My name is Mike, I’m a lung cancer survivor from the United States.
At the start, I could feel extremely fatigued without much physical exertion. It felt like there was something more to it than my usual tiredness from work. After going to a doctor, it turned out that I have stage 1 lung cancer.
After my diagnosis, I was disappointed and felt some grief.
Since my diagnosis, I found myself eating unhealthier.
My doctor recommended wedge resection (tumor removal) and chemotherapy. I did some research and decided to listen to my doctor. I finally felt slightly hopeful after the treatment plan was confirmed.
My cancer is in remission now, and I’m still on chemotherapy.
From the cancer treatments, I suffered fatigue, hair loss and loss of appetite. I didn’t do anything about them.
I continued my life as before. Unfortunately, intimacy with my partner fell by a lot. For the next two years, I want to focus on surviving, and I plan to visit all the national parks with my family.
I enjoy being active so I want to be fit again to do sports like how I used to. Now I watch sports matches at the side, but I hope to join my friends for games again soon. I hope to win more playful matches against my friends, and have a good time with my loved ones.
I’m so scared of dying and the pain of dying. I avoid negative thoughts as much as I can, even though those thoughts haunt me at times. I keep busy whenever I can and not let cancer take over my life.
Now, I still feel as sad as before, and disappointed.
To others, I would say: “Keep busy, go out if you can and appreciate the fresh air outside. Let nature distract you from your negative thoughts. Reach out to your loved ones and tell them you love them.
This patient's story is published and shared with their full consent. Any personal data that can be used to identify the patient has been omitted.
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