seajay

Hello Lily,

I'm not quite sure what you should do, but I am going through something similar. I have multiple lung nodules, lots of scarring in my lungs and a pleural effusion...was referred to a Pulmonary Specialist and the only test he did was a lung capacity test...that's it. (First appt., 2 hour wait from schelued time, he had his nurse practioner do all the work and he made a cameo appearance.) Anyway, the doctor went with what his Nurse Practioner has been trained to say and do. He told me that I have GERD and it is probably damaging my esophagus, contributing to bronchitis and may be what is ultimately causing the nodules in my lungs because the acid may be going back down into my lungs. He suggested that it was the be-all-end-all and had his nurse schedule me with a GI doctor.

When I visited the GI doctor, he said that what the other doc said is a theory and that even if he saw evidence of acid reflux, my lungs would still need to be monitored because it may or may not be the cause. Because of all the findings on my cat scan and my symtoms, the GI doc did an upper endoscopy. My esophagus looks good and I do not have a hiatal hernia. There is evidence of Gastropathy in my stomach from what the doctor believes is the bacteria H. Pylori. He biopsied my stomach and a Polyp that was found. The impression that I got from the GI doc was that he didn't believe that it was the cause of my lung problems. He reiterated that my lung doctor needs to follow up, as he did on my initial visit. Sorry if this is a little of a rant, but I was upset because the evidence from the cat scan was in my lungs, not in my stomach. The tests should have started with the respiratory tract in my opinion, not the GI tract. Even though we have 11 Pulmonary specialists in my area, my insurance only contracts with 1 Doctor, and that is the one I went to. I have since canceled my next appt with his nurse practioner, as my insurance is paying for him, not his NP and have asked for an exception to go to another doctor and will have my GP do the follow-up cat scans the radiologist reccomends.

I guess, what I'm saying is that not one doctor has all the answers. Yes, some health issues contribute to others, but if your findings are in your respiratory system, then that needs to be investigated further. (JM0)

I hope all the referrals don't keep your head spinning as they are mine and I hope you can get some definite answers. Best wishes and keep us posted.