Unrelated CT Scan - Unexpected results! What now?
Hi All,
In the last few months I have been dealing with what I believe to be silent reflux. Symptoms are mainly post nasal drip, coughing and throat clearing. First GI doc agreed to an endoscopy but said "nothing to see here". Second opinion Doc took me seriously and arranged another endoscopy with a 96 hr Bravo test and agrees I have mild acid reflux and I am trying a PPI. However, after waking from my lovely propofol nap after the second endoscopy, I was in a lot of pain which led the Doc to arrange for all sorts of tests before he would let me go home. One of the tests was a CT scan with contrast (they were worried I had a perforation). Eventually they cleared me to go home but a day or so later I was sent a copy of the Radiologist's findings and there it was, half way down the page, "Right middle lobe Bronchiectasis present". There was some other stuff like "chronic infiltrates" and "tree in bud densities" and just to top it all off an 8mm nodule. My eyes just kept getting wider and I started to hyperventilate. Just kidding but it definitely got my attention.
GI doc has said nothing about all this and unfortunately I don't currently have a PCP as the last two went Concierge on me.
I'm 67(F) and, apart from the recent reflux, I thought I was pretty healthy. No on-going prescription meds. However, I am the type that always gets a cough after a cold. Sometimes it lingers and I have had pneumonia 3 times in the last 12 years or so. I've also, in the past, had a chronic cough caused by a sinus infection. Everything clears up with antibiotics.
Never smoked but subject to a fair bit of second-hand smoke including from both parents til aged 12 and 10 years spent as a Flight Attendant in the "good old days" when smoking was still allowed. Oh, and my mother smoked while pregnant with me.
I feel fine. Walk 2.5 miles at least 5 days a week. No shortness of breath. Some weightloss from the very restricing Low Acid Diet for 8 weeks. But I do cough a bit most days generally a couple of hours after eating which lead me down the Acid Reflux rabbit hole in the first place. My only silver lining in this entire sad tale is that I live within 20 minutes of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale/Phoenix. I have requested an appointment and am waiting for a call back. My question to all you lovely people is, if I get the cold shoulder from the Mayo as I have in the past or their appointments are just too far out, should I try and find someone else? Any suggestions?
Thanks for reading.
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I have a history of bronchitis, asthma, nodule in my lung, interstitial lung disease and reflux. I've had five laminectomy and fusion surgeries lumbar, cervical and thoracic for unstable scoliosis, herniated discs, sciatica from a hemorrhagic cyst and screws replaced with larger screws due to arthrodesis. After the last thoracic surgery on 1/30/2023, I have been having severe back pain from T-2 to T-8 and rib pain wrapping around my thoracic spine at these levels. In the various CT scans and MRIs done for the surgeries, emphysema and COPD were detected but not commented on or discussed. Bronchiectasis was detected during pre-surgery testing for the last thoracic surgery. My pulmonary/sleep doctor hasn't had me do anything about it nor has he discussed anything about the condition. My question is, could this possibly be the cause of the pain around my chest at the thoracic level making breathing difficult? Thank you for any insight you might have as bronchiectasis patients.
I'd assume no ; emphysema COPD bronchiectasis usually don't cause chest pain.
With the surgeries, the mentioned conditions which I don't know, ... there may be other reasons
OP here with an update. I heard from Mayo today. I have been given an appointment date of June 23rd. The gal on the phone said the Doc did not see the need to expedite an appointment so this was the first available. I did ask if the Doc I was seeing was for the nodule or the BE and its seems he's the nodule guy but I'm hoping he also looked at the previous CT comments about the BE and didn't see enough to warrant an emergency appointment so I guess I have to wait. I do plan on bugging the heck out of them at least once a week and see if I can snag a cancellation slot:)