Update on best friend's husband

Jan Trinks
Jan Trinks Member Posts: 477
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi all:

 

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  I went to Charlie's folks for Christmas as usual. Shorter time though since I'm now working.   (DAMN, that working does get in the way doesn't it?)  My sister came down Thurs after Christmas and stayed till Sunday.  I spent a quiet New Year's Eve with my boys and watching football!  Well, now I need to ask for prayers for Steve, my best friend's husband.  You know I did report that his needle biopsy showed scar tissue and inflammation but wanted him to see a pulmonolgist for follow up.  Well they did and she ordered a pet scan to be sure.  While they were told they got good samples from the needle biopsy they weren't optimal samples.  Well, they got the results from the pet and one spot was reactive as Beki puts it.  There are just two spots as opposed to three as originally thought.  However Beki told me the pul. told them 4 lymph nodes were involved which of course doesn't sound good.  They've never said it is cancer but something is growing as shown by the pet scan.  Pul. did say it could be a fungus.  So when I heard that, I thought, "Oh, I've heard about fungus and fungi somewhere".  Then it hit me, here's where I've heard about it.  SO, anybody out there heard or had experience with this and can fungi involve lymph nodes?  They are going to schedule some sort of bronchoscope that has an ultra sound tip to it so they can zero in on it and depending upon what they find from that another type biopsy might have to be done.  I hate this monster and so dread for Beki to have to go thru this although she may not quite the basket case I was!  Also, it was 9 years ago yesterday that her mom passed away and she is an only child and has the responsibility for her 95 year old father.  He still lives in his house and does pretty good.  She has him over at her house 3/4 days a week and he spends the night with them.  She hasn't told him anything about Steve as he tends to worry about everything like the time he woke up at 3:30 a.m. one Sun. morning and stayed awake because he worried he wouldn't hear the alarm in time to get to Sunday School at 9:30! So until they know there's something to worry about she's not saying anything to him about it which I think is a good idea.  So please keep them in your prayers as I know you will and have been doing.  Will keep you posted.

 

Now another question, I notice this site has been upgraded but when I signed on this morning and went head and neck forum I didn't see any posts from January yet.  Latest one I saw was dated Dec. 12.  Anything up with that because I know a few days ago I read the posts from Vivian about David and Christmas and New Years but didn't see that listed.  Just wondered if there's a new trick to see the latest.  Also, it seems to a bigger font although this is smaller font.  Anyway let me know and have a wonderful weekend. Love y'all and God Bless!

 

Jan (Basketcase)

Comments

  • Chuckles0504
    Chuckles0504 Member Posts: 20
    #2
    Jan,
    When my  husband was

    Jan,

    When my  husband was diagnosed with Stage IV Base of Tongue cancer, they ordered a PET Scan.  When  we met with the doctor, the results showed pretty much every  lymph node in his lungs had lit up.  The a bronchosopy was ordered and hey bioposied the nodes and it was a fungus.  So, yes the fungus can show in the nodes.  Later they found a spot in his lung, and fortunately, that was also from some type of fungus.

    Hopefully, that will be the results your friend receives.  Take care.

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #3
    Chuckles0504 said:

    Jan,
    When my  husband was

    Jan,

    When my  husband was diagnosed with Stage IV Base of Tongue cancer, they ordered a PET Scan.  When  we met with the doctor, the results showed pretty much every  lymph node in his lungs had lit up.  The a bronchosopy was ordered and hey bioposied the nodes and it was a fungus.  So, yes the fungus can show in the nodes.  Later they found a spot in his lung, and fortunately, that was also from some type of fungus.

    Hopefully, that will be the results your friend receives.  Take care.

    Jan

    Prayers said for your friend Beki's husband.

  • ToBeGolden
    ToBeGolden Member Posts: 695
    #4
    Cycle Back to the Top

    My Hot Pet turned out on biopsy to be lung cancer. So that's not very supportive. However, many of this board's members have had false positive Pets: that is, a Hot Pet that turned out to be an infection. Either way: the thing is to treat whatever it is. I think your post deserves more attention than it has received. So I hope my little note will move your post back to the top so it can get that attention. Hope someone will chime in with more specific advice. Rick.

  • NJShore
    NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
    #5
    Friends

    Jan,

    my husband has a calcium deposit in his lung, where we have no worries, however the doctors all said that it was most likely a fungi that eventually calcified itself, and no issues here. 

    However, I have a friend who was dx with cancer in one lung, had half removed, and found out it was only a fungus after she had the surgery! She's still happy did not have to follow with rads/ chemo... So I think it's good that the doctors are doing the right thing by being absolutely sure he's dx correctly, up front!

    ill add him to my prayers,

    Kari (a fellow basketcase)

  • Tim6003
    Tim6003 Member Posts: 1,514 Member
    #6
    NJShore said:

    Friends

    Jan,

    my husband has a calcium deposit in his lung, where we have no worries, however the doctors all said that it was most likely a fungi that eventually calcified itself, and no issues here. 

    However, I have a friend who was dx with cancer in one lung, had half removed, and found out it was only a fungus after she had the surgery! She's still happy did not have to follow with rads/ chemo... So I think it's good that the doctors are doing the right thing by being absolutely sure he's dx correctly, up front!

    ill add him to my prayers,

    Kari (a fellow basketcase)

    Just don't have the same experience ...

    My last CT scan Nov 8 2012 show some granulated glass appearance and 3 nodes all in the left lung...larget node was 7mm.  Doc said the nodes looked puffy like cotton and based on my recent recreation activities he felt it was infection...but no gtee.  Of course that means an 8 week wait for a rescan ...we all konw how that works wonders on the mind Foot in Mouth ...prescribed 500mg of Levaquin for 7 days adn then wait...

    The follow up scan was just done and only one node showed up and it had shrunk...they believe firmly now that it was just infection ...funny an infection can last so long and still show up ..you would think it would be clear..no mention of the granulated glass...so I assume that is all gong.

    So not that my experience is the same....but it does go to show it can be a lot of thing s...

    Oh, and whispered that prayer you asked for :):)

     

    Best,

    Tim

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