Waiting for Official Diagnosis - Cancer: Lung Message Board

MomInMass · 01-20-2005, 01:33 PM

I am very overwhelmed right now and hope someone out there can help me figure this out. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I was admitted to the hospital with bacterial pneumonia 12/30. Large pocket of pneumonia on bottom of lung, 5 visible nodes in the middle of lung which lung doctor said could be cancer, abscess at the top of the lung. Had a cat scan and series of chest xrays in the hospital confirming all this. IV antibitoics helped with the infection and I went home 1/4.

Went for a followup this Tuesday with a GP and the 5 nodes were referred to as cancer. Pneumonia still there but better. Not sure about abscess since the GP didn't do a chest xray. He chose not to do the xray when he saw on the report from the hospital a 10cm lesion on my liver was discovered during the hospital cat scan. He gave me the name of an oncologist and told me to get familiar with the word cancer. He also ordered a cat scan of my liver for Feb. 1st. GP also told me the trachea lymph node was prominently sticking out and all 3 things (lymph node, 5 lung nodes, and lesion on liver) were likely connected.

I have an appointment with the lung doctor this coming Monday. I went on the web and pulled a list of questions for the lung doctor and another list of questions about liver cancer. Now I don't know what to do. I am trying not to jump to conclusions but.....

I will be 37 February 5th, smoked for 22 years and went on the patch this Tuesday. I have always had good health until back problems and surgeries within the past year. Any ideas or advice for me?

MomInMass · 01-20-2005, 03:02 PM

Someone....please....any thoughts on all this? I'm desparate to hear someone tell me anything.

mwessell · 01-20-2005, 03:24 PM

How can they say cancer without a biopsy? Did you have a PET scan? I had a nodule on my lung and also one on my liver..the liver one was just a cyst, whcih was determined by an ultrasound...

mwessell · 01-20-2005, 03:26 PM

I know you are scared...does MASS in your name mean Massachusetts? I am from Massachusetts...

MomInMass · 01-20-2005, 03:48 PM

Yes, I'm from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. And very glad to live where I do if I have a battle ahead of me! It's heart wrenching reading this board and seeing that people have to take a plane to a hospital in another state for treatment. I am only about 45 minutes outside of Boston where some of the best doctors are.

The lung doctor and my general practioner agreed the 5 nodes were likely lung cancer based on the 3 chest xrays and the cat scan. Plus I have a family history of cancer but not of lung cancer and all have been men.

The thing that bugs me is that the 10cm lesion on my liver was seen on the cat scan but not reported to me while I was in the hospital. It was discovered by accident Tuesday when the doctor was feeling my ribs (2 are cracked from the coughing and pneumonia) and I mentioned some tenderness when he reached the bottom of the ribs. He then felt my belly some and it hurt even more. He then grabbed the report to read and told me the lesion was discovered during the cat scan and was labeled as suspicous due to the suspicous 5 nodes on the lung they attributed to a carcinoma. This is 2 weeks after the cat scan and 3 chest xrays. Right after that he checked all the lymph nodes and mentioned the protruding trachea node on the left side. I can feel it since it's really sticking out there.

It was at this time he told me to get used to the word cancer and gave me the name of the oncologist. I don't know what to do. The oncologist won't see me until the lung doctor does a definitive diagnosis and I don't know what to do about lining something up about the liver. I just don't know anything anymore.