check them out to explore your options.

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Lung Cancer

• National Cancer Institute: Lung Cancer  This division of the National Institutes of Health gives a wealth of resources, from treatment and prevention to research and clinical trials. 
• American Cancer Society  Detailed information, with web pages devoted to both small-cell and non-small cell lung cancer
• MedlinePlus: Lung Cancer A comprehensive resource with links to information about diagnosis, screening, genetics, the latest research news, and more.

The Big Picture   

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world; one out every 14 Americans will develop it over their lifetimes, making it a leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase risk. There are many types of lung cancer; each type develops in different ways, and treatment also depends on how advanced it is.

• Mayo Clinic: Lung Cancer
  
• National Cancer Institute: What You Need to Know About Lung Cancer
  

Your Lung Cancer

Lung cancer isn't as easy to diagnose as you think. Here are the array of tests and procedures doctors use most frequently.

Web MD: Lung Cancer - Diagnosis & Tests

Once you are ready to have “the” conversation with your doctor, there are lots of questions to ask ranging from your diagnosis to treatment.  

• About.com: Lung Cancer - Questions to Ask About Your Lung Cancer Treatment
• Lung Cancer Alliance: Questions to Ask Your Medical Team

Your World

A diagnosis of lung cancer is a frightening moment. However, it is helpful to have an idea about what to expect, how to manage the symptoms of your treatment and where you can turn for help.

About.com: Living with Lung Cancer

Cancer will change your life and the lives of your loved ones. But if you talk with your friends and family about your cancer and how it makes everyone feel, you'll feel closer to each other.

• Lung Cancer Online: Family & Friends
  

Lung Cancer Myths

Some of the scariest things we have heard about cancer might not even be true.  Here are some answers to some common myths about lung cancer.

• Only smokers get lung cancer.
• Living in a polluted city is a greater risk than smoking.
• White men are most at risk for lung cancer.
  

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

Survivors say these are the best guides -- check them out to explore your options:

• Mayo Clinic: Lung Cancer
• Web MD: Lung Cancer Health Center

Types of Treatment and Side Effects

Treatment for lung cancer depends on a number of factors, including the type of lung cancer (non-small or small cell lung cancer); the size, location, and extent of the tumor; and your overall health. The three general treatments for lung cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

CancerCompass: Lung Cancer Information - Treatment

Like lung cancer treatment, the side effects vary as well; what you'll experience depends on the type of treatment.

CancerCompass: Lung Cancer Information - Side Effects

Alternative Treatments

Those that may be beneficial for lung cancer patients include acupuncture, massage and yoga.

Mayo Clinic: Lung Cancer - Alternative Medicine

Creating a support circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums

Insurance & Work Matters

Insurance

Finding a way to pay for your medical treatment is very important, as well as dealing with insurance and work issues while you're undergoing treatment.

• Lung Cancer Online: Financial, Legal and Insurance Issues 
• National Cancer Institute: Financial Assistance and Other Resources for People With Cancer
  

Work Matters

How to tell your boss and co-workers you have cancer can be very difficult, but you can do it and you do have legal rights to keep your job..  You can do it and here are some tips to help:

National Cancer Institute: Living Each Day - Working

Resources to Find Doctors

Your lung cancer treatment team from diagnosis to surgery may include internists, pulmonologists, and oncologists.

• Health AtoZ: Doctors Who Treat Lung Cancer
• Around.org: Lung Cancer Doctor, Hospital Search
• National Cancer Institute: Finding a Doctor
  

The Emotional Roller Coaster

The challenging journey you are embarking on is filled with emotional turmoil. Make sure to reach out to friends, family for support and to other lung-cancer survivors for empathy and understanding. It is  important to remember that you are not alone. Some arenas for getting advice and answers to your questions is online forums and support organizations in your community. 

• Cancer Forums: Lung Cancer Forum
• Lung Cancer Online: Support Organizations

Books and Stories Survivors Recommend

• Surviving Lung Cancer: My Story by Darlene Lehosit
• Voices of Lung Cancer: The Healing Companion: Stories for Courage, Comfort and Strength  by The Healing Project
• Lung Cancer: Myths, Facts, Choices -- and Hope by Claudia I. Henschke, Peggy McCarthy and Sarah Wernick

Communicating with Your Healthcare Providers

• Bring a friend or family member with you to your appointments, not only to provide support but to lend an extra ear to understand everything your healthcare provider has to say, and to think of any more questions you may have forgotten to ask.
• Don't be afraid to ask any questions, even if you may be scared of the answer. Ignorance won't help you fight lung cancer.
• Write down any questions you may have ahead of time, then write down the answers to those questions as your health-care provider walks you through them. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on anything.

Dealing with Lung Cancer: Information for Co-Survivors

Being a caregiver can be emotionally and physically taxing, but support and resources are available to you, too. 

• LungCancer.org: I am a Loved One/Friend
• About.com: Lung Cancer - Tips for Caregivers
  

How you can help

• Assist your friend or family member with his day-to-day duties or chores, but be sure to find a good balance so as not to throw off his pattern of living. That may increase his stress if he feels he is becoming a burden.
• Preserve your friend or family member's daily activities. It's normal to feel protective but excluding her from activities or decisions you don't see her as fit enough to do or make could contribute to her feelings of helplessness.
• Involve your friend or family member with others. Don't focus exclusively on his disease and treatment plan when interacting with him. Talk to them about your own life, or make plans to visit friends and loved ones. A survivor involved with others has a better chance of avoiding feelings of abandonment.

What to say    

• "I will support your decision about whichever treatment option you choose and which doctors and hospitals you go to."
• "I heard about your situation. Do you want to talk about it?"
  
• "I am here for you."
  

What not to say

• "Don't worry, we'll find a way to make this all go away"
• "I told you to stop smoking. Now it's too late."
  
• "I hope I never get it."

Things you can do for a survivor every day

Offering day-to-day support is a great gift to give a family member with lung cancer or a friend/neighbor that has been stricken with this disease. If the survivor isn't a family member, help out the patient's family when they are away at hospitals or hotels by picking up the mail or newspaper, making meals, going grocery shopping, etc. If the survivor is a family member, help out with chores or other duties he may have fallen behind on.

How to build a support network

• Set up your TSC Co-Survivor Profile
• Create a support group for your friend or family member.
• Interact and provide updates

Recovery/Recurrence

Caring for yourself is essential, so make sure you do the best you can to maintain a positive outlook.

About.com: Support for Life with Lung Cancer - Caring for Yourself

Coping

From bed sores to hair loss, coping with all the effects of the treatments is not easy.  But the more active you are in your follow-up care, the better your outlook on life will be.

• About.com: Lung Cancer - Coping With Side Effects From Cancer Treatment
• Web MD: Care After Cancer Treatment

You also can also reach out to a number of support groups, forums and resources,both online and in your community.

LungCancer.org: Get Help

Living

Sometimes the greatest help comes from hearing the stories of other lung cancer survivors.

About.com: Lung Cancer - People with Lung Cancer

Giving Back

Giving back is also a great way to feel great about your recovery.  Donate your time and/or financial support to organizations dedicated to helping people facing the same situation you did.

• LungCancer.org: Support Us
• American Cancer Society: In My Community
• Lung Cancer Alliance: Advocacy
  

Unfortunately, survival rates haven't improved for people with lung cancer; nearly 60 percent of those diagnosed die within a year. However, people diagnosed at the earliest stages have the greatest chances for a cure. Your doctor can discuss more relevant statistics about your chances for survival with you.

If your cancer cannot be cured, there are many things you can do to enjoy the quality of life on a daily basis. One option is finding "palliative care," assistance with combating the pain, nausea and emotional upset.

• GetPalliativeCare.org
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

 Never feel alone -- you are not. Writing down your thoughts can help you deal with your emotions.

The Grief Blog