Another Xray but why ?

[Danni54]

Hi all. I haven't been here for quite a long time so I hope that you are all coping and getting all the help and support you need. This forum helped me so much. Unfortunately, I now have multiple problems because of the lung misdiagnosis and because of negligence by our hospital. Another long story! I am now receiving help and advice from the RLS Forum and they are, also, wonderful! My question! I had my top right Lobectomy in 2018 and have had Xray's every year but my wonderful, Thoracic Consultant hasclear st sent me a letter to go for another Xray. I have been clear of lung cancer ( yay ! ) since 2018 so why is he requesting another Xray? I have had Xray's for fractured vertebrae and was , initially, told that it was spinal cancer but then they decided it's Osteoporosis and because they left me with lung cancer for 15 month's and no treatment I don't trust them. I thought that after 5 year's, check ups stopped so, now, I'm twitchy because it was my Thoracic Consultant who refound the lung cancer when I was rushed to hospital with Pneumonia and he is the only Consultant that I trust !

Sorry! I'm rambling! Take care all.

All the best, Danni x

[JanetteR57]

Danni, sorry to hear of your initial misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. I also had a wonderful thoracic surgeon who picked up on things and referred me to other departments and kept an eye on me meaning I was in pathway after my 5 years were up.

Personally I was reassured by this rather than questioning it as I'd had a couple of incidents where I'd been hospitalised for chest infections, symptoms that they initially thought were recurrence (thankfully not) and lost 6 stones without dieting which resulted in no end of investigations in case it had recurred elsewhere.

A chest x-ray is one of the most common procedures undertaken in hospitals and used for multiple purposes. Were you told your check ups would stop or are you assuming that if it's now or coming up to 5 years? My consultant told me when I asked what my follow on treatment to my lobectomy was, said 'active surveillance' 'vigilance on our part with regular imaging' which for me was always chest x-rays. he also said some people remained in the pathway beyond 5 years. I was initially thrilled to be discharged from consultants' care and pushed into annual check within the first years but in later years, was more reassured by having checks such as imaging to keep an eye on things.

hope you get some answers soon - imaging and other tests like blood tests we may be sent for are done as much to rule things out as in and the majority of people who have chest x-rays do not have lung cancer even if they have a cancer history. good luck.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

perhaps you should give his nurse a call and ask her to get that answered for you. There may be many reasons for that request.