The waiting…for a diagnosis

Posted by corywh @corywh, Mar 12, 2023

I went in to an urgent care clinic thinking I was going to get a steroid shot for early pneumonia and go home. I got sick 5 or 6 weeks ago and just can’t shake the cough.

They took an X-ray and said they were concerned… sent me for a CT… got a call that night saying I should go to the ER because my lung might be collapsing and they thought whatever is going on is malignant. This was last Friday. Needless to say my life has been turned upside down since.

Luckily my lung isn’t collapsing… but I’m scheduled for a biopsy on 3/20 (does it normally take that long?) they are going to do a rigid bronchoscopy. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Anyway, they have found apparently a 4cm mass in my right Hilar/mediastinal region. The lymphnodes are swollen or enlarged as well.

I’m 42 years old. I grew up in a family of smokers since I was basically a baby. I smoked. In recent years I vaped so I wouldn’t smoke. I suppose it makes sense it just feels way too early…. If that’s what it is. I’ve been googling like crazy and I am somehow clinging to hope that it could be something else like TB, but I’ve decided Google is bad so I’m just going to wait to see the biopsy results.

It just sucks. I’m in the prime of my life right now. We just welcomed a grandchild, I literally got the best job offer I’ve ever received after months of interviews two days after this happened… and I can’t even consider it right now if I have cancer.

Just wow. I can’t even wrap my head around it still. The waiting is the worst.

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bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Mar 25, 2023

Cory, I'm so sorry to hear this I sent you another message on a different post. I hope you get it! I sent two messages to you. I actually cried when I found out it was cancer,!( I was a little surprised to see the post and I was hoping so much it was something else. It just struck a chord with me. I'm sorry. I just wanted it to be an infection but certainly didn't think it would be cancer!! It sounds like it maybe early. Stage two would be an early cancer, even if it's a stage three it would be early stage 3. Your young age and the fact that there is so much they can do now is going to be so helpful in this fight. My pulmonologist told me just in the last 3 years how far they've come with treating lung cancer. There's going to be some bumps, even some hills but you're going to get through this! And keep that good attitude!! When you are faced with a mountain and you can't go over it, around it or under it - then carve your way through it!! Please keep us updated and ask any questions. There's a wealth of information on here!
Angela