Cat Scan Result - not sure what it means

Options
Angie57
Angie57 Member Posts: 12
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Hi there to all my BC sisters.

I finished up chemo in Oct and radiation in Jan and started Femara right after. Joint pains are the worst. I started getting a pain in my rib area right under where my mastectomy was done. Different from joint pain, tender to the touch and I can't lay on that side w/o discomfort. Same side as BC. I called onc, they said they didn't think it was anything, they told me to call the breast surgeon and ask them. BS said they didn't think it was reoccurrence I should call my regular doc. This is now going on since mid Feb. Finally my reg doc sends me for a chest CT scan. I got a copy and it says under the bone/soft tissue section: "new postsurgical changes right chest wall including a 8 mm in nodule adjacent to a surgical clip" . Finding is probably postsurgical but followup is recommended. WTF is that. I have a call into her but I'm just trying to understand what that is. How could a nodule be probably postsurgical? A nodule is a nodule.....Any ideas or anyone heard the same thing? Thank you.......

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2013

    Maybe its scar tissue that has developed. If so you may need some type of physical therapy to dislodge or resolve it.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lkc
    lkc Member Posts: 1,203
    edited May 2013

    Hi Angie, A nodule is the medical term for a " lump". It could be a cyst or thickening . It is not a NODE.

    The good thing is that it is adjacent to the surgical clip which probably means it's an inflammatory process. Speak to your doc.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2013

    Angie:  Did you hear back yet from your onc?  Since undergoing radiation, every chest scan reports the same scarring at the apex (top) of one lung, most likely due to radiation. The plan is to keep checking it every 6 months for any changes.   Hope you got answers by this time.  Kiss

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Angie57
    Angie57 Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2013

    Hi Shelly - haven't heard back yet. Thanks for the info, I'll let you know once I hear back.......

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited May 2013

    Hey Angie, I hope this helps...I had the same thing after my BMX.  I couldn't lay on my side, sore to touch (still have that problem with some areas of my chest actually).  They did a ultrasound and I have a seroma (fluid filled area) that developed after the BMX due to all the drains/surgery.  They couldn't aspirate it because it was long and super skinny.  It took a while but did get better with time.  I hope this makes you feel better and let us know how it goes.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • mary625
    mary625 Member Posts: 1,056
    edited May 2013

    I find that my ribs are more tender now from time to time because they don't have the protection they used to have from the breast. I don't find it as comfortable to lay on my side with my arm up as I used to, particularly on the side where the nodes were removed because I think the fat pad they were in went with them and is no longer there.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fredntan
    fredntan Member Posts: 1,821
    edited May 2013

    i agree with others.



    I must comment on your docs though. just lovely how they made you keep going to other docs.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Angie57
    Angie57 Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2013

    I totally agree. I let them know also that I wasn't happy feeling like I was being tossed around. I'm sure they hear it all the time but I'm only a couple of months post treatment and I'm still uneasy about every pain. I hope that nervous feeling goes away eventually.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Angie57
    Angie57 Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2013

    Doc has scheduled me for a pet scan for next week........we'll see.....

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories