I just want to whine.

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited July 2014 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

After 10 long months of chemo, surgery and radiation, I foolishly thought I could take the summer off from BC. My MO wanted to do a mammo(6 month check) and a repeat lung CT scan(6 month check for a nodule seen previously), so I told her let's do it June 30th, so I didn't have to see anyone again until September. I freaked at the mammo, when the tech left the room and I could see the picture of my breast was lit up like a Christmas tree. She came back and said the radiologist wants a spot compression. Last time I had one of those was when they found my original tumor. To my surprise, she came back and said all was clear. Big relief.

Fast forward one day, when my MO calls me at 7:30 at night, near hysteria saying that although the mammo was technically clear, she wants to do a PET Scan of my chest, to see if there are any rapidly dividing cells in the remaining breast (or elsewhere). That was the good news. The lung scan showed an infiltrate, the biggest one she's seen and MANY nodules. The infiltrate is on the side of radiation, so it could be related to that, but, she wants a full body scan and a bone scan. And I need to make appointments with the pulmonologist, my RO and her. She wants at least a bronchoscopy done and maybe a biopsy of the nodules. There goes the first 2 weeks of July.

To say I'm tired of it all doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. And, I don't have any symptoms and my tumor markers were normal 2 weeks ago..

Whine. Thanks for listening.

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  • Nan54
    Nan54 Member Posts: 93
    edited July 2014

    Ugh! You have every right to whine and I am so sorry that you're going through this! Hopefully all will come back clear and you can add it to the pile of crap that is behind you. Good luck and please keep us posted...

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Thanks, Nan. I appreciate the support.

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited July 2014

    well, shit. i am so sorry that you are having to go through all the testing and waiting and everything again so soon. Fn cancer.

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  • Sunshineinky
    Sunshineinky Member Posts: 461
    edited July 2014

    Clickchick this all just sucks and I wanted to send a hug to you! Bless your heart, hopefully it'll just be a leftover rads issue.  

    I'm saving this to my favorites so if you need to whine more then I'll be here to listen! 

    Please keep us updated! 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Fn cancer is my motto today, Kathec! Great minds think alike :) 

    Thanks, Sunshine. If it turns out to be just rads issues, I think I am finding a new MO. I need someone on an even keel!

    Kelly

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Yikes. I'm so sorry you're going through this.  I hope you are going to be able to at least take this weekend "off" and celebrate the 4th. I know that's easier said than done (I'm in a holding pattern myself with lung nodules), but try to cram in a bit relaxation. And you can come here and whine ANYTIME you want. No one else understands how this can invade every single moment of our thoughts at times. I sometimes think of what/how I thought about cancer patients before I was dx.  It's like night and day to KNOW about it versus FIGHTING it.  Have a great weekend.

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  • Alicethecat
    Alicethecat Member Posts: 535
    edited July 2014

    Hello Click Chick

    In case this helps, I have been through a similar experience - and at about the same time as you.

    In brief I had treatment in 2012 - see signature - and in 2013 the docs found haze on a chest xray and sent me to a respiratory consultant. He was not and is not sure if I have sarcoidosis - which can make granulous lumps anywhere in the body,including the lung -or a bit of radiation damage.

    Either way he is not worried. If it is sarcoidosis it is mild and likely to burn itself out in two to three years and the radiation damage may only cause a bit of breathlessness after exercise. I take inhalers for asthma but took them before anyway.

    So I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

    Best wishes

    Alice

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Thanks, whatnow, I do intend to have a nice holiday (also my birthday :)! I've talked myself off the ledge after getting my reports in writing today.

    Thanks for sharing your experience, Alice. I'm pretty sure the right side infiltrate is from radiation. The nodules on the left have increased in number, but the original one was not seen, so maybe these will disappear, too??

    In any case, I have an appt on Thursday with the pulmonologist and Friday with my RO, so I should have some answers next week. Thanks for all of your concern, I really appreciate it!

    Kelly

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Thanks for letting me whine. It turns out I have radiation pneumonitis and my RO said it's common and should go away on it's own. After a bone scan, 2 CT scans and a PET scan, my MO apologized today for going over the deep end and I should be able to sleep tonight without medication :) Thanks again for getting me through this!

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  • glennie19
    glennie19 Member Posts: 6,398
    edited July 2014


    Congrats on the good news!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Thanks, Glennie

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  • Luvmydobies
    Luvmydobies Member Posts: 766
    edited July 2014

    So happy for you! 

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2014

    Great to hear good news after what seemed so dismal and distressing. Something you can get over is soooo much better news.

    The Mods

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Thanks, Luvmydobies & Mods! I did tell my husband that never in my life did I think I'd be so happy to have radiation pneumonitis.

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  • Sunshineinky
    Sunshineinky Member Posts: 461
    edited July 2014

    That's great news Kelly!!!! You must be so relieved!!! I'm relieved for you!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Yeah!  I love it when we get to hear/share GOOD news!Happy

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  • Alicethecat
    Alicethecat Member Posts: 535
    edited July 2014

    Click Chick

    So pleased! Excellent news.

    Alice

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Thanks, ladies! I'm back to feeling a little more optimistic.

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  • Nancy2581
    Nancy2581 Member Posts: 1,234
    edited July 2014

    YAY - now you can breathe a sign of relief.  I just had a pet/ct scan and 3 (I think) lung nodules were found. My MO was not concerned at all about them and said the best radiologist at Scripps viewed them.  How do they know by looking they are not cancer?

    Nancy 

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2014

    Nancy:

    I'm waiting for a pulmonology appointment myself (takes MONTHS to get in) just because a random CT found 3 nodules.  So I'm on here doing a ton of research so I can be informed before my appointment in August.  There are many things that do into determining if they're malignant or benign.  MOST are benign of course.  I don't want to quote numbers without citations but I'll just say, generically, that I've found they look at many factors.  I've been looking into CT scans (with PET) though, so I don't know much about uptake, except to say that smaller ones often don't even show up on PET.

    Here is my layman's synthesis, but don't take any of this as true medical info, it's just what I think I've found. In general, they look at your history (former smoker, other cancers), and the size of the nodule(s) is(are) very important.  To be classified as a nodule they must be less than 3 cm.  Nodules less than 1 cm are rarely cancerous.  Non-calcified can be either.  Where they are in the lung, their shape, other features like calcification (calcified nodules are usually benign, non-calcified can be either).  

    They can't really be sure without a biopsy but a less invasive way to be pretty sure is just to watch for growth.  Cancer grows, other nodules don't usually.  Also, malignant nodules might actually shrink if one is undergoing other cancer therapies.  For most, they record the size and then CT again in 3-12 months (depending on a lot of things), for up to 2 years.  Nodules that haven't changed are usually deemed benign.


     

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