1. < Lung Cancer

Mass on lung and lymph nodes

Posted by detroitmom23 @detroitmom23, Jan 4, 2023

I had a routine Cat Scan about a month ago and found large mass in lung and probability of surrounding lymph nodes. I have consultation this week to discuss best approach to biopsy and also setting up Pet scan. I’m beyond devastated and scared. I heard the needle biopsy is miserable. I feel certain I’m facing death and perhaps worse thing is telling my two adult daughters who already lost their dad when they were kids.

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bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @bellsina71 "I live in Wisconsin. I go through Aurora which seems to be pretty good. I have..." + (show)
@bellsina71

I live in Wisconsin. I go through Aurora which seems to be pretty good. I have an excellent oncologist already which I just saw November 17th. All my tests were normal. Now blood tests can't check for cancer but there are certain indicators on those tests and they went over the results again with me today and they said this is just perplexing cuz they were all normal. I have a pet scan on Friday I moved it up by going to a different hospital but I still don't see the pulmonary doctor until a week and a half after that so I'll be driving myself crazy. And then he'll schedule the broncoscopy. I understand your fear! I am terrified I can't even keep it together in the morning. I look at my granddaughter's cute little face when I'm taking her to school, and I think of what she's going through already. It's just too much. There's so much they can do though now, even in the last 3 years lung cancer treatments have come so far. So don't feel hopeless, and you may want to tell you're grown girls, they might want to be there to support you right now. It's got to be so hard keeping this all in! I don't know how you're doing that. Sometimes it's just better to say something and have that extra love and compassion from the people that care about you the most. And please have hope, and not only hope have faith because hope walks through the fire, faith leaps over it.

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I had to edit a couple things above, at first I added my edits here but I didn't know you could edit it and save it again. So ignore this little comment!

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bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @detroitmom23 "As I go through the nerve wracking period of waiting to get PET scan and biopsy..." + (show)
@detroitmom23

As I go through the nerve wracking period of waiting to get PET scan and biopsy done on lung, I was wondering if anyone else had symptoms that included shoulder pain, ear pain and even achy teeth. This is what sent me to Dr for cat scan in first place. It was at that time he suggested a lung screen and that’s when mass was found in lung. The neck scan showed nothing in neck. Waiting for results of head MRI done 2 days ago.

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I didn't have any of those symptoms, I started spitting up blood. But he did ask me about some of those symptoms when I saw him. I think he asked me about neck pain and shoulder pain. Nothing about the teeth though.

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bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @detroitmom23 "Thank you for thinking of me, it’s much appreciated. They are doing bronchoscope and putting me..." + (show)
@detroitmom23

Thank you for thinking of me, it’s much appreciated. They are doing bronchoscope and putting me under general anesthesia. I’m so grateful for that. Brain MRI done yesterday, PET scan next Saturday and Biopsy two days later. . Just numb dealing with all this 😞. Prayers appreciated!

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At least they scheduled your pet scan and biopsy within a couple days of each other I have to have my pet scan done, wait a week and a half to see my doctor and then he'll schedule the biopsy at that point. It sounds like you've got people really on top of it. I wish I had that a little bit more!

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detroitmom23 | @detroitmom23 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @bellsina71 "I live in Wisconsin. I go through Aurora which seems to be pretty good. I have..." + (show)
@bellsina71

I live in Wisconsin. I go through Aurora which seems to be pretty good. I have an excellent oncologist already which I just saw November 17th. All my tests were normal. Now blood tests can't check for cancer but there are certain indicators on those tests and they went over the results again with me today and they said this is just perplexing cuz they were all normal. I have a pet scan on Friday I moved it up by going to a different hospital but I still don't see the pulmonary doctor until a week and a half after that so I'll be driving myself crazy. And then he'll schedule the broncoscopy. I understand your fear! I am terrified I can't even keep it together in the morning. I look at my granddaughter's cute little face when I'm taking her to school, and I think of what she's going through already. It's just too much. There's so much they can do though now, even in the last 3 years lung cancer treatments have come so far. So don't feel hopeless, and you may want to tell you're grown girls, they might want to be there to support you right now. It's got to be so hard keeping this all in! I don't know how you're doing that. Sometimes it's just better to say something and have that extra love and compassion from the people that care about you the most. And please have hope, and not only hope have faith because hope walks through the fire, faith leaps over it.

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Thanks for getting back to me and for the words of encouragement. My pulmonary dr ordered a brain mri due some tingling in my arm. I had it done Saturday and the results got posted to my online patient portal today. I want to look but just can’t. My pet scan is Saturday and biopsy Monday. 60th birthday next Tuesday. It’s just so hard because I lost my mom a year ago on thanksgiving day and my girls were very close to her. This news will tear them apart. I pray constantly for strength and will include you as well. I mean that,

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2 replies
bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "@bellsina71, this is a repeat of the response I wrote to you in another discussion. But..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@bellsina71, this is a repeat of the response I wrote to you in another discussion. But it bears repeating perhaps? 🙂 Spitting up blood and being told you have a mass on your lungs is scary. There's no doubt about that! There are many different types of growths that can form in the lungs that are not cancer. Sometimes these may be benign conditions that are easy to treat or don't even require treatment. Lung nodules (or mass) are very common.

IF your mass is cancer, then you are doing everything right. You are in medical care and a PET scan has been scheduled.

The hardest job you have now is to de-stress while you wait. Not easy I know. But remember that no matter the outcome, being of healthy mind and body is your best bet. What things help you feel calm or distract you?

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Thank you so much for your comment! I guess I'm having a little hard time understanding the site and how to comment on things, without repeating myself somewhere else. I do understand that there is masses that can be nothing and I'm hoping for the best of course. I know there's many things they can do now., Even in the last 3 years they've come so far with lung cancer treatments. I am grateful that my lymph nodes look normal and I saw my oncologist not even 6 weeks ago and all my blood work was normal at that time. That is a little perplexing, but also not unheard of. I am trying very hard to de-stress myself. It is extremely hard to do. Especially in the morning when I'm getting my five-year-old granddaughter ready to school and I look at her and know that she's already gone through so much, and I can't imagine if something happened to me. Thanks for your kind words! I really do appreciate it.

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1 reply
detroitmom23 | @detroitmom23 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @detroitmom23 "Thanks for getting back to me and for the words of encouragement. My pulmonary dr ordered..." + (show)
@detroitmom23

Thanks for getting back to me and for the words of encouragement. My pulmonary dr ordered a brain mri due some tingling in my arm. I had it done Saturday and the results got posted to my online patient portal today. I want to look but just can’t. My pet scan is Saturday and biopsy Monday. 60th birthday next Tuesday. It’s just so hard because I lost my mom a year ago on thanksgiving day and my girls were very close to her. This news will tear them apart. I pray constantly for strength and will include you as well. I mean that,

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What was your experience with your previous cancer?

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1 reply
bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @detroitmom23 "Thanks for getting back to me and for the words of encouragement. My pulmonary dr ordered..." + (show)
@detroitmom23

Thanks for getting back to me and for the words of encouragement. My pulmonary dr ordered a brain mri due some tingling in my arm. I had it done Saturday and the results got posted to my online patient portal today. I want to look but just can’t. My pet scan is Saturday and biopsy Monday. 60th birthday next Tuesday. It’s just so hard because I lost my mom a year ago on thanksgiving day and my girls were very close to her. This news will tear them apart. I pray constantly for strength and will include you as well. I mean that,

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You've been through so much! This life is not easy, it's hard. If the tingling in the arm is the only reason he ordered the brain mri, I don't feel the brain scan is going to show any cancer. But this is just my feeling. I think you would be having more cognitive problems than just some tingling in your arm. Isn't it almost a curse that they put that stuff online so you can look? I mean it's good in many ways but I know what you mean. I don't want to look either but I'm also going to want too! I get my pet scan on friday. I hope it actually doesn't even get posted until the following week. I think you should tell your girls, I think you should let them be with you through this and support you, and have their shoulder to cry on, but not only that, you need encouragement and love right now! I just turned 52 in May. My mom just went through kidney cancer, it's been a rough year, and then to find this out! I'm trying to think positive but it's a little hard. It feels like everything is just crashing down. And I appreciate you keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, and I will do the same with you too. I really understand where you're coming from I have three kids of my own, and I raise my five year old granddaughter. She's been through so much already, looking at her makes me want to crack up thinking something might happen to me. But we both have to remember that there is so much they can do now for cancers. And it's so targeted!! So try to stay hopeful and have faith. If you want to talk anytime send me a message!!

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1 reply
bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "@bellsina71, I can certainly understand how scared you must be. A lung nodule (or mass) is..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@bellsina71, I can certainly understand how scared you must be. A lung nodule (or mass) is a small abnormal area that is sometimes found during a CT scan of the chest. It's natural that your first thought leaps right to cancer. There are many different types of growths that can form in the lungs that are easy to treat or don't even require treatment. @deedee1981's story is a good example of a mass not being cancerous.

IF your mass is cancer, then you are doing everything right. You are in medical care and a PET scan has been scheduled.

The hardest job you have now is to de-stress while you wait. Not easy I know. But remember that no matter the outcome, being of healthy mind and body is your best bet. What things help you feel calm or distract you?

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I just wanted to let you know also that this isn't just a little nodule, this is a 5.7 CM Mass on my lung. That's why I'm so scared. I agree that there's many lung nodules that are nothing, but when you're talking about something this large it is very scary.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @bellsina71 "Thank you so much for your comment! I guess I'm having a little hard time understanding..." + (show)
@bellsina71

Thank you so much for your comment! I guess I'm having a little hard time understanding the site and how to comment on things, without repeating myself somewhere else. I do understand that there is masses that can be nothing and I'm hoping for the best of course. I know there's many things they can do now., Even in the last 3 years they've come so far with lung cancer treatments. I am grateful that my lymph nodes look normal and I saw my oncologist not even 6 weeks ago and all my blood work was normal at that time. That is a little perplexing, but also not unheard of. I am trying very hard to de-stress myself. It is extremely hard to do. Especially in the morning when I'm getting my five-year-old granddaughter ready to school and I look at her and know that she's already gone through so much, and I can't imagine if something happened to me. Thanks for your kind words! I really do appreciate it.

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@bellsina71, to make it easier, I moved your similar discussion to merge it with this one so that you only have one place to connect with others like you. 🙂

I see that your nodule is 5.7 cm. Thanks for pointing that out. I had mis-read as 5.7 mm. Let's focus on the statement that it is less dense than typical for cancer as your doctor pointed out. Better to stay positive than to worry. Give that little granddaughter a hug.

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1 reply
bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023
In reply to @detroitmom23 "What was your experience with your previous cancer?" + (show)
@detroitmom23

What was your experience with your previous cancer?

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I had colon cancer at the age of 38. My brother died at 32 of it. I have a really weird genetic disorder called Lynch syndrome, and it causes certain cancers, colon cancer being the most common but it also causes stomach cancer, uterine cancer and women, brain cancer. Lung cancer isn't one of them. So all this time I've been watched like a hawk for Cancers and getting my blood drawn every year, and having endoscopies and sigmoidoscopy. Another alarming thing with this whole thing is that somewhere in the last 6 weeks I've lost 3 l of blood. My blood levels went from 12 to 9. My cancer doctor is not in but the doctor that's on call from ordered me to get an ferritin and iron binding test done tomorrow. I also have a scheduled ultrasound on my kidney, this is before all this happened and I'm having a mammogram done tomorrow. These are all just things I do every year. But the blood losses alarming because either I'm not making enough or I've lost it somewhere or I'm losing it somewhere I should say. They want to figure out what's going on that's why they're doing this test. On the 18th I have an endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy scheduled. So this is going to be one doctor appointment after the next for the next month!

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