I'm another of those currently watching some non-calcified nodules. I was asymptomatic at the beginning of all this, but now have developed moderate asthma (never been on an inhaler in my life...'til now ) Some of my labs are a little off (i.e. High serum calcium, CEA elevating, but still normal) My largest is 1.1cm and even the experts at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale say they won't normally touch 'em till they are almost 2cm!!! The problem is that they (the docs) can do alot more damage, and perhaps still end up with a non-diagnostic sample (i.e. May show no cancer, but that may be because they didn't get enough sample)
However, your symptoms sound EXACTLY like Valley Fever, aka Coccidioidomycosis (whew...that's mouthful) a fungus present in large amounts in much of the soil of the desert Southwest. Ask your doctor for a Serum Test AND a skin test (much like the fixative-titer given for TB) VF WILL cause pneumonia, flu-like symptoms, headaches, joint pain, liver pain, swollen nodes, etc. The lung nodules that can be left behind (only 5% of people with VF ever even develop symptoms, but for that 5% symptoms can be severe!) usually will eventually cavitate, causing bleeding. VF can disseminate to the bones, skin, liver, even the brain - causing meningitis. There is no cure, but it can be treated rather effectively with anti-fungals, and occasionally surgery.
As for the wait & watch...I know, it makes you nuts, but it sounds like a good eye is being kept on it. Keep up on your CT scans, and I would recommend NOT accepting simple XRAY observation. They don't reliably see nodules smaller than 1.5cm. PET will probably not be helpful either, as I understand it does not reliable show uptake in sub-centimeter lesions, or less metabolically active tumors (i.e. BAC)
TRY to not let this make you crazy...believe me...I think that is the worst damage these little suckers cause us If you would like more info on VF, please feel free to PM me. In the meantime I'll try to find some of the info. I have on VF - as well as on nodules.
6mm nodule upper left lobe - strange symptoms
in INTRODUCE YOURSELF!
Posted
Hi stacey
i had blood test shows no vf now or before but I had biopsy of mass and they say vf