Interview LC05

Age at interview: 55

Age at diagnosis: 50

Brief Outline: Diagnosed with small cell lung cancer October 1997, lobectomy (removal of a lobe of lung), then chemotherapy January 1998 - June 1998, followed by radiotherapy to head to prevent spread to brain.

Background: Assembly spray paint worker (retired), married, 2 children.

Describes what happened when he had his lobectomy.

Right in December, November 97 I was asked to come back in once they done x-rays and when I went in the doctor explained everything out and the anaesthetist came up, asked questions and that, very reassuring that everything was going to be alright. So that was fine and...

You went down to the theatre?

Yes I went down to the theatre and they cut us right around the back as well and they took the tumour out which as I say was about the size of a tennis ball. They did try keyhole surgery which they decided not to do because the tumour was too large; and went down, got the operation [lobectomy] and the tumour was removed. I felt sore, but they give you pain killing injections, you start getting better. And on December 5th that was the day I got my operation and I got my operation and...

How long did you have to stay in bed, in the hospital?

About ten days, I stayed in the hospital and they kept monitoring me all the time and very reassuring the staff, nurses, doctors.

During chemotherapy he was very sick and developed pins and needles in the fingers and toes.

When I came home after having the chemotherapy I was very, very sick with the chemo and my local doctor came up because I was very violently sick. I moved to upstairs, constantly in bed. When the doctor came in he gave us a wee box here [points to chest] and fed it into my chest with an anti sickness and morphine. And the nurses came in every day and changed, put more morphine in and it helped greatly.

That's good and what other side effects did you have apart from the feelings of sickness and hair loss?

I started getting like pins and needles in my fingers and my feet and my toes and once I started getting the right medication like the morphine and anti sickness and that it cleared away itself, it was no problem and it worked for me and it could work for you.