Opened a can or worms?

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11tyBillion
11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
edited June 2014 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
Opened a can or worms?
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  • 11tyBillion
    11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
    edited January 2013

    I am 3+ years out, and went in to the Dr. earlier this week (Wednesday) with severe chest congestion.  Back story, I have a small indoor greenhouse for my orchids and lemon tree, and it had been closed up for a few weeeks, and when I went and opened it to water the plants, I got a HUGE lungfull of moldy air!  I guess in the warmth and humidity, the plants AND MOLD thrived.  Anyway, exactly one week after taking in a snoot full of moldy humid air, I was hacking and my chest felt tight, and I was short of breath.  Felt like the beginings of pneumonia.  anyway, went to the doc., she gave me an inhaler, some cough meds, and a chest x-ray.  No antibiotics or anything, because she said it would be rare to have a fungal or bacterial infection from my escapade. (?!? really).  Well, they called today and said that the x-ray was atypical for what they look for with pneumonia , and they want to do a CT to make sure of what they are looking at (pneumonia or SOMETHING else.)  I am scared out of my wits.  Up until the moldy air, I was having no problems, I am so so scared.  Now every single pain is amplified, and I feel like everythign in my chest hurts.  had anyone had an experience like this?  are they jsut being cautious considering my history, or is this jsut the way that lung cancer is found --  BY ACCIDENT?

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  • BilateralBeauties
    BilateralBeauties Member Posts: 149
    edited January 2013

    On the heels of my chemo/radiation, I started having intense abdominal pains and vomiting. After 10 months of looking for more cancer, we discovered it was my gallbladder. So roll with the tests as best you can and don't jump to conclusions. They will always look harder at stuff with a known cancer survivor. Good luck.

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  • kathleen1966
    kathleen1966 Member Posts: 793
    edited January 2013

    I think it is perfectly reasonable for you to have acquired a fungal infection from breathing in that mold. But I think that you MIGHT get a scare from all the tests when they get the results and you should remain calm and stay focused on this very, very likely fungal infection!  A friend of mine got a fungal infection from breathing in mold on an attic renovation he was doing.  But getting to this diagnosis was not as easy just getting the scan. He ended up with a PET scan and his lungs and many lymph nodes lit up. They told him he had lung cancer and were going to start chemo the following Monday.  He went for a second opinion at a cancer center and it turned out that it was NOT cancer, but the fungal infection I mentioned. You KNOW that you breathed in all this mold. This really does make sense for you!  Although anything is possible, I think it would be highly, highly unlikely for your triple negative cancer to be back after three years. I hope your scan does NOT cause any scares and that you get treatment for your fungal infection soon!!! 

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  • Ariom
    Ariom Member Posts: 6,197
    edited January 2013

    Just thought I would come in on this one. I had a bad chest infection that I caught when on a cruise. I was actually admitted to Hospital in Singapore for a week on IV antibiotics.

    When I returned home I made appointment with respiritory specialist. I explained to him about some mouldy carpet outside the laundry on the ship, and how lots of the passengers had this awful tcough that they casually called the "Cunard Cough". He immediately sent me for testing, saying that this chest infection could be from the mould, that it is quite common, and treatable.

    Mine turned out to be exactly what they diagnosed in Singapore, a Micoplasma infection, but I thought you may be interested that a specialist had no problem getting the testing done, just in case it was mould.

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  • 11tyBillion
    11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
    edited January 2013

    oh thank you all so much for your supportive comments!  I dont come back here often, but it is so reassuring to know that you all are here, and you all GET IT.  You all GET this fear of every ache and pain, and then the fear of "we need to take a closer look at this" ... I am trying hard to turn my focus forward, and jsut keep my head up.  hugs to you all.  I will post when i find out what this is.  i have never prayed so hard for a fungal/bacterial disease in my whole life!

    huge to you all, strong, great ladies!

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2013

    I got back from a trip to India about 2 weeks ago, and immediately came down with a bad head cold that moved to my chest. I'm getting over it finally (not coughing half the night), but still have a lot of head congestion. Anyway, DH and I have been wondering if I picked up something in India. The smog and pollution was bad and who knows what else was in the air. I did have a flu shot, and this wasn't the flu, as I never felt achy. Not an M.D., but I'm thinking your mold explanation makes the most sense. Best wishes!

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  • 11tyBillion
    11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
    edited January 2013

    good lord.  I have been so stressed out about this that I just realised that I meant to title this "opened a can OF worms", not OR worms.  this is going to be a long week!

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  • 11tyBillion
    11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
    edited January 2013

    okay, so hopefully this time i will be able to spell better.  Not saying I am any less nervous, I am just trying to practice on my composure, and remaining CALM.  this is a bit of a rant, but I have to get it out, sorry! :-(  

    I am now in that dreaded "waiting" period with this whole mystery lung nodule.  I had a chest x-ray last Wednesday, and of course they called FRIDAY evening to tell me that something looked odd and I needed a ct, asap.  Ruined my whole weekend.  got the ct scan Tuesday.  Wednesday, I got this dreaded call from my primary Docs office wondering if I can come in ASAP so that my Primary Doc's nurse can give me my ct results, and oh by the way, I should bring someone with me... i totally lost it.  I swung by grabbed my DH up from work, and went straight to the doc's office.  she proceeds to tell us that there are a few small nodules (1cm and smaller), and a larger nodule ~1.5 cm that they want to biopsy, like the next day, Thursday (yesterday).  I got the biopsy done yesterday.  As luck has it, my onc is on vacation all next week, and my first appt with him is now Feb 11th.  All of this rush rush rush, and no one can give me a antibiotic or anything while we wait, JUST IN CASE this is an infection?  We have to wait till the 11th because that is the first date that he has available  where we can meet with him at a early time in the day when my children are in school (as we have no one to watch them in the evenings, and I am not about to meet with that onc by myself).  I think the thing that is pissing me off the most is that it seems as though not one person is remembering the original reason for coming in there.  I breathed in a ton of mold/fungus (a few periods over a couple of days while I cleaned the mess up).  My sinus mucous went green and gloopy 2 days later, then the congestion went right to my chest and my chest tightened up a week later.  Dry non productive hacking cough that was not there until I inhaled the mold!  Not one of these doctors have given me and antibiotic or anti fungal, or blood tests.  The nurse originally said how RARE fungal infections are, and sent me for the chest x-ray last week.  It is like they have forgotten that PERHAPS all of these nodes are lit up because of infection, and perhaps a few rounds of antibiotic would shrink all of this down over the weeks that the onc is out of town?  Oh, the cough has been gone since this past weekend!  Other than feeling like I was fighting off a cold, I am now feeling back to normal!  Am i just being angry because I am tired of being looked at like a cancer time bomb?  Am i angry because i am afraid that this stuff may have reared its ugly head again?  ABSOLUTELY!  But, I mean seriously, I still can catch things that are NOT cancer!  If these biopsy tests come back inconclusive, i think I am going to "demand" to please treat me for a lung infection for 2 weeks BEFORE treating me for who-knows-what-it-is-but-it-MUST-be-cancer route that I am afraid I am on.  sorry for venting, but I am so scared, and don't really know which end is up.  

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2013

    11ty, of course you can still catch things, just like you did before the bc dx! I'm just over a 2 week long very bad cold. Kept me up coughing at night, sneezing and blowing all day. It's passed now, just like you say yours is. Also, you should not be kept waiting this long! Surely your MO has partners that can let you know one way or the other.

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  • 11tyBillion
    11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
    edited January 2013

    I agree yorkiemom, you'd think that my onc has a partner or someone who would call to let me know the results. You'd think that even though my appt is not until the 11th, that they would still let me know the results when they arrive.

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  • MiniMacsMom
    MiniMacsMom Member Posts: 595
    edited January 2013

    Would it be possible to have the biopsy results sent to your PCP as well and they can call and let you know the results if your MO won't. As long as you are comfortable hearing the results from the PCP.   I know I usually get a sheet to fill out that allows more than one doctor to receive results.  Good luck!

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