Am I a worry wart + I DO want advice on biopsys

Maryb · New User Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

Hi. 1st a lil background. I'm 48 yr old WF. Have smoked since age 15 full flavor of course. Not even ischemic colitis w colon resection 60% compelled me to quit. Worked 20 yrs N factories, both box/paper & wire/fiberglass, breathing N lots of nasty stuff. Have STRONG family HX of lung breast & colon as well as lymph & prostrate cancer. I have current environtmental factors working against me. Now, over past 14 or so mths I have unexplained weight loss of over 130 LBS considering Im on prednisone & N bed 85% of my life. Plus ovr past yr been trying to make my pain Dr understand how much my pain has worsened to no avail, on 100 of FentPatch. Okay, have had these nodules in lungs for 15 to 18 yrs. Nobody ever kept a check on them. I recentley had dinky 5 minute no contrast CT of abdomen and 1of the nodules has grown 4mm N less than a year, to a little over a Centimeter. Report said neoplasam could not be excluded. Should I be worried scared concerned? You can be brutally honest. How DANGEROUS can a 1.2 CM nodule be? I read Charlenes reply on B12 def.which I have had for years. Am on Coumadin for anti thrombin III def. Have had about 15 surgeries, mostly bone, take about 12 meds a day. Have had a variety of lung probs since I was a child. Been on disability since 2001. I just read on a post by "JUST 24 " how her vision had been blurry &that was somehow significant. Mine has been so blurry and WEAK and TIRED. I also have 2.6 & 2.1 respectively cysts on ovaries. They HAVE grown over the past couple of years. Spots showed on my kidney as well. And to be perfectly honest I don't get the BEST N medical care. I just want some good honest talk/advice. Truthfully, I don't have a good feeling about this. I have other things goings on as well. I will see a lung speacilist in November, this, after my Dr said at first we'd just wait & watch it. It's at Right Lung Base but to far in for a needle aspiration biopsy
apparently. I got a copy of my report which may possibly be the one thing, if this is a neoplasam, that saves me, although I see frm reading thru here mine IS small, which Im gonna assume is a good thing. Thanks for reading the ramblings of a woman who has borrowed her sons I- Phone because she's desperate for some any information at all. I have no car no computer no TV no water no kitchen but Ill be happy w info.
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Worried in Alabama, MLB

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 2841

Hi Mary,

My husband had nodules in his lungs for years too, but they were calcified. Those aren't a problem -- have they indicated whether yours are calcified or not?

Most nodules, even non-calcified, go through the "watch and wait" process. They DO need to keep an eye on them and make sure that they do the appropriate follow-up tests in a timely manner. I'm glad he decided to send you to a lung specialist. This should clarify any issues with that nodule.

Take care!

God bless,
PBJ
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Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Maryb · New User Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

Thanks for replying. No, they have never used the word calcified. The problem is at least 1 has had a growth spurt that indicated to our VERY conservative radiologists that it could be a neoplastic process. I do realize that until the biopsy it IS a waiting game but essentially my question was this? Can something as small as 1.2 CM BE CANCER? I'm sure Im lucky in that I had incidental CT as I was having throbbing pain on right side and went to TWO EDs! for help. I just gave all the other background to illuminate ALL my risk factors. Never really knew I had so many! Crying or Very sad

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Worried in Alabama, MLB

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 2841

Hi Mary,

I hate to answer this, but sure -- something smaller than that can be cancer. It has to start from cells that gather and develop into a tumor, nodule, mass, etc. (Different terms for different sizes is how the wording goes.)

Some people have these types of nodules that never change, but can grow too. Doesn't mean it HAS to be cancer. It's just good that they are being thorough with getting you to a lung specialist.

I hope that this is not cancer for you and just some random growth of an existing nodule. If it should be, at least it's very early.

God bless,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Maryb · New User Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

Well THAT part, seeing lung Doc, IS a miracle because when I called my Drs office & asked his nurse to pull up CT report she got back w me & said there was nothing to do but that he would be "happy" to discuss it w me. She said 1CM was way to small to biopsy. I got copy of report, saw it was more serios than I thought had someone look up earliest something could be biopsied and they got back 5MM. But Dr. Says mine in a place very hard to get to (this after he changed his tune)
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Worried in Alabama, MLB

Maryb · New User Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

I thought what Ive been suffering through were esophagael spasms. Have SO many GI prob. I didn't even mention to Doc. of course they still could be those. They cause intense chest pain and it happens or I feel it about maybe 10 to 12 X per week. Sometimes it's caused by movement, others by no real reason, and others seems to happen when I don't eat. I am a diabetic but Ive gone 2 & 3 days w/ out eating. I never , n the past year, have eaten more than once a day. I was n a 24 pant now n a 16. I guess THATS a good thing. Confused

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Worried in Alabama, MLB

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 2841

Mary,

5 mm is smaller than 1 cm. It would be hard to do a fine needle biopsy on something small -- especially if it was in a difficult to reach location. A lot of times the biopsies don't get enough cells to give an accurate result.

Something that small shouldn't be causing any pain issues.

Let us know what the lung doc says. Relax -- things will be okay. I'd be asking them about why the weight loss.

PBJ
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Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Maryb · New User Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 6

No, mine is 1.2 CM admittedly small, Im just going by radiologist report that is concerning. My sister saw on web that nodules, tumors, lesions whatever n lung could and should be BX at 5MM. Mine was that over a year ago. I'm fine though, just want info. Lose the phone in the morning. Actually more I read worse it gets. Been in hospital many X for lymphadenopathy. Have some enlarged lymph nodes along iliac chain have had actlectasis a couple o times. Maybe I need to turn phone off. Embarassed

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Worried in Alabama, MLB

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