Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share 094: Andrew McPherson survived Stage 2A lung cancer | broncoscopy | adenosquamos carcinoma
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
094: Andrew McPherson survived Stage 2A lung cancer | broncoscopy | adenosquamos carcinoma
On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, host Bruce Morton will hear from Andrew McPherson about how he survived Stage 2A adenosquamos carcinoma, a form of lung cancer. After undergoing a left upper sleeve lobectomy via thorochotomy, in February 2017, Andrew was diagnosed at age 28. After painful surgery in the thoracic cavity and intense physical therapy, Andrew slowly worked his way toward survivorship. He has returned to his job, become an energetic advocate for those diagnosed with lung cancer, and he has returned to a place he loves to be: the golf course.
In the fall of 2015, Andrew McPherson of Woodbury, Minnesota began to cough frequently and he noticed there was blood in his phlegm. At the time he was attending a health care conference, and a friend who happened to be a former ICU nurse said he should get to the emergency room right away.
Over the course of the next 14 months, Andrew would continue to periodically cough up blood, and then every two or three months, he would get pneumonia. He finally decided to see a pulmonologist at the University of Minnesota to get a broncoscopy in November 2016. That led to a biopsy, and in January 2017, Andrew underwent a left upper sleeve lobectomy via thorochotomy. Doctors cut from the middle of his back to his rib cage. Then they spread his ribs and were able to remove the upper left portion of his left lung. Next, they reconnected his airway to the lower portion of his left lung. That’s when he got his cancer diagnosis and realized he had been walking around with lung cancer between September 2015 and February 2017.
For the first two or three days after surgery, Andrew said he was in a great deal of pain. He did praise his care team at the University of Minnesota for coming up with a medication cocktail and IV drips that made those difficult days less difficult. He also engaged in physical therapy, but said post-op, he was in the hospital for 12 days. Andrew said thanks to his clean margins, he did not have to experience chemotherapy or radiation.
When Andrew McPherson returned home, he was hooked up to a JP Drain. It went in his side and included a tube that ran to the base of his neck, intended to drain fluid from his thoracic cavity. He had to wear it for a little over two weeks and when doing so, said he felt awful. But he returned to the hospital, had the drain removed and said he started feeling normal again. He had planned a three-month leave from his job, but returned after just one month.
These days, Andrew gets winded a bit more quickly than pre-diagnosis, but he can go for a jog, and he can walk the 18 holes necessary to play a round of golf.
Additional Resources:
Support Groups:
https://www.youandlungcancer.com
A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation: https://www.abreathofhope.org
.
View all episodes
By Jim Foster
5
22 ratings
On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, host Bruce Morton will hear from Andrew McPherson about how he survived Stage 2A adenosquamos carcinoma, a form of lung cancer. After undergoing a left upper sleeve lobectomy via thorochotomy, in February 2017, Andrew was diagnosed at age 28. After painful surgery in the thoracic cavity and intense physical therapy, Andrew slowly worked his way toward survivorship. He has returned to his job, become an energetic advocate for those diagnosed with lung cancer, and he has returned to a place he loves to be: the golf course.
In the fall of 2015, Andrew McPherson of Woodbury, Minnesota began to cough frequently and he noticed there was blood in his phlegm. At the time he was attending a health care conference, and a friend who happened to be a former ICU nurse said he should get to the emergency room right away.
Over the course of the next 14 months, Andrew would continue to periodically cough up blood, and then every two or three months, he would get pneumonia. He finally decided to see a pulmonologist at the University of Minnesota to get a broncoscopy in November 2016. That led to a biopsy, and in January 2017, Andrew underwent a left upper sleeve lobectomy via thorochotomy. Doctors cut from the middle of his back to his rib cage. Then they spread his ribs and were able to remove the upper left portion of his left lung. Next, they reconnected his airway to the lower portion of his left lung. That’s when he got his cancer diagnosis and realized he had been walking around with lung cancer between September 2015 and February 2017.
For the first two or three days after surgery, Andrew said he was in a great deal of pain. He did praise his care team at the University of Minnesota for coming up with a medication cocktail and IV drips that made those difficult days less difficult. He also engaged in physical therapy, but said post-op, he was in the hospital for 12 days. Andrew said thanks to his clean margins, he did not have to experience chemotherapy or radiation.
When Andrew McPherson returned home, he was hooked up to a JP Drain. It went in his side and included a tube that ran to the base of his neck, intended to drain fluid from his thoracic cavity. He had to wear it for a little over two weeks and when doing so, said he felt awful. But he returned to the hospital, had the drain removed and said he started feeling normal again. He had planned a three-month leave from his job, but returned after just one month.
These days, Andrew gets winded a bit more quickly than pre-diagnosis, but he can go for a jog, and he can walk the 18 holes necessary to play a round of golf.
Additional Resources:
Support Groups:
https://www.youandlungcancer.com
A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation: https://www.abreathofhope.org
.