I had my 6mm nodule removed 2 weeks ago. I first heard and became aware of its existence 2 months ago and I got very real-like feelings almost immediately after hearing it: whole chest on fire for about a week and I started feeling this pain that felt like glass shards about the area where my nodule was located. Here's the twist: I have had this nodule in my lung for two years, albeit it was 2-3mm in size 2 years ago. And I never felt any chest pain.

First my oncologists told me that nodule of this size cannot cause physical symptoms yet, as lungs dont have many nerves to begin with which would make you even feel the pain. But despite this I continued to feel this pain in the chest. Running and exercising would take the pain away for two days but it would come back. Then I talked to another oncologist who told me that human mind can very easily create sensations that arent real. He also said that the nodule couldnt be the cause.

I later noticed that eating would take the pain away too.

After the surgery, I told the surgeon about these feelings, who is incredibly experienced and respected, told me that there is no way it couldve caused me any pain.

I didnt feel pain after the surgery. Well until I started palpating my neck for lymph nodes. It actually aggravated my right shoulder, causing pain on right shoulder, which is incredibly common pain for everyone. But then I also read about "referred pain" and pancoast tumor. Well I dont have pancoast tumor (knock on wood) and if there is any referred pain its most likely caused by the surgery I had only two weeks ago.

Despite this I started writing "pain diary" on my phone. Not only did I write my sensations in detail, I also wrote what I did during the day. After about two weeks after my surgery was done and after I had been keeping diary for 5 days, I noticed a correlation between the pain and my daily activities: long walks were heavly correlating with the intensity of my pain and any exercise would probably aggravate my postoperative lung to the point that my shoulder hurt. Also during the surgery my arm was bent over my head. I remember this because I woke in the surgery room with tubes down my throat and arm bent over like that; its abnormal pose. Only then I started thinking that this is most likely just overuse of my shoulder: walking, surgery, constant neck palpation, carrying, cleaning, raising elbow over shoulder level...

So after this I rested my shoulder for two days, with minimal movement, and I've noticed improvement. Also no more +5km hikes for at least another week or two. Letting my lung heal now.

If youre still reading this, I just want you to know that: Your symptoms can be trick of your mind, especially if they just so happen to appear after hearing something devastating. Constant worrying, hyperawareness and playing Dr. Google can really get your mind going.

Your symptoms can also be real but you have to try to be rational about them. It took me 2 months to become more rational about mine so I can't say its easy.

If you have feelings that concern you, you need to talk to your doctors. And try to figure out if there are things that make you feel more or less pain.