1 cm lung cancer tumor with COPD & emphysema: Anxious

Your general health going into this is an important factor in your recovery. That you do exercise in the form of those daily walks will work in your favor.

Please know that only a biopsy can determine if something is cancerous. The PET scan looks for areas of high probability. Sometimes there is something about the appearance of the nodule that suggests it might be cancer. There are hundreds of reasons a nodule might read a high SUV on a PET scan.

You mentioned that it solidified. Was it described last year as a ground glass nodule or opacity? That is often an indication that it is cancerous. That it has only grow 1mm in a year is good news. It means it is slow growing and not very aggressive. NSCLC tends to double in size every 7 months.

Surgery is usually only done with curative intent. Somethings you can do to help your recovery are to sleep in a recliner and walk a bit everyday. In cold weather it's ok to walk around inside your home. The hospital with affiliated practices I go to has covered hallways and connecting buildings. There's a one mile route that many use during inclement weather.

Denzie: Thank you so much for your informative and hopeful reply.

It was a ground glass nodule that solidified. My pcp thought it was cancer immediately and the PET confirmed his analysis.

I just finished a 2 mile walk 70 percent or so uphill with no issues. My blood saturation remained at 96 97 the entire time.

My Doc is very optimistic about my having VATS and has referred me as an excellent candidate for surgery.

I have been reading studies and people's comments here. Some frighten me and some cause me to be hopeful.

I guess we shall see.

Thank you so much for taking the time for sharing your thoughts. I will be looking forward to more.

May God bless you.

Frank

@franki24, hi, I read your message and know basically what you’re experiencing, I’m a two time cancer survivor also in the lungs. I remember when they found a suspicious nodule in the upper left lobe, it was too small for biopsy so they waited and it became cancer three years later. It was six months into the pandemic and the doctor said a lobectomy was the best course to take, I was totally on board with that because I wanted rid of it. I wasn’t as physically fit as you are but recovered nicely over a few months. It’s amazing what they can do today and so many new treatments are coming up now for people like us, years ago lung cancer was pretty much a death sentence but today with scans and early detection people are living for years after diagnosis..there’s several people here that are surviving nicely with stage four cancer so that’s amazing and very encouraging for all of us. I’m feeling confident that you are in a good place, early detection combined with good health, you will no doubt ace this, all the best to you and looking forward to hearing from you later when it’s all behind you.

Frouke: I just arrived home from visiting my wife's family. I was having a mild panic attack/depressive moment. Your words struck me like a thunderbolt to my heart. I cannot explain to you the wave of relief that came over me. How thoughtful, kind and generous of you to send such optimistic and uplifting words.

I will keep you posted and please let me know that you are well.

My most fervent appreciation to you.

Frank

Hi Frank ( @franki24 ), Kudos to you for keeping active even with the multiple diagnoses. Exercise can help to clear our minds of the clutter too. This is a stressful time for you, but it sounds like you are on the right track and have a good team behind you. Do you also have a pulmonologist? It may be interesting to get their take on the history of your scans.
If you get to the point for surgery, remember that it is never easy, but what we envision in our minds can often be worse than what we experience. It's normal to feel stress in anticipation of that day. Hopefully the video visit with the surgeon puts you at ease.

Hi Lisa: so sweet of you to take the time to write such generous words.

It is seemingly impossible to get anyone to see me quickly. The surgeon is a week away and the pulmonologist isn't until early February. I am having a rough day. It seems in many ways hopeless to me. I can't get anyone to return a call. I take full responsibility for the choices I have made in my life. It just seems that the delays have been going on since early December. I asked to see a pulmonologist last year and was told there was nothing in my scan to see one.

My doctor was quite sanguine about my prospects for surgery but now seems to think it needs to be done quickly. I am so disappointed.

I guess we'll have to wait and see. Thank you again for your thoughtful gesture.

Frank

Frank, @franki24 , The appointments never seem to come fast enough, do they? Waiting is quite difficult. I don't mean to contradict your primary doctor who knows your case well, and I'm not a doctor. I'll speak in general terms, not specific to your case, if we are not experiencing symptoms, waiting a few weeks usually isn't going to have much impact. I tend to believe that unless I have pathology to confirm a nodule/mass is cancer, then I don't know for sure (again, just my take). A year ago, I had a new 1cm nodule show up on a CT scan. The PET showed 'uptake'. My oncologist was gearing up to change my targeted therapy treatment thanking that it was failing. After two biopsies we determined that the nodule wasn't cancer, it was inflammation reacting to a fungus. Our lungs are sensitive, they react to all sorts of things; cancer and otherwise.
Back to the waiting, we've all been in that situation, and it's not easy. Hoping that your appointments come soon. Hugs.

Hi Lisa:
Very kind of you to take the time to offer some perspective. I had a conversation with the nurse in the surgeon's office. She was looking at CT AND PET SCANS..

She suggested that it seemed to be slow growing and was not certain it was malignant. She suggested that our appt on the 20th would give us plenty of time as the PET showed no spreading or lymph node involvement. They want to take a history, PFT and stress test and then make a time for VATS.

I can be anxious and depressed when I become consumed with something as I am with this. Because the nodule solidified from what it was everyone is suspicious of malignancy. I have been doing a lot of reading and understand why.

I just hate being in this situation and am doing my best to process events and information as reasonably as I can. I also happen to be juggling several life balls and it makes for a level of uncertainty which is difficult to ignore.

Thank you for sharing your story and for providing an alternative way to think about all of this. It means a great deal to me that you take the time and effort to do that.

Thank you for the hugs and I hug you right back.

I have no choice in the matter but to wait. It is not my best quality. Ha ha ha

I hope you are well and thank you again.

Frank