Living with lung cancer - Introduce yourself & come say hi

Hi, I kind of stumbled onto this site. I had a recent CT scan that showed a nodule in my lung and 3 spots on my liver. I am 69 and a smoker. I have a PET scan this Friday. Supposed to get a lung biopsy but not scheduled yet. I am terrified. My Pulmonologist is not the most compassionate person and said this is aggressive and gave me a couple of pamphlets.

I am so upset and angry!! I have had other issues going on for some time they never coukd figure out. I started having a chronic cough, maybe in Sept. I mentioned it to my PCP and Pulmonologist who said to quit smoking. The cough continued and I about insisted on a chest X-Ray, which showed some interstitial disease and narrowing. The cough continued. I saw the ads on TV about LDCT and contacted the doctors again and was told Sutter Gould does not offer it and does not follow those guidelines. Cough continued
and I wanted this test done. Nothing available within 50-100 miles from me. Contacted my Pulmonologist again. He finally said he would order a CT, if it woukd make me feel better, but it would probably not show anything. Into December, had the CT, and got a message to call the office ASAP. I saw him yesterday and got the results. Now, it has spread! I am angry, scared, depressed and have no idea where to turn. Closest, large treatment centers near me are Stanford and UCSF, neither of which are the top places to go. There is Mayo in AZ and MD Anderson in Texas. It would be difficult to travel and I have no support except my husband who is no support. I just do not know what to do. Sorry this is so long. Anyone have any successful treatment for this? Not staged yet but not looking good.

Thank you so much for replying, Linda. I can it get my mind past this. Messaged most of my doctors. The only one I trust here is my GI Doctor. He wrote and said wait for the results of the tests but is concerned they see it in lymph nodes. Nobody mentioned lymph nodes to me jyst showed me the 3 spots on the liver. I cannot see us traveling, esp to the East Coast. Unfortunately, my husband is having health issues and had a stent put in a couple of months ago and stupidly having issues with his BP. Our kids do not live close to us and have their own lives and jobs. My PCP sent a message they can do hete what they do at Stanford. There are very few decent doctors or Specialists in the Central Valley and more and more have to go to the Bay Area. My neighbor had to take her husband over there again today. Hard to believe but a friend died of lung cancer a couple of years ago, a bit younger, smoker. Got a call just 3 nights ago another friend passed of lung cancer, 68, probably quit smoking 40 years ago and she was going to Stanford! Some part of me is angry only because I took care of fami,y and my parents for years. My mother passed at age 95 almost two years ago. Oh, I would not have done things differently but this was the first time in years I had nobody to worry about and now this. And, I am so damn upset and nervous. I am smoking!!!

Who else could make a referral?

Hi, I kind of stumbled onto this site. I had a recent CT scan that showed a nodule in my lung and 3 spots on my liver. I am 69 and a smoker. I have a PET scan this Friday. Supposed to get a lung biopsy but not scheduled yet. I am terrified. My Pulmonologist is not the most compassionate person and said this is aggressive and gave me a couple of pamphlets.

I am so upset and angry!! I have had other issues going on for some time they never coukd figure out. I started having a chronic cough, maybe in Sept. I mentioned it to my PCP and Pulmonologist who said to quit smoking. The cough continued and I about insisted on a chest X-Ray, which showed some interstitial disease and narrowing. The cough continued. I saw the ads on TV about LDCT and contacted the doctors again and was told Sutter Gould does not offer it and does not follow those guidelines. Cough continued
and I wanted this test done. Nothing available within 50-100 miles from me. Contacted my Pulmonologist again. He finally said he would order a CT, if it woukd make me feel better, but it would probably not show anything. Into December, had the CT, and got a message to call the office ASAP. I saw him yesterday and got the results. Now, it has spread! I am angry, scared, depressed and have no idea where to turn. Closest, large treatment centers near me are Stanford and UCSF, neither of which are the top places to go. There is Mayo in AZ and MD Anderson in Texas. It would be difficult to travel and I have no support except my husband who is no support. I just do not know what to do. Sorry this is so long. Anyone have any successful treatment for this? Not staged yet but not looking good.

Thank you. I was reviewing my messages and I was trying to address this cough with two dictirs since Sept and all I got was "quit smoking". Going back to Mayo is just not a possibility. My husband is dealing with health issues and I have nobody else. Anyone ever been to Mayo in AZ? Stanford? UCSF? I get the PET scan today. I am so nervous over all this, I feel sick.

Who else could make a referral?

Welcome and glad you found this site! I'd RUN FROM any medical place that said it "doesn't follow" the current guidelines on CT scans. At 58, it's what helped identify mine in March while it was still small enough to do surgery. In my case, when putting together questions for the local surgeon that our docs recommended I found that although he had a good reputation the hospitals around us were way down the charts. And, so we contacted Mayo and made an 8 hour drive only to pull into the hotel parking lot and see license plates from way further than we'd driven. The sense of calm that people have in a place where everyone has trust in the care (and by lunch when a doctor carrying his lunch stopped because we looked lost we knew it was more than even the medical care) just can't be overstated. Also, I'm not sure I understood @llwortman as far as triple the price. I didn't do a $ comparison, but at home they said after surgery I'd be in the hospital a week, with the first 2 nights in ICU. Well, at Mayo they said I'd be in the hospital 4 nights and I'd be up walking the 1st night- and I was! So, even if they charged more per day there were no ICU nights and less total days. I know that saved me, in sanity alone. Best wishes!

I had blood work done this morning. The test results in all look ok. Actually, I am sitting here now killing time waiting tondo the PET scan as they just injected me. Truthfully, I don't want any results until after Christmas. I really do not want to have to travel. I feel more comfortable in my own home. That is why I asked if anyone has gone to Stanford or UCSF. I have not been on here that long but most seem to be on the East coast. Actually, my GI Doctor called me at home because I let him know what was going on, He called as site messages can be seen by others. He is more supportive then my own damn doctors. He will keep,an eye on things, esp my liver.