I am 46 yrs old, female, smoker for 30 yrs, last week during a routine pre op appt i had a chest x ray done. They found a nodule in my left lung 1 cm, I also had to do my first breathing treatment ever. Up until this point the only things I have noticed is that once in a while I would get short of breath and about a year ago I hurt my shoulders and for the last year I always notice my shoulders bothering me, but, nothing bad. I did hand deliver my family Dr the results of the x ray, but don't know when I'll hear from him or what he will say. Someone who has gone through this please give me an idea what will happen next or what to expect, Thank you. Oh also my surgery was 6 days ago and I still have not recovered my voice. Was abdominal surgery.

Hi Jeanne
Most likely the next step will be a ct scan to get a better look at that nodule.
Depending on what that test shows, they may do a follow up scan to watch it or want to biopsy it where it is 1 cm. I had a 5 mm nodule that was too small to biopsy, so I go a repeat scan in 3 months.
Your throat is probably just sore from the tubes they put down your throat during surgery.
Faith

Thank you for responding

Hi Jeanne,
I know what you're going through. I had a CTscan on my liver and since my parents had just died of LC, they went ahead and did one on my lung area as well, preventative, you know. Well come to find out, they found nodules, I think 3. All under cm. I had an xray done first, ordered by the pulmonary dr. He then did a PET scan which came back ok. I had to do another CTscan in 6 months. This showed no activity so I have to do 1 more after the first of 08 and hopefully that will be that. I hope yours turns out to be nothing. The hardest part is waiting. Sending positive thoughts your way!

I had a chest xray done about 2 years ago because I smoke. The dr. called and said they fund a lung nodule, I was scared out of my mind.I had a c-scan done that week and it turnd out that my blood vessels meet a little higher than normal, whatever that means and I have a large bone spur in my thorastic spine. This is what they were seeing on the different xrays views. the vessel thing and bone spur are in the same area., no nodule was seen on the c-scan. Hope you have the same luck.

Linda