Have multiple noncalcified lung nodules.  Initially found during heart scan 4 yrs ago. I stopped smoking at that time and none since.  Have had CT scans every 6 months since then including one PET scan.  All have come back "no change".  My doctor continues to recommend scans every 6 months.  When I ask him why he says, "we need to make sure there is no growth".  How much longer will I need to have these scans?
200446
If the non-calcified nodules seen on screening were confirmed and were non-calcified on the diagnostic CT, further work-up was recommended, depending on the size (average of length and width) of the nodule:\nnodules 5 mm or less: follow up with high resolution CT scans at 3 mos, 6 mos, 12 mos and 24 mos as long as there was no growth. \n\nhttp://www.journalclub.org/vol2/a71.html\n\nIf a nodule is found on a screening CT scan, than a decision is made to either biopsy the nodule if it appears suspicious for cancer, or to repeat a CT scan within 6 to 12 weeks to determine if the nodule has grown. Should the nodule grow, this is highly suspicious for malignancy, and a recommendation to biopsy the nodule is warranted. If on the other hand the nodule remains stable in size, and does not change, then continued observation is recommended. \n\nhttp://www.columbiasurgery.org/divisions/cardiothoracic/dd_cancer_screen.html
469900
ok well the cough is a cold, thats all..I have a lump on the back of my head, it just appeard. I flipped out...omg i have cancer..it wasn't. I went for a cat scan and it turned out just to be a calcium deposit which are nothing. The body does weird thing sometimes and b/c of the world we live in, when we find something that does'nt belong on our body we ...ahhhhh. When the body is trying to get rid of a virus such as a cold, it will create antibodies to help fight it off, think of your body as a mini army,sometimes weird bumps will appear. The fact that b/c u were on an anti-biotic and the lump began to go down automatically cancels out any cancerous tumours, not to say it can't be a tumor but probally not. Your dr with several years of med school under his/her belt said it looked normal, ontop of a cat scan which he said looked normal. I would trust him and try not to worry about it. If your loosing sleep over it, maybe you should go for a 2nd opinion or maybe a biopsy which there painless, it sounds painful but it's nothing...well u feel it, its not pleasurable, but its ok, its quick. Try not to worry.
489934
These are simple polyps that normally removed at sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy by snaring. I agree with the other answer which says 6 months and then a year follow up, at which point your colon will be imaged, normally with a colonoscope just to ensure there are no further polyps devleloping.\n\nDo not take the advice to speak to an oncologist! It is not cancer! If you felt the need to speak to anyone, a general surgeon or gastroenterologist would be more appropriate.
624606
My mother died from a cancer that had started on her right kidney a few years ago. It spread from her kidney and went up her spine and expanded out from there very fast. It will on the enzyne forulation that is present in the cancer he has, as to how fast the cancer will grow. My mother would not let the do a biopsy from the cancer. Let me first say that she or the doctors were not aware of what was present on her right kidney. They told her to let it grow a little more before they tried to do anything about it. They were not sure it was cancer. When the time came to do a biopsy, they told her they didn't know if they could get any fluid from the mass that was present. they told her they were afraid it would bust and spread quickly if they tried to extract fluid from it. So she didn't let them do a biopsy and it did spread quickly and killed her within 3 months. So it sounds like your husband has a much better chance at living a fuller life than what my mother did. I pray that things go good for him. If they had took her right kidney when they found it at the time, she'd probably be alive today. I wish the best for him and you.
318072
if you are having new nodules appear, consider seeing a pulmonologist or thoracic surgeon for another opinion. Infection can do this, but so can cancer
373243
What a pleasure to hear from you.HAPPY BIRTHDAY x 67. Does that qualify. Truth we are in to this with lung cancer in my husband of 38 yrs. Untreatable, they gave him 3-6 mos. That was well over a yr. ago. he's no worse off now then when they found it. One stubborned dude. Each date that passes is a plus for us. 2nd Xmas coming up. 2nd birthday in Feb. & he lived to see a new grandson that had not been on radar back then. We take one day at a time. He had told me he did not want to spend what time he had left bitching & complaining. He wanted to live them just as we always had. So that is what our family does. Good luck, Hope you celebrate a few more.
115712
Depending on how long you were a smoker...it's your circulatory system getting better.  I would check with your MD, though.  And just think....it will be the first appt that the doctor doesn't yell at you for being a smoker!!
634199
I think the timeline is somewhere like 3-6 months. You should probably wait a good while so your body has time to heal. Do what your doc recommends. Don't get anxious, take your time.
435652
When I was about 7 months pregnant I found a lump and tossed it up to a blocked milk duct. I mentioned it at my next visit, and the ball started rolling. I was diagnosed with breast cancer within 5 days. And unlike someone else said that tumors in the breast are small, my biggest of three tumors was 4cm, rather large.\n\nI guess what I am saying is that it doesn't hurt to get it checked out for your peace of mind. BTW, I was 29 years old with no family history of BC.\n\nI will be thinking good thoughts for you, good luck!
472282
I think{as a nurse} the doctors answer was correct. I can also understand your worry of course. Had your partner no signs and symptoms before getting ill at 23? That is unusual. It is likely that the children won't get screened unless one of them develops difficulty breathing, or becomes cyanotic{fingers ,lips,nose go purple/blue colour}. Then they will agree to immediate screening for all the kids but I think it will be hard to get done otherwise. Can you ask even your Gp to refer them to a cardiologist privately to rule out any signs of disease. I think that is your only option-going private. Remember however, if they get screened and all is well, that is no guarantee that it will stay that way throughout their lives. They may need screening every few years to make sure. Best of luck. I hope something works out and someone can reassure you.If they are healthy and can be very active without any difficulty, they are bound to be in good shape.Good luck and hope your partner is doing better now.
332737
i hate to be the one to scare the hell out of you. but i had the same thing burning in my right lung, 8-9-2001 they took my right lung out . i had lung cancer. take my advice see a pulmonologists. my dr kept me on damn cough syrup for a year. and when i started to spitting up blood she says well donald i guess we need to get some chest xrays. then it was too late. see a pulmonologist man. do not go thru what i have been. see my 360 you will know what i mean. also good luck to you.
506470
Did you ask for an ultrasound?  Ultrasound is very good at seeing intramammary lymph nodes.  Remember that a radiologist has be very sure that your "lump" is benign to recommend a 6 month follow up.  Of course, nothing is a hundred percent, but a recommendation of a 6 month follow up is as close as you can get!  With all of the biopsy techniques available today, the radiologist would suggest that if he/she was uncomfortable with your mass.  A FN biopsy is not the test I would choose.  They are not very accurate, especially if this is a lump that is only seen on a mammogram, and cannot be felt.   Instead, if you decide to get a biopsy, look into stereotactic breast biopsy.  It is a simple, image guided biopsy which will yield surgical grade tissue samples.  Simply put, I would ask for an ultrasound, and if that also showed a lymph node, I would wait the six months.  If the ultrasound was inconclusive, I would ask for a stereo biopsy......
73253
what ever dude wait till your 40 and need the colon examined. its a quick cup and you cough. the doctors has seen hundreds and will see hundreds more so it will only be embarrassing to you. you might want to tell your doc to give you a testicular cancer check as well thats a little more involved but you need to do it for your own health if you are between 16-25 years old.
582221
Yes, I've had multiple and I am only 38.  They are not bad.  Don't fear them.  At best, they don't hurt a bit.  At worst, it is over in just a few seconds.  During the mammogram, concentrate on your breath and on life and how beautiful it is.  One mammogram can save your life if you have cancer or it can help you sleep well for a year or so if you don't.  Mammograms are a blessing so always keep that foremost in your mind.
609977
Talk to the supplier of the lung cancer prescription.  Many drug companies have a program so supply prescriptions for free if you are in financial need.  Also mention this to your doctor.\n\nI sense, however, this isn't a serious question due to where it was posted.  \n\nIf it is true, good luck, as this type of cancer is particularly awful.  I hope that people currently smoking never have to know the pain and suffering of this disease - if they understood that, we'd have a lot fewer smokers!  :o)
420792
Wow how paranoid are you?  You are thinking that your doctors would actually refer you, and perform an open heart surgery without it being indicated?  Do you think it is useful to be so distrustful of your health care providers?  I know doctors move quickly and don't take time to explain things.  Believe me, when you already are working very long days and nights and not keeping up, taking more time with each patient is difficult to do.  Nonetheless, doctors got into the business because they are there to help.  Ask questions if you don't understand.  Do your own research and inform yourself about some of the basic workings of your own physiology.  Its one thing to answer questions but sometimes as a health professional, you need to lay a whole ground work with a patient before your answer would make any sense to them.  This is very time consuming.  So learn about yourself and how your heart works if you don't already know.\nTry this link for reliable information\nhttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/HB99999\n\nNow to answer your question about the "silent heart attack."  We do see this with patients frequently.  There are EKG changes that are consistent with certain parts of the cardiac muscle no longer working.  Other tests (e.g. echocardiograms, myograms)  can give similar results.  My personal feeling about this is that this is either chronically occluded small vessel disease or a congenital defect rather than a full blown event like we typically think of with a heart attack.  This makes the most sense in that over time small vessels become more and more blocked, progressively starving the heart muscle of oxygenated blood.  Eventually an area of the heart dies off.  It happens so slowly that there never is pain, shortness of breath, sweating, etc.  When the area of heart muscle dies, there are changes in monitoring devices like EKG's giving rise to the diagnosis of a "silent heart attack."  Whatever the source it means that there is a part of your heart that no longer contracts and pumps blood like it should.  At minimum this predisposes you for congestive heart failure...which has a high incidence of mortality or morbidity.  If I were you, I would listen to the medical people.  Your life and quality of life will depend on it.\n\nGood luck.
91440
I guess next time nujdawg needs a CT examination, he won't care if the person performing it is trained in radiation safety.  Anybody can push a scan button, but not anyone can set the machine properly to get a quality examination with the lowest dose possible.  In order to execute a CT scan, I had to have a great deal of schooling, and I had to pass both state and national licensing boards.  Anybody can push a scan button, but what millimeter thickness is best for a pulmonary emboli vs a chest mass?  What pitch is best for which circumstance?  If a patient cannot hold his breath for long, what can you do to shorten the scan time?  How many second delay is best post injection for a kidney stone vs a kidney mass?  What pressure setting should you have the pressure injector set at?  There are no set imaging parameters in CT (or any radiologic imaging).  \n\nThis website has a great description of what is needed to be a CT technologist:  \n\nThese professionals use radiation, or a computerized digital process, to produce images of tissues, organs, bones and vessels that physicians study to diagnose and treat disease or injury. Rad techs combine the science of computers and the art of individual technique to create crisp images that provide complete and accurate information.\n\nIt’s clear that rad techs enjoy science. They must have an understanding of anatomy, physiology and radiation biology. Rad techs use this knowledge as they prepare patients for diagnostic images by administering drugs or chemical mixtures. Rad techs position patients under machines and regulate controls to minimize radiation exposure. They may even perform x-ray examinations under sterile, surgical conditions. Some of these fluoroscopic x-rays produce “real time” images of the body at work. Rad techs may also maintain radiological equipment.\nAlong with scientific and technical knowledge, rad techs must possess a caring nature, strong problem-solving abilities and communication skills.  http://www.azcaringcareers.com/loc.cfm?page=radtech