For me it was an unusual pain on the left side of my chest (ruptured nodule) that felt like a pulled muscle but it wasn’t healing. The other dead (pun intended) giveaway was unusual bone pain in my left jaw and right shoulder. Later I detected mild discomfort in my lower back in my spine\hip area when I would jog. When I visited the doctor for the 2nd time January 2025 with regard to my chest discomfort a CT scan revealed that I had stage 4 lung cancer. A subsequent PET scan revealed the full extend of the cancer in 5 places in my body, one of which was lung cancer.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) makes up 80% to 85% of lung cancers. The spread of cancer to distant body parts is called metastasis. Besides spreading to bones, NSCLC can often spread to the brain, liver and adrenal glands. Fortunately for me it had only spread to my bones. However, I was literally falling apart by the minute before I got treatment. I could barely open my mouth to eat and I basically couldn’t bite down to chew on food. I could hear and feel things ripping apart when I would bite down on even a grape. My right shoulder was also disintegrating and I could feel ripping and felt extreme pain when I would try to lift weights or do dips. It’s critical to act quickly to treat lung cancer as soon as possible because it spreads rapidly and can advance surprisingly fast.
Some common symptoms for lung cancer include shortness of breath, cough, loss of appetite, hoarseness and coughing up blood. But I didn’t have any of those symptoms myself. Looking back, I did have some common symptoms which were chest pain and mild fatigue.
Even with lung cancer and ruptured nodule in my chest and jaw\shoulder discomfort, I was able to function like a normal person. I could ride my bicycle quite aggressively on training rides, walk, lift weights, do all kinds of stuff. But I felt a little off and wasn’t highly motivated to do things. I was feeling somewhat weak and listless, even though I could rise to the occasion to generate power and exercise on demand.
If you have any of the symptoms related to lung cancer, then I highly recommend a CT scan just to be safe. I’m imploring folks to be your own advocate, be a pain in the ass if needed, get a CT scan just to be safe. The sooner lung cancer is detected, the better your chances for successful treatment and survival. While things are slowly improving, a 2019 study showed that NSCLC with bone metastasis is generally associated with an unfavorable outlook with a median survival time of 14–17 months and a five year survival rate of 9%. Your odds of survival go up significantly if you can arrest lung cancer sooner rather than later. I completed radiation and chemo treatments July 2025, I’m 67 years old, cancer free now and resuming my normal life which includes bicycle riding, lifting weights, doing dips and chewing food like a normal person.