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How do you deal with monitoring a lung nodule and anxiety?
Lung Health | Last Active: Jul 21 10:16pm | Replies (47)Comment receiving replies
@pedals- Good morning, and welcome to Connect. The word questionable instills fear in the best of us. But, it's also a positive word because it encourages more testing. There are some not-so- fancy words here. Opacity is a descriptive word for how a cell looks. It doesn't indicate anything until you have further testing. Cells look hazy in scans or X-rays. But because this is a scientific explanation, a more sophisticated word has to be used.
I also have a history of recurring nodules and they are scary. And they always have to be treated and followed. This has been going on since 1981. Does this scare me? Absolutely. Anxiety can ruin your life. I sometimes think that that word is my middle name. But you would benefit you greatly if you can get even a small handle on it. And believe me, I know that it isn't easy, but you can't allow your life to be ruled by illness. That's not living, and you are alive. What skills have you used in the past that get you through horrible times prior to this?
I'll be happy to help answer any other concerns or questions. Have you begun to make a list of questions to ask your doctor?
Replies to "@pedals- Good morning, and welcome to Connect. The word questionable instills fear in the best of..."
How exactly do they treat your lung nodules? Does the doctor ever venture a cause for the nodules? I've had quite a few lung nodules on the outside of my lung lobes, but doctors do not have an idea what causes them. One said the cause was merely breathing dirty Los Angeles area air. Another pulmonologist said it likely breathing in rubber particles which are shed from car tires as they traverse the freeways. My number of nodules has decreased in number and size (largest was 6 mm in size), so the doctor has said I need no more CT scans and he will not need to see me again. Apparently until they hit 8 mmm in size, then they decide if they want to biopsy the largest nodule(s) or not. The only thing I do at home is to wear a KN95 face mask when I scoop out the cat litter boxes which generate dust as I do that activity. I suppose I should wear one when mowing the lawn, but I have a very small yard and mow the grass infrequently. I may get another lung CT scan in 2 years or so, I doubt if the doctor has a follow up plan like that. I stopped being anxious about the condition, although at first I had anxious thoughts about the possibility of cancer. Since none of the nodules never got large enough to warrant a biopsy, it's a dead issue now. Filter the air that you breath if they are dusty or are like hair spray aerosols. Vacuuming of carpets generate a lot of dust particles too.
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Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I do have a list of questions for the pulmonologist. I have a therapist who I am working with for other things and see her this afternoon. Waiting to hear back from pulmonologist’s office to schedule appt.