Good evening , thank you for allowing me to join the forum. ( First time posting ) My story is as follows, 67 yr old female, non smoker, no chest problems ever. Developed a cough in early October which progressed to breathlessness, high temperature and generally feeling very unwell. Got an emergency appointment with GP who referred me to A & E I was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia and hospitalised for four days . On antibiotics/ nebulisers etc. I recovered very quickly and feel 100 % normal again
I had a routine follow up chest X-ray three weeks ago. Heard nothing more until today when I received a letter booking me in for a CT scan in three weeks time.
I am just a bit concerned, there is no explanation as to why I need the CT scan so I am just assuming something has shown up on the chest xray. My initial chest xray in A & E came back to say there was a " little bit of infection" hence the follow up.
My husband says it's good they are following it up but I can't help be a bit worried . Thanks for reading this post and wishing everyone a very Happy and above all Healthy New Year.
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Evelyn65
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I would think its just the infection with it being pneumonia they are probably checking all is clear. If it was anything else they would warn you first. They usually say an abnormality has shown up. If your really worried have a word with your GP who should have an up to date report from them.
Thank you jillygirl for your prompt reply, I have an appointment with my GP ( the one I really like and feel listened to ) on the 17th , couldn't get one any sooner but at least I can have a chat with him. There was no follow up letter or explanation of any kind, just the appointment for the scan .
Welcome to the forum where you will find support and encouragement.
It is understandable that you may be worried given there was no explanation for you. You may be able to have a telephone consultation with your GP prior to the 17th Jan which may ease your mind.
Our nurse led Freephone helpline is open on 3rd January if you wish to discuss anything on 0800 358 7200 or you can email lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org
Thank you very much for replying . The consultant I was under with the pneumonia was amazing and gave me a detailed letter explaining why I needed the follow up xray " little bit of infection" which makes this appointment letter rather mystifying to say the least.
It could be that for further clarification and to eliminate all possibilities a CT scan will show a more detailed picture, which may also show the infection is now clear. It is good they are being thorough and perhaps if this was detailed to you prior to receiving the letter it would be less worrying for you.
Thank you so much for your kindness and reassurance, I admit to being a bit tearful, just the whole shock of it all, and someone being kind and reassuring just made the tears flow! I'm a wimp at the best of times . God Bless and again many thanks
It is totally understandable that your emotions are up and down. You have said that you do not want to burden your friends or family but perhaps consider sharing with one or two,it would really help your worry and anxiety with this, am sure they would not want you to go through this wait alone. Also you will be exhausted if you do not sleep and you can discuss this with your GP.
Hi Evelyn65. Welcome to the forum. It's normal to be worried about your appointment. Let me try and help by giving you info on my wife's journey. Her x-ray showed a Tumor straight away in A&E so a CT scan was done the same day. With your predicament I pray that it is only Scarring from the Pneumonia that has shown up and they just want to comfirm this. It could be the case you have landed on the desk of a Cautious Radiographer and they want it investigating. I think any bloods they took whilst you were in Hospital would have shown a change in Inflammatory markers.
Please dont worry yourself too much. If its bad they will sort it.
Thank you so much John, that is very reassuring , not about your wife obviously, and may I offer my sincere condolences , but as you say ,it was obvious and picked up immediately , whereas I have been told to come back. I did have a bad infection and pneumonia and also ? Pulmonary Embolism, which they ruled out after 24 hrs . I was awake all night and now feel shattered, couldnt keep this up for another three weeks so will have to try and keep busy and " park" the anxiety somewhere else . Again thank you for taking the time to reply. I truly appreciate it considering you are in the midst of your own grief . To think of others makes you a very special person
A short story - sorry but it will answer your question. Last Christmas my wife went to a very cold rendition of the snowman in a local Cathedral. She developed a bad cough and cold but it was a time we were being told that we were not to clog up surgeries with a heavy cold...By July she was still felling run down and was sent for a routine chest X ray. Once that was over and when one would usually be sent home to await results through family doctor, she was asked to stay to be spoken to by a doctor. The Doctor eventually told her she had a significant shadow on her left lung.
That led to three months of the most intense range of tests, including CT scan, MRI, lung biopsy, endoscopy and numerous blood tests. Incredibly, through all of these tests the word "cancer" was never mentioned just eluded to. The one significant interim outcome was that all of the cultures could not be grown, so nothing sinister.
Eventually, a super duper (Lovely female) professor reviewed her results and told her she had slight onset of emphysema due to smoking all her life (and should stop) and after two weeks of very strong anti-biotics the shadow on her lung was almost gone. Reason for the shadow - the remains of a significant pneumonia she had had earlier in the year - which we attributed to the Cathedral experience and heavy cold afterwards had in fact been pneumonia.
That was in early September and as my wife is happy to tell the world, she stopped smoking at 0001 on 6 Sept 2019 - the day after her all clear. We were convinced we were having to join a journey that terrified us both, however not everything with horrendous possibilities needs to be the actual outcome.
So as people have already said, had there ever been anything significant found, be assured you would have known about it and it would have been treated without delay. Our NHS experience was amazing with every facet of the journey littered with the most dedicated and caring staff we have ever met.
You are in good hands, but please remain positive - there will be plenty of time to deal with whatever may be happening and if not, what is there to worry about in a check up. Good luck and whatever your outcomes, always talk to your loved ones about how you feel and what your fears are about. Concerns shared will make you feel so much better and it is really not true when some people have told me that "A friend in need is a pest"...........thats humour by the way and should leave you with a smile.
Thank you so much for your reassuring reply. I confess to not sleeping last night but now need to give myself a good shake and try and put it out of my mind. I have four adult children but prefer not to mention this until I know more. Same with friends. Two good friends were so upset when I had pneumonia that I couldn’t land any more concerns on them !
My husband Is off the opinion that I wouldn’t be left for almost 7 weeks if it was anything to be concerned about and I am lucky to have an excellent GP and the consultant i was under was also superb. I have great confidence in her.
Thank you again ticking-ticker for taking the time to reply. It’s been so helpful
I understand your concern and responses will hopefully have encouraged you. Chest x-rays although the first line of testing used in the UK are not thorough at showing the cause of a discrepancy - chest infections can cause inflammation and scarring that can appear 'unusual' on an x-ray hence the need for a more detailed CT scan. The reason for the delay is usually to wait for any inflammation/scarring to go down rather than set all sorts of hares running for something that may well resolve itself. I understand the reticence of telling family - I didn't tell mine - too many questions unanswerable by medics and I didn't want the pressure of being unable to answer questions running through my own head without others amplifying these or putting even more concerns onto me at what was a very anxious time as this coincided with the anniversary of my younger sister's death 9 years earlier. I went to A&E in Oct 2010 with worrying symptoms and after 6 hours the doctor wanted to discharge me (they'd put me on nebulisers, antibiotics and steroids) but chest X-ray showed a 'lesion' on my left lung'. I was discharged, readmitted next day by ambulance and kept in, treated as 'uncontrolled asthma' for 6 days which was strange as not had it for years and it felt nothing like asthma to me. As a never smoker and relatively fit, they wanted to wait until the infection had calmed down as I was unable to lie still in the scanner. The scanner broke so it took over a month to get a CT and then things moved quickly - another scan was booked (PET) then an appointment with a surgeon who explained that this 'mass' had to be removed with half my left lung. Then they would send it away for testing and to determine any future treatment. In Dec 2010 I had surgery (and didn't tell my family) and in January 2011 given the diagnosis that it had been a type of lung cancer. I still feel glad I didn't ruin their Xmas and new year and as it had all been removed, my follow on treatment has been 'vigilance', 'watchful waiting' - that was 9 years ago. I was back at work 3 months later and swimming. We're all different and need to handle our situations in whatever way feels right for us. Nobody can know our individual circumstances or motivation for behaving in certain ways ... good luck and I hope you get some answers soon. It's very natural to feel worried - I remember feeling the most anxious I'd ever felt until I got some answers and felt able to process the facts in order to move on mentally and physically. Wishing you a healthier and less anxious new year.
Thank you Janette, I have been reading your story and you are truly inspirational . I agree we have to take autonomy for our own health, and be prepared to stand our ground ! Your reply has been so reassuring to me. Initially there was no infection showing up on casual glance at the xray, but then the follow up letter I got ,told me that when the report came back there was in fact a " tiny bit of what looked like infection" hence the follow up Xray six weeks later. It also stated as I had no history whatsoever of lung or chest problems a review wouldn't be necessary Obviously it must still be there, hence the scan ! Ironically everyone is telling me what an amazing recovery I have had from the pneumonia and can't believe I was back to normal in about two weeks !
Thank you Evelyn. Sometimes medics can be quick to discharge or refer patients back to GPs due to their own workload especially where no chest problem history. In my case, my childhood/young person asthma clouded their judgement in jumping to the conclusion that at 52 only ever having been hospitalised with it aged 16, this was the same when it seemed nothing like it to me. The emergency doctor told me when I refused to leave hospital the first night until I had the chest X-ray result that she wouldn't haveent me for a chest x-ray. I know that without that, it's unlikely I'd still be alive and thank God the triage doctor sent me for the chest x-ray that revealed the problem. It gave me the leverage to request follow up. I had pneumonia in Dec 2016 and was back at work a few weeks later although I was very tired. Sometimes steroids in particular can make us bounce back (especially if we're not used to them) but what's going on inside our body can differ from the outside. Keep doing what you're doing - as if you're feeling much better and have usual energy level, keep active to distract your mind if you can. good luck and do keep us posted on your progress.
Hi everyone , just catching up. My scan is this coming Wednesday, and up to now I have been coping with the wait by keeping myself very busy ! I've realised it's not so much the scan itself, that doesn't bother me at all, but waiting for the results is the difficult bit . I will have to try and think up plenty of things to occupy myself with. Thank you all again for your replies and support.
Well, went for my CT scan this evening , four weeks after receiving letter for appointment . So far so good, Was getting changed into gown when the radiographer knocked on door, to tell me they couldn't do my scan after all. It would appear an administrative error meant instead of been giving a day time appointment I was sent an evening one and there was no doctor on duty in the evenings to administer the contrast. To say I was disappointed is an understatement . I was so psyched up for it tonight . The girl couldnt tell me when I will get another appointment , so have no idea how long I will now have to wait. Now back home, no further on, and the wait continues as does the stress fest ! Thank you for your continued support .
Hi everyone, been a while since I posted but basically nothing new had occurred until six weeks ago when I eventually had my CT scan. After a lot of phone calls, chasing up secretaries' etc I managed to get my results last week. Apparently the " area of concern" was due to scar tissue from the pneumonia and also there was evidence of me having TB in the past. This was a bit of a surprise . The secretary read out the letter but I haven't as yet received a " hard copy" Anyway to those who responded to me way at the beginning a sincere thank you for all the support . I so appreciated it . I pop on often to the forum , maybe a lurker more than a poster but I assure you of my concern and hoping everyone on this stressful journey get the care and treatment to ensure recovery . We are in worrying times and I pray all of you stay as well as possible and you have enough strength to escape this awful virus . God Bless . Evelyn
Thank you for the update. We often hear that these artifacts on a CT can be a result of something like pneumonia. It’s super that you share your experience so that others can find comfort from it.
Waiting on a scan can be very unnerving. Getting yours done was one of the most difficult I’ve read.
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Worrying times
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