Shedevil7953

Saw my pulmonologist on 7/16 and the PET scan was clear. He said we'd watch it for 2 years and my next CT scan is in 4 months. The sample meds he gave me for the GERD have helped some. I'm not coughing as frequently or as hard. He told me it could take several weeks to see a big improvement. For the time being, I'll stay on the meds to see if things change. If not, he said I'd have an endoscopy. More wait and see but I'm just so glad nothing showed up on the PET! Thanks all for your support!

Just an update......there was a cancellation Weds afternoon with the pulmonologist so I got in. He's ordered a PET scan for July 7. He also thinks my severe coughing may be related to acid reflux. I've already been taking Prevacid for that but he wants me to double the dosage and he gave me a couple of other samples of meds to try until I see him again July 16. He told me that some conditions of acid reflux can actually cause pneumonia! I didn't know that. If the PET scan is clear, he wants to do another CT scan in 2 or 3 months to see if the nodule has grown any. Right now he said it's too deep in the lung to do a biopsy, but if it 'glows' in the PET scan, I'll have to have surgery to remove it. Neither he or I feel the nodule has anything to do with the coughing. I felt better after seeing him because I thought he would tell me I have throat or lung cancer. He said I'm not out of the woods yet. So, wait and see for now.

My GP is referring me to a pulmonologist. There are 3 nodules but 2 are much smaller than the 9mm one. He said most specialists won't biopsy until a nodule is at least 1cm. He's not convinced the nodule(s) are causing the severe coughing and I'm not either. I feel there is something in the throat area or bronchial tubes and that's what I'm going to emphasize with the pulmonologist. BTW, I was asked if I live near a large hospital or facility. I have access to several hospitals in Indianapolis but the largest would be IU Med Center. I will let you know what I find out from the pulmo. but keep reading the posts here for education. I'm also looking for a throat cancer forum............can anyone recommend a good one? Thanks for all of your support!

Thank you all for your kind and caring responses. My dr. appt is late in the day so may not have an update until tomorrow. It's relieving to know that there's a possibility that it is not lung cancer.

Thank you SO MUCH for responding! My symptoms have been a severe cough for over a year. I've noticed when I get hot (post menopause), I will cough so hard I have cracked my teeth according to my dentist. I never cough up blood but struggle to bring up mucous. This will happen several times a night and as a result, I'm not getting quality rest/sleep. I have been on hormone therapy for 5 years so it's not just that. If I'm doing any chores and overheat, I almost cough up a lung, no pun intended. It's been bothersome to say the least and I've pressed my doctor to pursue this further. Because my chest X ray came back clear at my annual physical exam in January, he didn't think anything was wrong!

This might be premature but I just got the results from my catscan from my doctor's office on Friday. A 9mm nodule in upper left lobe. I typed those words in my search engine because I didn't have a clue what that meant. One of the search results was this website. Needless to say, it scared the hell outta me. Lung cancer???!!! Well, I have smoked for nearly 40 years and have had a severe cough for over a year. I meet with my doctor tomorrow to discuss biopsy and PET scan. I have so many questions and need to be knowledgeable when I see him. At what point do I ask to be referred to a specialist? Thanks in advance for any responses!

I live just north of Indianapolis and have just been told I have a 9mm nodule in my upper left lobe by my doctor. I go in Monday to discuss biopsy and PET scan. Needless to say, I'm scared to death!