Help with some test results

[wildthing61]

Hi Everyone,

I am writing because I was in the hospital on Monday for a digestive problem, and as part of the diagnosis process, the hospital took a lung x-ray.  I guess it goes without saying, that the results have left me scared to death and full of questions.

Basically, they said that there is a "mild confluent opacity at the left lung base just above the left hemidiaphragm.?Infiltrate."

In addition, they said that there is an "irregular sclerotic lesion of the proximal right humerus that was only partially included on this study."

To tell you the truth, I really don't know what any of this means.  I've done some research on the internet, but there are so many different things, I just can't figure it out.

I saw my family doctor today and she ordered another chest x-ray and an x-ray of my arm.  I asked her if this might be "not good" and she responded "yes" it might be "not good".

I know it's too soon to make any definitive conclusions from what I have described.  But I don't even know what "confluent opacity", or "infiltrate" or "sclerotic lesion" means.  Can anyone help me with any information?

I have also been battling a high wbc count for 4 years.  Right now it is 15,800.  Usually it is around 14,500.  No one could explain why the high wbc.  I kept telling my doctor that my arm and leg bones burn constantly. But they never could figure out why.

I hate to say this, but I am a smoker, about a pack a day, so I feel pretty much screwed.  

My family has been begging me for years to quit.  I can't even begin to tell them about this.  No one knows.  And so far, I am doing this alone.  I really don't know how I will tell them.

Thanks for reading this,
Wildthing