buzzy

Update: I saw a pulmonologist yesterday and really like the guy. He took time to go over all my CT scans and x-rays, showing me the nodules and telling me exactly what he was seeing and thinking. First, he thinks the two nodules are totally unrelated to each other. I said I was concerned about them being bilateral and he said that his gut told him that they were not related but we would keep and eye on them. The original, smaller nodule at the base of my left lung that measured 6mm in July has remained stable in his mind. He showed me the comparison of it in Sept. and Dec. and said in his mind it hasn't grown at all and might be beginning to show signs of calcifying. When I asked about the 6mm vs. 7mm he gave me the same answer you all have given me on here. He talked about the slices and how intricate a 1mm difference is. He said he thinks it was between 6 & 7 mm in July and still was between 6 & 7 mm in December. The bigger, 13.5 mm nodule at the base of my right lung was a different case. He said the way it developed and the way it looked gave every indication of it being an infection/inflammation. He even felt it could have been an early stage of pneumonia that the medication stunted before it could really blow up. Anyway, he said he really felt like it did not look like either lung cancer or metastases. He did say that the chest x-ray that was clean in early January didn't really give him any useful information. The nodule of the left is too small to show up on x-ray and the one on the right is basically hidden by the diaphragm. He is going to have me get another CT in April more for the bigger one on the right than the one on the left which he feels looks stable. If the one on the right hasn't grown or has gotten smaller, he said we will follow up in another year or so. He told me to get back to running, and not dwell on it. He said if he really believed anything looked suspicious he would move much more quickly. Anyway, I wanted to update you all. Hopefully I'll get good news in a few months. I hope you are all doing well and thank you once again for being so kind and caring to me through this experience. I really appreciate you all.

I appreciate you all so much and am praying you all continue to get positive news on your own battles. thank you all so much.

Tom, Mary and Bruce, I wanted to share what I felt was some positive news with you that I got today. Ive been wheezing the past few days so I went to my GP to see what he thought. Before he examined me he wanted to talk a little about my nodule concerns. He showed me a report from a ct I had in late September when I had a second kidney stone ER visit. Since it didn't mention the 6mm nodule found in my left lung in July, he requested that the radiologist that read my December ct checkup to go back and reread the sept ct as a favor. The radiologist found the nodule and measured it at 7mm, so between Sept. 27 and Dec. 22 there was no change which is a good sign. After he listened to my lungs he suggested I get a chest Xray to check on the bigger 13.5mm nodule as well as get a look at what might be causing my wheezing. He called me back a couple hours later and said he had some good news. The radiologist read the chest Xray as completely clean with no sign of pneumonia or nodules. Now, he was quick to point out that the Xray is not nearly as sensitive as a ct and that both nodules are likely still their but the fact that it found nothing meant that the 13.5mm nodule that was new in December had most likely not grown and very likely had shrunk some. He said a 13.5mm nodule would most likely show up. So my good news was that the left nodule is likely stable at the moment and the bigger nodule has shrunk or might even be gone if it was an infection. Im still going to a pulmonologist on Jan 23 and he will look over all my scans but this was a good day. Im still not out of the water and expect another ct this spring, but it was nice to get some positive news. i want to thank all three of you for taking time to inform and encourage me. I will keep giving updates and definitely plan on checking in often to keep up with you and others.

Saje, I certainly hope you find an answer soon and i will follow this thread with a huge interest since I'm just beginning my journey through the lung nodule jungle. I have a chest xray scheduled in two weeks to check on a 7mm nodule in one lung and a more concerning 13mm nodule in the other. I'm praying they are smaller like yours. The 7mm actually measured 6mm in July. When I questioned 1mm growth in it the GP and radiologist seemed to think 1mm wasn't a huge issue. Good luck to you. I hope you get positive answers.

Thank you Bruce. I hope you continue to have good health. I'm petrified. I know I shouldn't go down the google rabbit hole but I do and when I do, I read nothing positive about having one nodule in each lung. It seems bilateral almost always means malignant or mastastic. I'm trying to stay positive but am bracing myself for bad news. I only hope that if it is malignant it is caught at an early enough stage to give me a chance to beat it. I really love you guys. I need honesty and hope. I feel I get that here.

Thank you Tom. You have been a huge comfort, help and sounding board.

Thank you Mary. I guess you're saying that a 1mm difference might be documented by a radiologist but that small of growth might not really indicate growth. That eases my mind a bit. My GP seems to not be concerned with it. He also seems convinced the new one (13.5mm) they found on the right is incedental and due to infection or inflammation. My only concern is that I can't recall having any respiratory sickness or issues between July and December that would have caused the nodule to appear. He went ahead and gave me a z-pack but I've been coughing more since taking it than I did prior to the CT findings. Part of me worries that the nodule(s) are cancerous and symptoms are beginning to show up. Another part of me thinks I have read about lung cancer coughs and symptoms and I am subconsciously causing myself to have them. I'll hopefully get some solid information from the pulmonologist in a few weeks. Thank you again for the reassurance on the growth issue with the first nodule. One last question for you and Tom. Is it possible for the two single nodules, in two separate lungs, to be unrelated to each other like my GP is suggesting?

Thank you for the reply Tom. My heart goes out to all of those on here that have been diagnosed. I'm terribly fearful at this point and can't imagine the mental stress an actual diagnosis brings. My GP has been great and keeps telling me that all this is likely benign, incidental findings but when I research the topic I get less and less confident that it is. I have been thoroughly tested the past few years. Colonoscopy (April 2015) was clean. Diagnosed with likely IBS. CT scan in July that showed first nodule also showed kidney lesion. Ultrasound in August diagnosed lesion as simple benign cyst. 2nd kidney stone CT in September showed second kidney cyst. Oct. MRI diagnosed it as another benign cyst. Kidney Stone removal surgery in November was followed up with full abdominal ultrasound in early December to make sure everything was healing correctly. None of the CT's, Ultrasounds or the MRI found any red flags. Spleen, bladder, gallbladder, pancreas have been normal with no worrisome findings on any of them. That is why this last chest CT is so disheartening. I really thought I was in the clear. GP said even with two nodules the chance of cancer is small. Said any mastastic issues would have most likely been seen in one of the many test. He is convinced the first nodule is or will stablize and the second nodule is an infectious one that will not be an issue. I guess I'll find out more in a few weeks but praying he's right. Thank you and anyone else who reads this or comments on this. My wife gets tired of my worry and it's nice to talk about this without putting more of a burden of concern on her.

I recently had a CT during that found one nodule in each lung. The left nodule in the lower lobe was found in July during a visit to the ER for a Kidney Stone. It was measured at 6mm. A week ago I had a follow up CT that was a dedicated chest CT. The nodule in my left lung was measured at 7mm. They also found one on the right lung that was 13mm. The one in the right lung is also in the lower lobe and wasn't seen in July. The radiologist wrote that he suspected inflammation of infection on the right one and wants a chest x-ray in 4 weeks to recheck it. He, nor my GP seemed concerned about the 1mm growth in the left one and suggested a follow-up CT in 12-18 months on it. I thought that seemed strange and requested an appointment with a pulmonologist which has been set up to happen in about a month. Both nodules are non calcified, non spiculated with smooth edges. I am 49 and have never smoked. I am a worrier and am definitely concerned and consumed by this. Are bilateral nodules a huge red flag for cancer? Why would my GP and radiologist feel the 1mm increase from 6 to 7 not be a big deal? At this point I have not been diagnosed with anything and I hope me posting doesn't offend anyone who is fighting lung cancer right now. I'm just looking for information and advice while awaiting my appointment with my pulmonologist. Thank you for reading.