Nodules

[julie1908]

Hi I would like to know if anybody has been told that they have nodules on their lungs?

[Simba1992]

Nodules are often a side effect of Mtx. Both in lungs and other places. Stopping Mtx decreases nodules, don't know about lungs though.

[wishbone]

I've had one in my right lung for about 3 years. It was monitored by CAT scans for any change during the first year or so, but my chest consultant is happy that it's nothing to worry about and is RA related as the majority of these things seem to be. I remember speaking to a young woman who said she had a lot of them in her lungs.

[Gigi71]

I have a small one on my lung and another on my fifth rib. Doesn't seem to cause any concern. I am however having another CT scan, the last was two years ago, mainly for scarring on my left lobe. They are also checking on the cysts I have on my liver. Maybe meds related. X

[helixhelix]

I have a collection of nodules in my lungs. After checking whether they changed at all over the course of 2 years my medical team are suprmely uninterested in them. Bascially i have a long history of lung diseases, am an ex-smoker and have been taking MTX for 8 years. So they have no idea which of these caused them, and don't really care as they are stable. So i no longer fret about them.

Also have them on thyroid, in uterus, colon and maybe other places that nobody's looked at. So have decided I'm a nodule'y person.

[BonnieT in reply to helixhelix]

Hugs for the chuckle I had from your response.

[lilyak]

I have only one nodule, in my lung. My doctors are also supremely unconcerned, so I follow that lead. Methotrexate can cause/worsen nodules, but it is a very uncommon side effect, less than 1%.

[Simba1992 in reply to lilyak]

RA nodules seem to be quite common it seems. The nodules caused by Mtx are a bit different, usually found in soft tissue and are seen in 7+-11+% of Mtx users, or so it says in this article.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[lilyak in reply to Simba1992]

We're discussing lung nodules, and these occur 0.1-1%, which makes it rare. Cutaneous nodules are quite different.

[Simba1992 in reply to lilyak]

Ok, sorry.

[wishbone]

My old rheumy reckoned that folk with surface nodules are more prone to get them in their lungs. Makes sense I suppose.

[BonnieT in reply to wishbone]

What are surface nodules mainly or usually located?

[wishbone in reply to BonnieT]

Don't think that's the correct term, but it's what I call nodules that are visible as lumps under the skin. Think they can turn up in many places, I have them on my elbow, finger, soles of feet, and by my ankles, plus there's probably a couple of small ones somewhere that I'm not aware of.

[Joy_1]

Hi

I have lung involvement with my RA and take MTX. In my case the RA caused the damage (fibrosis), not the MTX. I have been on MTX for about 3 years now and it has given me my life back. Thankfully the damage to my lungs is very mild and has remained that way since diagnosis.

Get out there and enjoy your life, try not to fret, push the worries to the back of your mind otherwise life will just pass you by.

I have found swimming and aqua aerobics keeps my lung function in the normal range.

Joy

[Simba1992]

Funny thing about noddules. RA can cause noddules and when it does it is seen as a symptom of more aggressive RA.Then again Mtx witch is supposed to calm down the disease cause noddules as well. Really weird!? Logically should be the other way around. When I had a flare and took pred. the noddules were gone very quickly! So what are they about really🤓🤔

[ClareBonetree]

I have had nodules on wrists, achilles tendons, elbows (my cat used to lie on her back in my lap and chew them gently when we were watching TV, it was weird but cute) since early on (now 26 years in) and 3 years ago I found out I had a nodule in my lung. No one seems bothered about it and my lung function is at the high end of normal, so I guess things are fine. The surface nodules came before I took MTX, the lung nodule after. But I came of MTX earlier this year because of the other side effects of extreme fatigue and muscle pain and dizziness and cognitive impairment.