Zero-negative RA New diagnosis lung nodule

Posted by breakingbadmom @breakingbadmom, 21 hours ago

Hi, I am a 60 six-year-old woman with a history of on and off smoking. I am DNA positive for zero negative rheumatoid arthritis that is relentless. It goes into somewhat of a remission during infusions but on a daily basis, it’s annoying at its best. I have been having shortness of breath, which came on very fast and I’d say over a one month period and hoarseness when I talk a lot and I ended up going to the ER at the request of my doctor because my blood pressure was extremely high and my heart rate was very high and they did a chest x-ray because of the shortness of breath and found a lung nodule which they followed up immediately with a CAT scan, which showed a 1.4 cm x 1.0 cm nodule right upper lobe with irregular edges and irregular opacity. Primary care already scheduled follow up ct scan for 3 months and cardiology in 2 weeks. Pulmonary hypertension also showed up on ct scan.
I had a previous chest x-ray eight months ago because of shortness of breath and it was clear as was my chest x-ray the year before was also clear I am wondering if it’s a pulmonary nodule starting the RA lung issues. Any input welcome. Thank you.

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breakingbadmom | @breakingbadmom | 21 hours ago

It should read Seronegative!!!

Visually impaired and I use talk to text.

thisnthat | @thisnthat | 2 hours ago

Hi, @breakingbad mom!
With a strongly positive anti-CCP, guess I would be considered seropositive for RA. At age 65 an incidental 1.2 cm lung nodule was found on my CT cardiac scan, which one lung specialist described as solid, spiculated, and I believe non-calcified — although there was some disagreement as to whether or not there was any cause for alarm, as the radiologist was convinced the nodule was merely somewhat irregular in shape. It being in the upper lobe seemed to be a good thing, as apparently more cancer seems to occur in the lower lobes. After much back and forth, a needle biopsy was done, and the nodule was found to be completely benign. Although I had had much secondhand exposure to smoking as a child, no smoking history of my own. Apparently, the nodule was only a remnant of scar tissue. A true rhematoid nodule has a different histopathology, being composed of dead tissue and fibrin at its core, a wall of elongated immune cells, and inflammatory cells on its outer layer. Kind of doubt they can determine this without a needle biopsy. And with your history of smoking, they might want to be extra watchful.