Calm my nerves please 🙏🏼

[Layla321]

2020 what a year?! I’m here looking for calmness and positive stories 🙏🏼❤️

2 weeks ago I was with my mum when she took the call saying a 1.5cm nodule was found in her lung looked spiky ( that word haunts me as spiculated is a bad sign) during a CT scan ( over all health scan she’s just turned 60 never smoked) and a specialist will call in a week and mum was put on an urgent referral. The longest and most depressive week of my life.

Today the specialist called saying they spoke with the panel they are not too worried it isn’t too big and in 8 weeks redue another CT scan, what I have read online that 1.5cm is massive?! I suffer from anxiety very very badly and have been crying and worried like crazy.

The call was a relief than I’m thinking should I go private? Should I get a a Second opinion or should I just calm down?!!

I mean the call could have been bad very bad.... but the anxiety in me says don’t let it get bigger and be at a higher stage?! Mum seems Fresh and happy as a daisy not worried at all. I’m keeping it inside but I’m a mess. Also mum had TB 15 years ago so I’m praying it’s just scar tissue from that? Need to wait till February now 🙏🏼

Love and well wishes to everyone on this journey x and just looking for positive outcomes from the wait and see approach 🙏🏼❤️ Thank you 🙏🏼❤️

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

1.5cm is just now large enough to biopsy and be certain that they can hit the mass. There are other causes of spiculated nodules including scarring from the previous TB. Please know that 95% of lung nodules are benign, even spiculated ones.

From what you’ve written it would seem that he brought her case to the tumor board where it was studied and discussed by the medical oncology staff and pulmonary specialists of different types. I’m impressed that they’ve decided to only wait 8 weeks to re-image. Standard of care is 12 weeks so they are being cautious. Too often doctors decide not to do any follow up because the patient is a nonsmoker. Her doctor is treating this as something that might become serious.

If there is no change they should schedule regular CTs for a couple years. She should ask how often they will follow up.

If this should be cancer it is still early stage. A cancer is not considered to be a mass until its larger than 3cm. IF this is cancer and it’s not in the lymph nodes then it will be stages at 1a or 1b. Lower stage lung cancers can be cured.

In the 10+ years I’ve been dealing with my stage 4 lung cancer I’ve met people who have survived 25 and 30 years with stage 1. It’s no longer an automatic death sentence.

[Layla321 in reply to Denzie]

Thank you so much for your kind words and very reassuring advice x . I need to trust the professionals and hope for the best , and praying for happier and healthier 2021 for us all.

[JanetteR57]

I understand your panic and fear but lung nodules aren't necessarily lung cancer. In the UK we have been doing lung screening pilot projects for targeted populations and found they are much more common than people thought - almost like moles on the skin but on the inside and can be caused by many things. I've enclosed a link to a video to explain the risks of harm/vs benefit that covers 'pulmonary nodules' to hopefully explain the context. This video was made a few years ago and since then the situation in the UK has changed so that the majority of surgery if nodules need to be resected are done with keyhole surgery. In Jan 2011 I was told the 'large mass' removed with half my left lung in the December had been non small lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) and was 7cm. I had never smoked and was 52. 1.5 cm isn't 'massive' and like Denzie I've met patients who've survived even stage iv lung cancer - non small cell has survivors in every stage but at this stage, a nodule isn't a cancer diagnosis any more than an irregular Pap smear or mammogram is... surveillance at regular intervals when nodules are over a certain size are the recognised treatment as if pieces of the lung were removed every time they popped up (and some come and go due to inflammation or infection), the person would be left with surgery to recovery from but also less lung so if anything more 'sinister' developed in the future, would be at a disadvantage for some treatments. Try not to read stuff online - information about lung cancer when I was looking 10 years ago was dreadful and even now 6 years after I've been immersed in lung cancer research remains woefully outdated and inaccurate. If you must satisfy your curiosity use trusted websites like Roy Castle lung cancer foundation or similar dedicated lung cancer charity websites who do their best to keep their information updated and moderated by clinicians. good luck. roycastle.org/for-healthcar...

[Layla321 in reply to JanetteR57]

Thank you so so much for your sound advice and I definitely feel at ease and peace reading the messages xx and I need to stay away from google as it’s really causing me more stress than anything else x have a blessed 2021 🙏🏼❤️

[joe_s17050]

I was diagnosed with stge 1a lung cancer in 2008...had surgery and no other treatment..doing very well..i go for a lung cancer screening once a yr which is a very low dose ct scan...put it all in God`s hands..God bless.

[Layla321 in reply to joe_s17050]

That’s great to hear your doing well 🙏🏼 And it’s great to hear postive stories from real people. Thank you for your reply and reassurance x

[joe_s17050 in reply to Layla321]

hi layla..please keep me updated..thank you..

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Checking back to see how you are doing. Have you been able to find a bit of peace?