Lung nodules.. anyone else?
Good morning.
I haven’t posted in quite sometime. I have very bad anxiety and I can’t go on message boards too often that are about cancer.. it literally makes me think I have the symptoms of everyone else and I tend to obsess.
Anyway, I went to the doctor at the end of June because I was having rib pain and it was really bothering me. She ordered a ct scan and everything looked good, I did have a stone stuck in my common bile duct, that has been an ongoing problem for me since I had my gallbladder removed. However, the radiologist noted Tiny nodules in the left base measuring up to 4 mm. And said short term follow up in six months.
Sooo, as you can imagine.. I’m dealing with horrible anxiety. I switched clinics and unfortunately this clinic didn’t have any of my previous scans (there’s been plenty through the years) to even do a comparison. I know it was noted in one of my previous scans that I have scar tissue in my left lower lobe. I don’t know if it’s related or not.
My pcp and oncologist told me to try really hard to not worry, that nodules are incredibly common and they truly believe it’s not going to be anything.
Of course, that’s not good enough to my anxiety riddled mind. I feel like waiting six months is crazy. And I’m just plain scared. I’m trying not to let this ruin my summer and steal my joy. It’s just so hard.
I just wanted to ask if anyone else has developed lung nodules in the years since their breast cancer and were they ok?
I’m just trying to stay positive and hopeful.
I thank you all so much for any and all replies.
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Can you get your past scans? That's what I would probably try to do just so that we have a comparison. But if not, everything you've been told is correct from what I've read. Lung nodules are hugely common and if you have them where you know you have scar tissue it's probably just part of the process there. If you don't have symptoms there is no need to worry.
In saying that though I am well aware that it does nothing to alleviate you worrying. I do it, too, considering I have an anxiety disorder. So the next question I'll ask is do you have a therapist? A good therapist can help you keep things in perspective and even teach you techniques that help you live in the moment. And the moment is where eternal peace is at. Also perhaps medication may help? Cancer is life changing. There is no going back and to feel happy we all have to figure out how to live in a world that is completely different than what we once new. And that's incredibly difficult mentally and it's okay to need help with that from professionals.
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thank you for the response. I have requested all my previous scans be sent to where I’m doctoring now and my pcp said she will make sure that the radiology department has them for comparison from here on out. I am on meds for the depression and anxiety. I was seeing a therapist and she retired. I am on several waiting lists for a new therapist, I’m from a very small, rural community and they are so backed up. I’m waiting for my insurance to approve me seeing a therapist online, until I can get into one person to person. Thank you so much for your advice ❤️
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@mnmom93 , I'm sorry you have to join the group of us who are under surveillance for lung nodules. You can read about everyone's experience and join us on the CT and Lung Nodules thread.
Most nodules are benign but there is a protocol for following them which involves lots of waiting.
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thank you!!!!!
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I saw a research paper not long ago that stated that in early breast cancer patients with ‘silent’/asymptomatic, subcentimeter lung nodules and otherwise no evidence of metastatic disease, only 10% of patients with multiple nodules and 15% of single nodules ended up progressing. So, not zero risk but pretty low.
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thank you!!
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I had one nodule when I was diagnosed when I had my PET scan. They followed it up with a CT scan on three more occasions. - When I was going through chemo, when I finished chemo and 3 months after. When I had the last one, I had to let them know I had rads on one side so they knew to expect some scarring on that side. Different things can show up on a CT that are benign.
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