Had left lower lobectomy 18 months ago. Had a CT Scan two weeks ago and the nodules in my right middle and right lower have grown. 🙁. Still very small. 8mm and 5mm But they have grown. My consultant once told me if they grow chances are it’s cancer in the right lung as in the left. I am feeling upset today and not feeling great. So very pale and pain in left lung. GP has requested a blood test on Monday as I am so pale.
My questions are:
1. Do you think it’s cancer if they have grown?
2. If they turn out to be cancer is that metastatic cancer from left lung?
3. Does that mean I am Stage 4?
Getting in a bit of a stew. Hope to see consultant next week. Thanks
Ronnie57 you are probably half frightened to death right now.... but try not to overthink or get your imagination running riot. When you were given your original diagnosis, I'm thinking there was already activity in your right lung as you state the nodules in your right lung have grown slightly which suggests you already knew they were there. I had a left upper lobectomy in Dec 2010 (diagnosed Jan 2011) and about 18 months later had suspected recurrence and various tests but turned out to be infection. I was also told there was 'activity' in my right lung but I've had several CT scans in the years since then and never been told since of any enlargement/activity in my right lung although a cyst was found on my liver at original CT scan and still there (just 'watched' when asked about it). Sometimes inflammation occurs in our lungs and if you already have nodules being watched, these can be affected but inflammation can create shadows on imaging that turn out over time not to be anything 'sinister' which is why scans are often repeated a month later or 2 months later to compare to the original. If it does turn out to be cancer in the right lung (and try not to get ahead here of the investigations and their results), then there are various treatments but at the moment, they will be deemed too small unless their volume increases to a certain level. With so many people now having CT scans for one thing and another including 'lung health checks' it's become apparent just how many people have lung nodules most of which will not develop into anything serious - in the same way most of the population has freckles and moles on their skin which do not develop into anything.
Paleness could be infection, anaemia or other things so hopefully the blood tests will determine what that is. It's unusual to have pain in the lung itself as there aren't any pain receptors in the lungs which is how for many people it advances without them or medics being aware.
Pain might be muscular, or the pleural lining if inflamed through infection or skeletal (rib pain?).
To answer your specific questions, 1) no - not necessarily - inflammation and medication can often cause nodules to grow but they can resettle
2) as it seems you already had been told there was some activity in the right lung when you had the lobectomy, it's not considered metastases - it's the same primary lung cancer for which you received surgery in the left lung and presumably nothing else?
3) No - not necessarily - but even if it did, there are many treatments if non small cell - you haven't stated what type of cancer or stage was removed from your left lobe but dependent on results of your blood tests and original surgical biopsy and other tests, it may be possible to have chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery or combination of any/all of these.
It's good you're due to see a consultant next week - have a look at the Roy Castle lung cancer website information and formulate any questions you need to ask them. Good luck and let us know how you get on.... try and distract yourself between then and now with something to stop your mind/imagination from wandering and increasing anxiety if you can.
JanetteR57 has provided an excellent reply to which there is not much to add.
We naturally often think the worse, especially once we have cancer, we almost believe that any abnormality or a change in health must mean cancer, when really it can be so many other things.
Do discuss this with your lung cancer nurse or GP whilst you are waiting to see the consultant, which is an understandable and worrying wait for you, plus more time to think about things.
Your paleness could easily be anemia, which could make you feel unwell. You may find that your GP already has your blood results so it may be worth calling them to find out and it may put your mind at ease a bit more.
If you wish to discuss anything you can either email us at lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org or call our freephone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200
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