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.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

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)

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!

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)

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.

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)

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!

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)

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,

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)

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.

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)

What was your experience with your previous cancer?

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)

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!!

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)

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.

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, 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.

bellsina71 | @bellsina71 | Jan 9, 2023

In reply to @detroitmom23 "What was your experience with your previous cancer?" + (show)

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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