For Lee Pointer, 76, shown above with his wife Dianna, smoking was a habit he nurtured for more than 47 years.
“When I was 12 in 1960, my brother had left for the Navy, so it was just my mother and me,” recalled Pointer. “She was a smoker and sometimes left long cigarette butts in the ashtray. One day I took one outside and puffed on it. Later, I hung out with my friends at our ‘clubhouse’ that was out of public view. I smoked there with one of my buddies.”
Pointer said it was a different era in the early 1960s. “Back then, there was no minimum age to purchase cigarettes. I could buy a pack for 25 cents. It was so easy. When I got to high school, there was a smoking porch outside the school. I thought, ‘Wow! I don’t have to sneak around anymore.’ That’s when my smoking increased exponentially.”
Pointer eventually stopped smoking. “The best way to quit smoking is not starting,” Pointer said. “If you have already started, there's nothing wrong with stopping now. Don't worry if you struggle and fall back into it. I had to stop smoking four to five times over the years before I stopped for good.”
Regular appointments
Pointer regularly schedules appointments with his primary care physician Tariq Massod, M.D., an internal medicine specialist at Utica Park Clinic. “Dr. Massod knows that I used to smoke, so he always listens to my lungs. He would remark that he heard no obstructions, no coughs or symptoms. However, because of my past smoking history, he always recommended that I undergo a lung screening at Hillcrest Medical Center.
“I tried a couple of times to schedule the screening, but there was always an issue involving my Medicare coverage,” Pointer said. “Finally, everything was straightened out and I had the screening last year.”
The day after the lung screening, Pointer received word that a cancerous mass was found on his lung. “I was surprised that something showed up, as I had not smoked in years,” he said. Pulmonologist Andrew Prince, D.O., then did a biopsy of the mass and determined that it was lung cancer in stage one.
With the diagnosis, Pointer and Dianna met with Ajit Tharakan, M.D., a cardiovascular thoracic surgeon who would remove the portion of Pointer’s lung where the cancer was found.
“Dr. Tharakan was great,” said Pointer. “He described what he would do and approximately how much of the lower lobe of my right lung he would remove. He said I would remain in the hospital for up to seven days and that full recovery would take several months.”
Pointer had the surgery on Dec. 21 and spent the next 24 hours in the cardiac intensive care unit. After spending a few days in the hospital, he was discharged early and went home on Dec. 24.
When it was suggested that going home on Christmas Eve was a nice gift, Pointer replied, “As far as I was concerned, Santa Claus had already made his visit (to deliver the successful surgery).”
Pointer’s case is one more example of how Hillcrest physicians can now screen for lung cancers when the cancer is potentially curable and not terminal. This is a huge advantage in the fight against lung cancer, the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. When lung cancer is detected and treated in its early stages, the five-year survival rate for patients is 92%.
Looking forward
After surgery, Pointer began rehabilitation treatments while in the hospital to encourage good breathing techniques to expand his lungs. Once discharged, he continued the breathing exercises at home and increased his activity by going on walks with Dianna. His primary care physician continues to monitor his lungs with regular X-rays to make sure everything is progressing as it should.
“I have no restrictions on what I can do,” said Pointer. “We can do as much as Dianna can stand. We look out for each other.”
Pointer is very quick to recommend the lung scan to others. “That three-minute ordeal saved my life!” He is also empowered to speak out against smoking.
“I was lucky to have lived this long and not have any visible symptoms,” said Pointer. “You might say I rolled the dice and came out a winner.... this time. If you are a smoker, give it up as soon as you can. Besides, the price of cigarettes today is ridiculous. Just think what you could do with that extra $5 or $7 a pack!
“Even though my lungs are checked every four months to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned, I now feel that I have a limitless future ahead of me!”
For more information about the lung cancer screening process, screening locations and the costs and risks, click here or call 918-579-5864.