So, CMM update, Friday's appointment with the surgeon was scary. Apparently the main pulmonary artery goes through the tumor so a simple lobectomy is not possible - they would have to take the entire left lung. (Because if you just took the upper lobe with that artery in the tumor you'd be removing the blood supply to the rest of the lung).
This surgery has a 5-7% chance of dying within 30 days of the surgery (from the surgery itself or complications of the surgery). Compare that to 1% for a coronary bypass.
However chances for 5-year survival go up with surgery, from about 25% with just chemo/radiation to about 50% when you add in surgery. And apparently quality of life isn't bad even without half your lung if you don't have lung disease on the other side (he doesn't). I personally would have a very hard time making that decision to have surgery but he is leaning toward it.
I don't know yet if they will do chemo and/or radiation before the surgery. I'm secretly hoping that between chemo and all the adjunctive things I have him on, the tumor might shrink enough to change the surgery options. That would be a small chance but stranger things have happened. Right now I have him on almost everything that has any research as helpful for lung cancer: LDN, metformin, medicinal mushrooms, resveratrol, curcumin, alpha lipoic acid, hydroxycitrate, medical marijuana, colostrum, and am waiting on my order of Avemar.
