i just found out that i have 5 nodules throughout my upper left lobe and lower lobe and one on my ad

bestazluvr
bestazluvr Member Posts: 1
in Lung Cancer #1
can some one tell me what i should do to start this process of getting rid of it or if i can my name is teri

Comments

  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #2
    Welcome
    I am sorry that you have just gotten the news that you have a problem with nodules on your lungs and adreanal gland. It is very scary for all of us when we get news that something is off in our bodies. The first thing (well, after the panic and tears subside anyhow) is to find a great team of doctors that can help you make a plan. The first one on your team should be a knowledgeable thoracic surgeon--the best you can get to. It is one thing to read a CAT scan and see that there are nodules there. But you don't know what those nodules are until they are seen under a microscope. Sometimes nodules are cancer. Sometimes they are another disease or scar tissue. In my own case, the doctor thought it was breast cancer moved to the lung (otherwise known as stage 4 breast cancer), but genetic testing proved it was stage one lung cancer. The treatments for the two were very different, so I was glad my team of doctors insisted on a biopsy before they started treatment.

    You didn't say if you had had a biopsy yet. There are several kinds. Sometimes they can biopsy without an incision. Sometimes they can't. It depends a lot on where the nodules are. A good thoracic surgeon can tell you what options you have.

    Once you find out what you are dealing with, you can add members to your team. If it is cancer, you will need an oncologist. In a large university hospital, you can often get an oncologist that specializes in treatment of just one kind of cancer. In a small town, the oncologist is more likely to be a generalist that treats many kinds of cancer. You can always do both: get a consultation with a specialist at a well-known clinic and work with the guy in town. Or if you live in a large city near a great clinic, you will have all the members on your team in one place. Remember, it isn't cancer until they check it under the microscope and the kind of cancer matters a lot to the kind of treatment that will work. So take a deep breath and get your phone numbers together tonight. Tomorrow their offices will be open and you can start calling. No matter what it is, you have come to a great place for support. Good luck!
  • catcon49
    catcon49 Member Posts: 398
    #3
    cabbott said:

    Welcome
    I am sorry that you have just gotten the news that you have a problem with nodules on your lungs and adreanal gland. It is very scary for all of us when we get news that something is off in our bodies. The first thing (well, after the panic and tears subside anyhow) is to find a great team of doctors that can help you make a plan. The first one on your team should be a knowledgeable thoracic surgeon--the best you can get to. It is one thing to read a CAT scan and see that there are nodules there. But you don't know what those nodules are until they are seen under a microscope. Sometimes nodules are cancer. Sometimes they are another disease or scar tissue. In my own case, the doctor thought it was breast cancer moved to the lung (otherwise known as stage 4 breast cancer), but genetic testing proved it was stage one lung cancer. The treatments for the two were very different, so I was glad my team of doctors insisted on a biopsy before they started treatment.

    You didn't say if you had had a biopsy yet. There are several kinds. Sometimes they can biopsy without an incision. Sometimes they can't. It depends a lot on where the nodules are. A good thoracic surgeon can tell you what options you have.

    Once you find out what you are dealing with, you can add members to your team. If it is cancer, you will need an oncologist. In a large university hospital, you can often get an oncologist that specializes in treatment of just one kind of cancer. In a small town, the oncologist is more likely to be a generalist that treats many kinds of cancer. You can always do both: get a consultation with a specialist at a well-known clinic and work with the guy in town. Or if you live in a large city near a great clinic, you will have all the members on your team in one place. Remember, it isn't cancer until they check it under the microscope and the kind of cancer matters a lot to the kind of treatment that will work. So take a deep breath and get your phone numbers together tonight. Tomorrow their offices will be open and you can start calling. No matter what it is, you have come to a great place for support. Good luck!

    hi

    I have nodules on my adrenal gland also. I agree with cabbot, you don't know what they are until you are tested. The nodule o my adrenal gland is not cancer. But I did have a suspicious one in my lung that was Stage 1a lung cancer. University of PA has a nodule clinic where they keep track of nodules. If they change or increase in size they may be come worrysome. I don't have any of your history. Good luck.

Discussion Boards