Ugh Scan Time

[Lisa L]

Hey Terry,  my first ct said 9mm, pet ct said 8mm and this ct after 4 months said 9.7mm, so with that said all scans were different machines and my pulm said they all could be off by 1 or 2 mm.  He didn’t have my first scan so I dropped it off yesterday and he wants to put them all side by side and call him tomorrow.  I felt like he was kinda pushing a ct guided biopsy and thought they could get a good sample, but I just don’t trust that with this  size that I could get a false negative and maybe a collapsed lung.  What I am really confused about is the first ct def said irregular borders and spiculated, pet-ct did not say any of that and this one said oval and slightly  Spiculated.  So honestly I do not feel like it’s changed at all it could have been 9.7 the whole time and I’m leaning towards another 3 month scan.  He is looking more at my dad passing away from LC and my smoking history.  What do you think?  ❤️

[LexieCat]

I'd go by what your doctor thinks, not what I think. Forget about what the descriptions in the reports say.  He's looking at them and he will have his own opinion of what he sees, and he is the expert. If I had to guess, based on the variations, then it sounds to me as if there has most likely been no change at all. Even the exact same machine can have variations if the angle is just slightly different. If he thinks he can get a good biopsy, maybe that will put your mind at ease.  That may even be why he's suggesting the biopsy--because you've been so stressed out over it, rather than a real suspicion that it's cancer.  I'd ask him.

Incidentally, I think if it were me, I'd want to sit down with him and have him explain what he's seeing on the scans.  Not that you are likely to see understand it nearly as well as he does (I have a hard time making heads or tails--or lungs--out of the images I've seen), but at least you won't be trying to picture what it is he's looking at.  I think that would be a bit more reassuring than a phone conversation about it.  Just my two cents.

[Curt]

I got different sizes on all of my scans, they were all up or down a mm.  Just breathing in more or less when you hold your breath for the scan can change the size.  It can also change the way it looks in some ways.  I don’t know if you’ve seen one but it’s unbelievable to me that they can tell anything from them.  I really hope their are better diagnostic tools in the future.  Prescreening is great, but the tools to diagnose need to be better.  If you are uncomfortable with your doctor’s recommendation you can get a second opinion.  I did.  It turned out to be the same recommendation from both.  

[Tom Galli]

Lisa,

To support Lexie’s idea of sitting with your doctor as scans are reviewed, I had a similar experience with my surgeon. All my thoracic procedures included a presurgical consultation where my doctor showed various scans and explained what he saw and how he would perform the surgery. While we didn’t understand everything, our questions prompted more explanation and understanding. 

My surgeon kept telling me the difficulty of understanding size and shape of tumors soft tissue. The picture only is revealed during surgery. We were fascinated by his explanation of how he’d achieve clean margins in tissue surrounding the tumor: nibble a bit of tissue and send it to Sam the pathologist for a real time visual confirmation. 

Stay the course. 

Tom

[Lisa L]

Hey guys,  my pulm doc showed me the pet-ct scan and explained it to me, that’s when he said it didn’t look spiculated and then showed me spiculated nodules.  He called me today after comparing all 3 scans, and it’s kinda a problem that it was from 3 different machines, so with that said he said they all look similar and thought they all looked round and smooth edges, I’m like what’s up with the spiculated which he basically said he thought the radiologist were maybe a little aggressive with the terms,  so the bottom line is he doesn’t think it’s changed in a 4 month period, he said we could do a biopsy or we could do another scan in 3 months and I chose that.  I just don’t trust a biopsy when it’s this small, I think I might get a false negative.   He said that was fine and if it had lit up on pet or had obviously grown he would be more aggressive with the biopsy, but also I think about you Curt and Bridgette and the nodule didn’t light up but also I know you guys fooled with this for like a year and I’m almost 5 months into it, so again I’m going to just forget it for awhile and live my life, take another trip and enjoy life. Love and light ❤️

[Curt]

I watched my nodule for 11 months.  I had three scans and a PET over that time.  If it’s not growing waiting and seeing is a good option. 

[LouT]

Great news Lisa. Wonderful idea to live on and let the scan come when it comes. A nodule that isn't reactive in a PET scan and hasn't grown sure seems like good news to me. Enjoy everyday in the meantime and it appears that future scans will confirm the doctor's opinion. 

Lou

[Lisa L]

Thanks Lou, I have been following you and I am sorry that it was LC but also caught very early which is wonderful news.  I am so glad you found this forum everyone here is so amazing, uplifting, encouraging and I love them all.  Love and light ❤️

[Rower Michelle]

Sounds like a grand plan to me Lisa.  Enjoy the weekend.  So where’s the next trip? Live life and laugh hard every day!  Hugs.  

[Lisa L]

Michelle, as you know my mom passed away in December and so my cousin who I did not know very well but was close to my mom has really been there for me and I took her to Hawaii and we had a blast and I told her if this nodule has not grown then let’s go to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic so I booked us today after I talked to my pulm doc for a week May 20...I’m excited...she is on my moms side and reminds me of my mom so much..she has never traveled and so I’m kinda spoiling her because I am now divorced and I have no kids so why not...anyway I will always keep up with you guys. Love and light ❤️