Lisa L Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 I finally go see the pulmonologist tomorrow but I have a question? The original ct said 9mm nodule, I took a pet almost 3 weeks later and they call me no uptake, ok great, I have the disc but I had the imaging place email me the results today and it says 0.8 x 0.7 cm, so does that mean it got smaller in 3 weeks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 Hi Lisa It looks like one report was measured in millimeters & the other one in centimeters. My guess is that there’s some variability from the CT & PET scans. I’ve also been meaning to share with you my Mom’s story- we had a scare there for a while. My mom had a PET following her endometrial cancer & they found some small lung nodules about the same size as yours a few months ago. We thought she might have lung cancer. After a big gun eval at St Barnabus in NJ the nodules were not cancerous. I pray for you to have the same outcome! Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa L Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 Thanks for sharing, I guess when I saw that it was a little smaller it gave me some hope. I am so thankful your mom does not have lung cancer, that is encouraging. Hopefully the pulmonologist will give me some insight tomorrow, I just don’t think I’m going to do the watch and wait I’m making myself sick on a daily basis with worry. You are an inspiration...☺️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 CT scans may vary in the angle of the "slice" image it takes of the nodule. That's the reason some of my nodules appear to disappear/reappear. So it may well be that it's exactly the same size but appears different due to the different angle. As long as it's not getting bigger--ACTUALLY bigger--then a slight difference in the size as it appears on a scan doesn't necessarily mean anything. ETA: I suspect that's also the reason they wait what seems to be a long time for a re-scan. Doing a re-scan that shows a nodule as SLIGHTLY larger may not mean a thing but would cause a lot of unnecessary worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa L Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 Thanks Terry, he might want to wait another month for a ct scan because that will be 3 months, uggg I just don’t think I can do that, I think I will insist on having it now. This waiting is so hard because my mind is playing so many tricks on me as far as symptoms. So which mm should I go with the ct scan or the pet scan? Also the pet scan tech said no uptake at all not even a little, but when I read the report today it said .09 isn’t that a little? Maybe it’s because it so small, here I go freaking myself out again, this sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Well, suppose you have a scan now and it's exactly the same. Is that going to make it OK for you? Because the ONLY way to know for sure is to do a biopsy and it's too small to biopsy. My nodule was the same when I had a scan three months after it was first discovered. A year later it HAD grown and changed appearance, but it was still too small to biopsy. I relied on the judgment of my pulmonologist expert and went with the surgery at that point. Look, your pulmonologist is the expert. S/he will be the person in the best position to judge whether it's worthwhile to take a scan now. Don't forget, too many scans pose a risk, too. There's a lot of radiation you get with repeated scans. If everything looks fine, you might well be in a situation where, depending on what the doctor thinks is best, you might be looking at annual scans just to make sure nothing changes. I'm just speculating there. My point is, though, that you might never get the level of certainty you'd like to have. Good luck tomorrow--I hope you're able to get some peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 How did your appointment go today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa L Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 Thanks barb ..so I really am confused at this point, I really loved my pulmonologist he was very kind and knew I was very scared. So he wanted me to look at the pet scan with him and he said it’s not spiculated..and I see it is not it’s very round not jagged at all ..which makes me feel better ..so he said I will do another scan in April because it’s to small for biopsy and it’s to small for pet scan uptake which I had none ..he seemed really chill and didn’t feel he should get really aggressive with thoracic surgeon and just said we will rescan in April and if it grows or if it does not we will go from there ..also said that 50 % of the people that have the ct scan have nodules and most are benign..so I kinda feel better that the spiculation seems gone .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 That sounds very encouraging. There's really nothing to be confused about, is there? Basically, you have a small nodule they will re-check in a few weeks. As he told you, most nodules are nothing to worry about. It could be that the first radiologist didn't get a great image or misinterpreted something s/he thought was there. Please try to put it out of your mind until you go back for your scan. As small as this thing is, nothing bad will happen in that amount of time. Try to get some rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa L Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 Thank you Terry you have been such a wonderful support..I am going to take a 12 day vaca to Hawaii with my cousin and just not think about this for awhile ..hoping it’s nothin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 That’s all good news. Enjoy that trip and forget about it until April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 That’s good news Lisa. If the doc is telling you not to worry, take it. My nodule has shown up plus and minus a mm on different scans. I was told by the doctor that just the amount of air in your lungs when you inhale during the scan can affect that measurement. The lack of definitive diagnosis tools beyond a biopsy is a very frustrating part of lung nodules. Enjoy your three months scan free. You mentioned you were going away soon. Enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Lisa, I just read a "study" that states, unequivocally, Hawaiian vacations are the best therapy for troubling lung nodules..... Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa L Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 Tom that made me smile so big ..Curt I will be checking in on you ..you guys are the best. Love and Light ❤️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon L. Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 On 2/13/2019 at 10:10 PM, Lisa L said: Thanks barb ..so I really am confused at this point, I really loved my pulmonologist he was very kind and knew I was very scared. So he wanted me to look at the pet scan with him and he said it’s not spiculated..and I see it is not it’s very round not jagged at all ..which makes me feel better ..so he said I will do another scan in April because it’s to small for biopsy and it’s to small for pet scan uptake which I had none ..he seemed really chill and didn’t feel he should get really aggressive with thoracic surgeon and just said we will rescan in April and if it grows or if it does not we will go from there ..also said that 50 % of the people that have the ct scan have nodules and most are benign..so I kinda feel better that the spiculation seems gone .. I know how scared you are when I went for a lung cancer screening and they found my spot I was petrified but if your Dr is telling you what he is you should try to relax as they see this everyday and I personally think thet pretty much know from looking at scans if it’s something to worry about or not even before they do biopsy because they see it everyday. My surgeon didn’t believe in doing a biopsy he just wanted to go in & take it out since it was so small and he was right it was cancer but was grade 1a so I didn’t have to go any chemo or radiation. But I had been a smoker for over 25 yrs so he probably thought it was cancer. So try to enjoy Hawaii and not over analyze this right now. Trust your Dr. Good luck and I will be praying for you. 🙏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.