mdsum1

My daughter volunteers at our local hospice. During her training she was told that a teaspoon of sugar on the back of the tongue was helpful for hiccups. A neighbor was having problems with hiccups when he was over and tried this and they stopped right away.

I am so glad that people are starting to be more aware of the need to have colonoscopies for screening. My father was diagnosed with colon cancer in April 2004 underwent major surgery in May ending up with an ileostomy just to find that the cancer has spread to his lungs in July. He passed away in August 04 never having recovered enough to receive even one chemo treatment. His surgeon highly recommended that any children he had be tested routinely starting at the age of 40. So far 3 have been tested with 2 having polyps but thank goodness they were not cancer. Don't put off your colonoscopies...they may not be fun but they could save your life!

I had a a few nodules that had been watched over a period of time and was referred to a thoracic surgeon because one had grown to over 2.5cm. I asked the surgeon about having a PET scan b4 biopsy and he said that he would do that if I wanted but that there were many false results and the only way to be certain would be a biopsy. I had the VATs procedure done and it was not cancer! If there ever was a question of nodule growth again I would do it again. Hoping you get good news also with your biopsy.

Stacey, I would probably see if I could get in to see a thoracic surgeon. He's the one that would do the VATs so I would think he would know if he could find and remove a nodule of that size. My family Dr sent me directly to the surgeon and I never saw a pulmonary Dr until after the biopsy results were back.

Dear Connie, They did the biopsy using video assisted thoracoscopy or VATs. I believe the nodule was 2.2cmx1.3cm and was indicated as suspicious of neoplasm according to the CT report. I didn't see anything in the reports prior to surgery indicating what size the other nodule removed was. I'm guessing they found it during surgery. The third nodule in the opposite lung is only 5mm and has not changed. The surgery wasn't too bad. It was done on Monday morning and I was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon. I was sent home with oxygen for 2 weeks but have been able to get rid of that. No, I am not a lung cancer survivor. I joined this site in 2004 after my Dad had surgery for colorectal cancer and then they found nodules in his lungs. They were unsure if this was a new primary or mets from the colon cancer. As it turned out they were mets from the colon cancer. My sister in law was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in December 2004. She has done 30 radiation treatments but could not tolerate the cisplatin/etopiside after just a few treatments. She is doing well now but I feel it's best to find out as much as you can about your treatment options before you are forced to make a hasty decision. Myra

I had a lung biopsy in January due to a nodule that had increased in size. They actually took 2 biopsies. One showed scar tissue from bronchitis/pneumonia and the other the pathologist said is BOOP (bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia). Whew...that's a long one. I still have a nodule in the opposite lung that they're watching but I'm pretty sure it's more of the same stuff. So there is no sign of cancer at all.

I would call and let them know. Recently I was sent home w/oxygen after surgery and not only did the hospital give me a tank to take on the ride home but the oxygen company was at my house already when I arrived 15 minutes later!

I found a link similar to one of the reports I had previously read on the American Lung Society website. Just did a search for air cleaner and came up with this info http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/cont ... &ct=621541 This also looks helpful http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/cont ... 6&ct=67133

I found a link similar to one of the reports I had previously read on the American Lung Society website. Just did a search for air cleaner and came up with this info http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/cont ... &ct=621541

I have ran across articles stating that the room air purifiers do not do what they claim to do and that they are a scam. I am not sure as I don't own one. We have 2 media air cleaners as well as a UV germicidal lamp for air quality. The media air cleaners work well and I can always tell when the UV lamp needs changed. I can still smell kitchen odors (garlic, fish etc) in the air the following morning after cooking if the UV lamp needs changed. It must be doing something right if it can take the smell out of the air.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I went ahead and did the VATS procedure partially because family were really pushing me to get it done. Anyway preliminary biopsy while I was still out said that it isn't cancer! I know that it was about 2.2cmx1.3cm earlier in December but I'm not sure how much it has grown since they discovered it 1.5 years ago. The Dr. has not told me what he thought it might turh out to be but I'm sure anything should be a better diagnosis and I should know for sure on my return visit in about 2 weeks. Thanks Andrea...your assurance that your Mother said it wasn't that terrible helped me decide to just get it done with. Thanks to Ry and Lisa too. I have met Dr. Kalemakrian (he is my sister in laws Dr at UofM) and I thought he was just great. I didn't try to make an appointment with him because he is an oncologist and I am just trying to determine what I have. If I did have lung cancer you can bet he would be the first person I would think of.

Hi, I have had 3 CT scans in the last 1-1/2 years. They have been watching 2 spots in my lungs. 1 remains stable and the other has increased in size & density in the last 2 scans. The second report did mention that the coarse density is suggestive of scarring. The last repost suggested a biopsy due to suspicion of neoplasm. I was to a cardio/thoracic surgeon who recommended the VATS biopsy. This seemed a little invasive to me so I asked about other ways to obtain a biopsy or PET scan. He said a needle biopsy was usually inconclusive (I've heard this b4) and that a PET scan would not rule out cancer as he has seen that happen before. I'm scheduled for surgery on 1/2 but I'm not really sure I should do this. He said the chances of cancer are 50/50. So now I read the post from Stacy and am thinking about false positives again and whether I really need to go through this. What do you think?

Connie, My SIL did'nt do well with the 3 days of chemo she had and ended up in the hospital for 8 days due to blood counts and dehydration so they scraped the chemo. She did get 30 radiation treatments and that has shrunk the tumor by 50% which is good. She finished radiation 2/22 but is still having problems eating due to pain and she has to go to the hospital to be hydrated 1 to 2 times a week. The Drs haven't mentioned what they plan to do in the future and my SIL prefers not to ask about future treatment plans so I guess we'll take it step by step. Thanks for asking.

Thanks everyone. I'm pretty sure it will turn out okay. Connie, I joined the group last July when they were trying to determine if nodules they found in my Dads lungs were a second primary cancer or mets from colo/rectal cancer. Turned out they were mets and my Dad passed away in August. I wish I had found a board this great for colon cancer. As it turns out my SIL was diagnosed with stage IIIB NSLC last November. I've only posted a couple of times but I read all of the posts and follow the progress of everyone.

I had a CT done last July and they found a small nodule in my lung. Radiologist suggest long term 3-4 month CT to watch for growth. I had another CT in October which they said was okay. Just got results from a week ago that the nurse said showed slight progression in the lesion. I was okay with the nodule being there as I believed it to be scar tissue from a severe case of chicken pox pneumonia I had 16 years ago. They have scheduled me an appointment with a pulmonary specialist next week. I guess I was wondering if it could still just be scar tissue...does scar tissue keep growing? I'm also wondering exactly what is going to happen at the pulmonary Drs when I go for that appointment.