Interview LC33

Age at interview: 60

Age at diagnosis: 57

Brief Outline: Non-small cell lung cancer diagnosed in 2000 followed by lobectomy (lower lobes of right lung removed) October 2000, then radiotherapy from outside the chest to lung in 2001.

Background: Managing director of a company (part time), divorced, 2 children.

Recalls having many x-rays and blood tests.

What about other investigations, did you have to have a PET scan?

No, no I just, I had the CT scan and obviously I'd had had a number of chest x-rays and I continue to have x-rays while, even while I was in hospital, every day I had an x-ray.

And numerous blood tests?

And numerous blood tests yes. 

For somebody who's a bit nervous about having a blood test would you mind explaining in detail what it's like to have a blood test? 

(Laughs) well the, they have this little container with a needle in it and, which is sheathed and then they screw in a different coloured like small test tube with a coloured cap and this determines what you're having the blood tested for, I think there's four or five different colours. And so they can actually do different tests with the same needle and they just take that test tube out and put another one in and it's quite, they say a little scratch, it's a little bit more than that but nevertheless I don't find it painful. But I've been having that many over the past four years that my skin where they go in has got quite hard and so we change arms every so often and see if we can give the other one a bit of a rest. But both sides have now got hard. I mean I've had one a week for the past four years, so, well almost, and then several more when I was in hospital.

His illness has drawn members of the family together again.

Anyway the following week, after I'd had the biopsy results from my specialist I went round and told her [my mother] and she took it very well, it was as though it didn't phase her too much. She said, "Well you're okay, you're going to have the operation next week so that's fine." And so my mother was fine, my father sadly passed away in 1991, my partner was very upset and my sister was upset. My brother, well we haven't really hit it off for quite a long time now but following the operation he came to see me in hospital and we sort of became pals again in a way. 

Ever since his lobectomy he becomes breathless very easily.

From then on the major problem I've had has been one of breathing. I'm fine if I can do things at my own pace but when the, when I do something at something else's pace or I stop, I don't think, then I get breathless, even now, even two years later. So my breathing is hampered and that is the greatest knock on effect as far as I'm concerned because I'm not used to it, I've never been, I've always been used to being Oh, to do what I want to do when I want to do it and now I can't.  

Even taking my beautiful dog for a walk is a strain because he's a big dog and he likes to, so my partner takes him out three nights a week and I take him short walks two or three times, well twice a day usually and we get on that way. But climbing the hill; and it's not that big a hill, up to my house because of the inactivity of my whole body for the last three years my legs are like jelly at the top.  It's very difficult to get round it so I'm actually starting a fitness course shortly to try and overcome these things. But added to which I'm carrying three and a half stone more weight than I was originally and this is largely due to the prednisolone, the steroids, and inactivity and probably a little bit of lack of discipline as well (laughs) on my part.

He developed a chest infection after his lobectomy.

The next six months following the operation were horrendous. Six weeks later I was back in hospital with terrific chest pains which the emergency GP diagnosed as pleurisy only it wasn't pleurisy it was an infection in the cavity where the lung had been and, but they didn't do anything more than treat me with painkillers and so another three weeks later I was back in hospital again. And this time they opened me up and apparently took out a litre and a half of poison which was a lot of poison to be carrying around (laughs). And it was nobody's fault just one of these things, you get infections and you can't, it can't be helped.  

He found physiotherapy and breathing exercises provided by a hospice extremely beneficial.

So the clinic helped you to breathe better?

Oh enormously yes. I can't remember, it's so long ago now I can't remember the things she [the physiotherapist] taught me but most certainly it's become second nature. But the one thing you must never ever do is take a deep breath like that and the secret is control of your exhalation.

Breathing out?

If you breathe out controlled you will breathe in controlled and if you get short of breath don't go (pants) because you're wasting half the breath that you're taking in. You've just got to control it and slow down. It's not easy but nevertheless it works.

What else do they teach you in the breathlessness clinic?

That's it. But it was over a protracted period of, and you have to do the exercises with them and, and you do climb stairs with them and walk around the, the hospice. And I found it extremely beneficial.