SmogDweller in reply to Katinka469 days ago

Hi Kate,

Thank you so much for your reply. I realize that no one can offer a diagnosis, just wondered if anyone had a similar finding on their tests. The doctors won’t tell me a thing and it seems that doesn’t bode well. I’m in lower Manhattan, came here for my husband’s work 20 years ago and was always worried about the health effects of living here, especially after the Twin owners came down. There’s so much cancer and lung disease here.

When I went to my GP he made light of my symptoms and kept assuring me that it was probably allergies or mild asthma. I had to go to a new doctor to get a referral to a pulmonologist, but even he was in doubt that anything was wrong. They were both surprised by the positive chest x-ray, but still I have to wait a month to take a pulmonary function test and a CT. Meanwhile, I’m afraid to go outside and breathe in more pollution. I’m afraid to exercise. I wish they could give me at least a little guidance. I understand that they’re likely afraid of being sued for saying the wrong thing (malpractice insurance is sky high gets), but still, it seems like they could at least tell me what to avoid doing.

Katinka46 in reply to SmogDweller8 days ago

Thank you for getting back to me. I guessed you were in America. Pulmonologist is a dead giveaway. We in the UK call them respiratory consultants. How interesting to live in Manhattan. I have a friend who is married to a BBC correspondent. She loved the time they had in New York. Culturally very vibrant. Please keep us informed about how things develop with you.

Kate x

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SmogDweller in reply to Alberta569 days ago

Hi Alberta56,

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I know. It could be anything. Unfortunately, I spent two years as my parents end of life nurse and I watched both succumb - my mother to ALS, COPD and thyroid cancer, then finally an aortic aneurism. My father died from COPD and an aortic aneurism. It was the most heartbreaking experience of my life to watch them lose the ability to breathe. Now, I find that there’s such a thing as genetic COPD. My mother was a heavy smoker and I went to the opposite extreme - non-smoker, vegetarian, enthusiastic exerciser. But, I guess it wasn’t enough. Moving to a highly polluted city has taken its toll, as had Covid, which had me coughing up blood. I’m pushing my husband to move us to a place with healthier air.

Alberta56 in reply to SmogDweller8 days ago

I'm sure your life style must be helpful. Moving to a cleaner area would certainly make a big difference. I get asthma type attacks by busy roads, even in our small town, so I sympathise. I hope you won't have to wait much longer.

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SmogDweller in reply to peege8 days ago

Hi Peege,

Thanks for replying to my post. I was so emotional when I wrote it. The craziest thing was, as I sat in the hospital waiting for my chest x-ray I was reading a magazine in the lobby. The article was about the singer Donna Summer, who had lived three blocks away from me in lower Manhattan before she died of lung cancer in 2012. She blamed her cancer on living here on 9/11. My husband When I got my chest x-ray results it gave me chills - the article had detailed “hazy opacities in her upper lungs” - the exact wording on my x-ray.

My husband and I bought our condo here, right down the street from the World Trade Center, a month before 9/11. He had a new job and no where else to go here, so even though we lived next to a giant pit (the former World Trade Center), which proceeded to burn toxic chemicals non-stop for the next two months, at least. We were dumb. We should have left.

I have found something that really helps me breathe better, even so far - I make smoothies with a bunch of vegetables and fruit. It really seems to bring down the inflammation. Green tea, too. I hope you will be able to quit the pipe smoking - I know, it’s very hard. It does make it very difficult for your lungs to regenerate, though. I hope it all works out well for you.

peege in reply to SmogDweller8 days ago

Heck what a story SmogDweller, the twin towers must have been a pretty emotional place to live near as well as toxic. I cant wait to hear what the consultant says on Saturday. Good luck(ps 🤣 it wasn't me smoking a pipe, it was my my stepfather. He used to blow smoke into our faces to watch us choke thinking it funny. I was three. It put my sisters & I off smoking for life).

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SmogDweller in reply to O2Trees8 days ago

Thank you so much! I didn’t think it would make me feel much better, but I have been surprised how much better posting here has made me feel. It’s so scary, especially when waiting for a full diagnosis, when you’re not sure what will make your condition better or worse.

SmogDweller in reply to Izb18 days ago

Thank you very much, Izb1. It’s so nice to have a place to get medical feedback and just plain emotional support during a health scare. I hope things are going well for you!

SmogDweller in reply to jackdup8 days ago

Hi Jackedup,

Thanks for replying to my post! Do you know what’s meant by opacity? I guess I jumped to conclusions that it was cancer. My mother smoked three packs a day, indoors, when I was growing up. I stupidly continued the family tradition, smoking a pack a day from ages 16-21. I quit at 21 and completely changed my life by moving to the country, becoming a vegetarian and exercising every day. I assume the lung nodules are from my stint of committing suicide by cigarette. The rest is from living in highly polluted NYC.

What brought you to request your first CT? Did you have heart pain or breathing problems? The very first thing I noticed was in January 2021, when the doctors here were refusing to see anyone who didn’t have active Covid. I woke up in the middle of the night spitting up blood and was afraid, since both my parents died of aneurisms, that this was what I had. I was afraid I was going to die in my sleep, and it was six months before I could get a single doctor to see me. He dismissed it as nothing.

I have since learned that the sars cov-2 virus itself can cause myocarditis, which can manifest as viral-initiated congestive heart failure and water on the lung. I wonder. But, I’ve scared myself so badly by pouring through radiology websites and comparing chest x-rays, so I guess I will leave it alone for now, for my own mental well-being. I hope all remains stable with you and hopefully, the lungs will begin to mend themselves.

jackdup in reply to SmogDweller8 days ago

I’m not really sure what is meant by the term opacity. I specifically asked but didn’t really get a direct answer, just that there is opacity. It is just the way it is is kind of how he answered the question which really didn’t tell me much of anything. It didn’t really seem to be of any concern and was just a comment that that is what was seen. I know there have been others that have had the same issue and have opposed here over the years. I honestly don’t recall what prompted the first CT scan, or if it was a routine screening given my history of COPD, but given the findings they said they would do follow up CT scans every six months to monitor the nodules, but so far so good after I believe 3 years of scans things have remained stable.

I hope your situation will be similar and stable.

Take care and let us know when you have had additional testing or appointments. If you get a better explanation of the opacity or nodules I’ll hope you’ll share it with us.

All the best.

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