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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jul 19, 2015 23:39:11 GMT
Last year my mom had some health issues and for some reason that I can't remember, she had a chest x-ray. She was told that there was a spot on her lung but that it looked the same as it had last time. She had a chest x-ray a few years earlier but was never told that there was anything concerning. I encouraged her to get a second opinion then and assumed she had talked to her oncologist, who she sees regularly for a different condition (polycythemia vera). So, Friday my stepdad sends an email to all of us kids, saying that the doctor wants to do a biopsy of that spot to make sure it is benign, but not to worry.
I am curious if anyone else has had this happen? Is it me, or does it seem negligent for the doctors not to look into this earlier?
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Jul 19, 2015 23:47:56 GMT
Last year my mom had some health issues and for some reason that I can't remember, she had a chest x-ray. She was told that there was a spot on her lung but that it looked the same as it had last time. She had a chest x-ray a few years earlier but was never told that there was anything concerning. I encouraged her to get a second opinion then and assumed she had talked to her oncologist, who she sees regularly for a different condition (polycythemia vera). So, Friday my stepdad sends an email to all of us kids, saying that the doctor wants to do a biopsy of that spot to make sure it is benign, but not to worry. I am curious if anyone else has had this happen? Is it me, or does it seem negligent for the doctors not to look into this earlier? Lots of people have spots in their lungs. My mom has two and the doctor said lots of people have them. If they biopsied everyone's spots, there would be an awful lot of unneeded biopsies, and the procedure itself carries risks. Not negligent. They watched it and will check it out. Standard of care. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 3, 2024 6:07:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2015 23:56:37 GMT
In my experience, what you are describing is not unusual.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 19, 2015 23:58:37 GMT
They did that with my grandmother for about 5 years. A spot can be something as simple as a prior infection that has healed, but left some scarring. I have that in my brain from a rampant sphenoid sinus infection that wasn't found for several months.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jul 20, 2015 0:08:13 GMT
Thanks. That makes me feel better. I wonder why they decided to biopsy it now?
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Post by Legacy Girl on Jul 20, 2015 0:19:49 GMT
I had a spot many years ago. It showed up on an x-ray for bronchitis, etc., and it caused me about two months of total terror while we tried to figure it out. In the end, after a needle biopsy that collapsed my lung and a surgical biopsy that was the most painful surgery I've ever had, it turned out to be histoplasmosis. Some 60-90 percent of people in the Midwestern US have been exposed to the histo fungus. In my case, my body "walled off" the infection and I've had no further issues. I would ask if there's some reason why they're encouraging a biopsy now, and whether she has the option to carefully watch and wait to see if the spot changes. But hindsight is always 20/20, I suppose. I just wish I had not put myself through those two procedures, but the peace of mind of knowing definitively that it wasn't cancer was somewhat worth the pain. Hope all turns out well for your mom!
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 20, 2015 0:20:16 GMT
Thanks. That makes me feel better. I wonder why they decided to biopsy it now? Probably because she asked about it. Often things are checked out simply because the patient is concerned. |
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katybee
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,378 
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Post by katybee on Jul 20, 2015 0:40:21 GMT
My brother is battling kidney cancer. They regularly check his lungs, as that would be a common place for it to pop up again. He went to urgent care this spring, because he had pneumonia. They did a chest x-ray, and in addition to finding the pneumonia, they found another very suspicious spot in one lung. They immediately sent the x-rays to my brother's regular doctors and his oncologist. My brother waited an entire 24 hours to hear back…thinking his cancer was in his lungs the whole time. Turns out he's had that spot for years… Who knew? It never changes, it's always the same, so they don't worry about it.
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Nanner
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,962
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Post by Nanner on Jul 20, 2015 0:43:12 GMT
DH had one found 5 years ago. It turned out to be scar tissue or something (can't remember) left over from a childhood illness.
The good thing - it scared him enough to stop smoking - after having smoked for over 30 years.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 20, 2015 0:59:20 GMT
It could be that the spot has changed, so they want to check it out.
Watching and waiting is normal, even for a cancer patient. Spots can be too small to successfully biopsy. When DH was diagnosed with kidney cancer he had spots on both lungs, but they were too small to biopsy. They watched them (by scanning regularly) and it was a year before there was a change.
i am wishing your mom the best.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jul 20, 2015 1:46:46 GMT
I just asked her why they were doing the biopsy now and she said it has grown.
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Post by jamielynn on Jul 20, 2015 3:09:57 GMT
I'm glad she's having it looked at.
A family member had this and they said come back in a year. Older in age, lifetime smoker. He went to another facility where his spouse was having care and asked for a second opinion. For him it was cancerous and did require treatment.
I like to think he's the minority but if there is something that could be a concern, I think a second opinion isn't a bad thing.
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