I've had chest x-ray and cat-scan about 8 months ago-said at that time it could be a virus-had new ones done-now say it could be fungus-they want to do a biopsy-wondering why they are not giving me a broad sceptrum anti-fungal medication-has anyone else had this? if so what did they do? help-any info would be appreciated. thanks.
Is something showing on the CT scan. I was not aware that something like that would show. Fungus is very rare but my guess is that they want to identify what kind it is. Sometimes they can do a biopsy by bronchoscopy and it is much easier. Defiently get second opinion.
Thank you for your reply. Last October they did a bronchoscopy and a wash etc.. they said it was too small to get a sample. New c-scan and x-ray just lately. Don't know if it has changed-but x-ray showed no changes. In any case doctor is wanting a tissue sample if he can get it. Wait and see. Didn't know this was rare?
I had something called Aspergillus a few years ago. It was discovered during a bronchoscophy. It causes fungal balls in the lungs. I was treated with something called Itraconozol and it eventually went away. You definitely need to get a diagnosis. Good luck!
I had something called Aspergillus a few years ago. It was discovered during a bronchoscophy. It causes fungal balls in the lungs. I was treated with something called Itraconozol and it eventually went away. You definitely need to get a diagnosis. Good luck!
I guess there is nothing else to feel other than fear for a bronchoscopy before you have it done, but it's actually not as bad as you think. The sedation they give you doesn't exactly put you to sleep, BUT, the majority of people don't even remember the scope after it's done! Yes! Many people wake up going, "Hey, when are you doing to do the test?"
People on this thread have mentioned a bunch of things of different fungi, and the stories are all mixed up. I was hoping to be able to clarify some things. First of all, why does your doctor think you have fungus in your lungs? Is it because you have underlying lung disease and they found something on your CT scan? Or is it because you have asthma which is not responding to treatment and they want to find out if you have aspergillus? OR is it because you've been having fevers and stuff, and your CT chest is abnormal?
The reason I bring that up is because all of those syndromes (and more) are possible with fungus in the lung, but the approaches to their treatment is VERY different.
The most common fungi to infect the lung are Aspergillus species (a household mould) and "dimorphic fungi", which in Canada the two most common ones are Blastomyces and Histoplasma.
Here are some clinical scenarios where you could have fungus:
1. You have asthma which is not responding well to medical therapy and the respirologist wants to make sure you don't have Aspergillus in your lungs which could be causing an allergic reaction. This is called Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis, it can mimic asthma and it is treated with steroids AND antifungals.
2. You have been having fevers and weight loss, and your CT chest shows some nodules and some other organs may be involved. This is usually how Histoplasma or Blastomyces act. These fungi live naturally in the ground in different parts of Canada, and in certain cases, if someone inhales enough of them, they can infect the lung and cause disease. In THIS type of condition, yes, you would treat with itraconazole (or another azole) for 6-12 months.
3. You have an underlying lung disease like bronchiectasis which has left large, eaten out cavities in your lungs. Some Aspergillus has gotten in to this cavity and formed a ball called a mycetoma. This is common in people who have old cavities in their lungs, and does NOT need to be treated with antifungals. If the person is having a lot of lung bleeding, then sometimes you may need to actually surgically remove part of the lung.
4. You have a compromised immune system (HIV or on chemotherapy for cancer), have developed a fever and there are some abnormalities on your chest x-ray and/or CT chest. This situation is high risk for Aspergillus affecting the lung. Usually you could treat this with an azole (such as voriconazole) for 6 months or until the person is symptomatically better.
Soooo, that's a lot of stuff I have just thrown at you, and those definitely aren't the only ways people can have fungus in the lung. Do any of those situations apply to you?
none of those apply at all-the radiologist in oct of 2007 said that he would not do a needle biopsy because it was not necessary and he said that it was a virus after c-san-the respiratory doc was upset and requested another needle biopsy-no go-no diagnosis except for radiologist-I went back to my gp in may-he requested another x-ray-got me another appoitment with the respiratory doc-he requested another c-scan-saw him-because the radiologist said no the first time-now he is sending me to a surgeon-he wants to know for sure-he has said to me this time it could be a fungus-he also asked me if i was around sick animals or people-no I haven't-said tb was sometimes hard to detect-had skin test showed negative- said that if it was cancer which the radiologist would have seen-said it would be an extremely rare one-only symptoms I have is a bit of a dry cough which could be caused by other things-i'm about to go to a bigger city and try to get a diagnosis-what do you suggest?
Last edited by liketowin444; 08-26-2008 at 03:27 AM.
Well, what I suggest is to follow whatever advice your doctors give you.
However, I think I must've missed exactly what your problem was. What exactly was the story of how this all started, and what your doctors thought along the way as they were seeing you?
In other words: WHY did the doctor do the CT scan in the first place? Did you have any troubling symptoms like coughing up blood or severe fevers? What about the one CT scan made the doctor think you had fungus? Also, it sounds like you have a lung doctor--has he done a bronchoscopy on you?
One other question: did this whole thing start with someone finding a nodule on one of your chest x-rays, and then you got sent to a respirologist?
I went to emergency last oct with gas pains-did an x-ray then and detected nodules-my gp called me with results and put me in the hospital-had gallbladder stones as well which was causing gas pains-he called in a specialist-he did a bronchoscopy-a wash-got c-scan then-that's when the radiologist cancelled a needle biopsy because he said it was not necessary and he said it was a virus-then this may I went back to my gp-got another x-ray-nodules still there-he sends me back to respiratory doc-he again send me for c-scan-was upset with radiologist last time because he would not do a needle biopsy-this is when he said could be a fungus so this is why i'm going to a surgeon-see him this friday-i'll keep you posted-this is driving me crazy
I see I see.....sorry, I was having trouble understanding what was going on. It's kinda hard to understand your writing just 'cause you don't use a lot of punctuation or capital letters! heehee...no offense meant though.
Just a question for you: in light of all of the stuff you have mentioned above, have you actually had any chronic lung symptoms like a cough or fevers/chills/sweats or weight loss?
Sorry about that. Like I said in my last post I was seeing a surgeon. He said that he doesn't want to operate and get a tissue sample since I'm asymptomatic. He is doing another broncoscopy but thinks it's just scar tissue- My nightmare is over for now. Thank God. Pretty scary stuff. In any case, thank you for the info. Keep you posted.
Could use some information to help me get out of this very stressfull situation.
I have been diagnosed with ABPA and Bronciectisis for over 8 years. Had a CT scan last night and found 1.4cm cavity as well as some cystic lesions. is this a progression of my ABPA/Bronchiectisis or a something totally different? Do cavities just lay dormant as permanent lung damage or can they create additional health issues?? have read many articles and posts where some people have lived with large cavities over several decades. Is that quite normal?
Any additional information will be a hugely apprecaited.
