CT scan results-eric the red

[eric byrne]

Hi,

You may not know that CT are not the norm for follow up after chemo and surgery in the UK,the prefered option is a six monthly X-Ray,I however, was a bit uneasy about this particularly,when reading mailings on this site about the frequency of your follow up CT Scans,I was also impressed by the medical histories you have at the bottom of your mailings,to date I have never received any written reports from doctors or oncologists from the outset of my cancer journey,in taking advice I decided to finance my own CT scan (£475) the results are as follows-Quote "There are signs of a upper right lobectomy (no kidding?) there are signs of smoking related emphysema and fibrotic scars.I do not see any suspicious nodules within your lungs.A number of mildly enlarged lymph nodes are noted in the mediastinum.In the thyroid there are some structural changes".

Unfortunately to me its a bit of a rollercoaster,ups and downs,so Iam currently unsure if this report is good, bad or indifferent.Anybody out there want to share an opinion?.

[Muriel]

Hi Eric,

I'm really not qualified to offer an opinion. Nonetheless, I think the CT results are ok. Lots of things can cause lymph nodes to be enlarged. Maybe something to watch, but not a problem or the Dr. would have said so. Be sure to share the report with your primary care physician. All in all, it sounds good to me.

Muriel

[RandyW]

Eric if ya want the best possible answer to that question I would recommend going over to our Oncologists office at

http://cancergrace.org/

and posting this up! Dr. West is a certified lung cancer Oncologist who answers a lot of medical questions in his spare time (What Little He has of that one!) fro free and many of our members here are also members over there as well! SO ya wont have a lot of unfamiliar faces per se over there!!

[jaminkw]

I agree with Muriel that on the face of it, the CT sounds good to the untrained eye. But I'm with Randy too, do run it by Dr West and his colleagues at cancergrace. They're the experts and it's free. Do come back and tell us what you find out.

Judy

[fillise]

Eric--the CT scan sounds like a good one to me, but I also agree that you should run this by the Oncs at GRACE!

Susan

[eric byrne]

Thanks,

Judy,Murial and Randy,for your replies,I always enjoy reading your replies in forums.You know what would be great?that we all could meet at some location ,possibly in a hotel reception area,with the works thrown in band,food and maybe a wee dram or two thrown in,every guest has to wear a pin with their LCSC handle on it,and have to introduce themselves on the stage,maybe even throw in a song if they are up for it.OK maybe it would be a step too far,how about,since we are an international family,although primarily American,have a bit of fun and try to come up with a spot where you would locate this event and why?.

Where was I?Yes- I took your advice and sought an opinion from Dr West,got some excellent advice,upshot,I have a pre-arranged appointment with my oncologist on 14th April, and will pass on to him my CT scan report,certainly I should add that the information provided by Dr Wiess at GRACE has had a calming effect on my probably irrational nerves

Kind Regards,

Eric Byrne.

[ts]

Oh Eric,

Grace is having a Karaoke fundraiser in Seattle April 24. That's an option for you, but not likely to have many LUNGevity members in attendance as few are in the area (at least who post!) Even I will be skipping that one as I will be at the NLCP Summit in Florida that weekend.

Stephanie