Lung Nodule 9mm

While searching the internet I came across this forum and it seems taht I am not alone with being diagnosed with a scary lung nodule.  I was diagnosed last week with a 9mm nodule via a chest x-ray.  I then went in for a CT scan that Friday which showed that it is a calcified granuloma; however the dr. says that is not why I am having pain and to come in today at 11:00.  Naturally, I am diagnosing myself, crying constantly for fear my life may end at 32 with two small boys.... My problem is: for about 6-7 months I have felt like something is moving around in my lower right lung cavity....under my rib cage, like I'm 5 months pregnant under my rib and it hurts as well.  Like I need to stretch but it doesn't work.  I have also had pain in my nerves in the right arm between my shoulder and elbow, but only feeling it in between the two and I can't rub it out.  Someone mentioned "feeling movement" and I too am feeling movement, which apprently has nothing to do with the nodule/calcified granuloma.  Any insight or familiarity with this, would be appreciated.  Oh - 2 years ago I had a chest x-ray that showed nothing....the calcified area went fro mnothing to 9 mm in 2 years.

[National Jewish Health]

At age 32, and presumably a non-smoker, the "calcified granuloma" is undoubtedly both benign and unrelated to your chest cavity.  The feeling of something moving around could be a sign of a diaphragmatic hernia or other disease beneath the diaphragm.  You should have that checked out.  A 9 mm nodule is a small nodule, so to go “from nothing to 9 mm in 2 years" is not at all worrisome.

You may need to have a neurologist evaluate the right arm nerve pain.  It is very likely unrelated to the nodule and also very likely to be unrelated to the feeling of something moving around.

[tanns]

I just wanted to say good luck at your visit today.  Although my nodules are a little smaller, I have some what of the same feelings but on the left side.  Left arm pain from shoulder to elbow and a feeling under my left lower ribs.  It almost feels like they "catch" on eachother.  I try to stretch them out but it doesn't help.  I was told I had a calcified granuloma but that was different than my nodules.

Anyway, good luck today, I know it is scary not knowing.  I'm 36 with two little guys and I don't plan on leaving them anytime soon!!

Take Care.

[Whacky]

Wow.  I am definitely not alone then!  I'll tell you, for the past 4 days it was all I could do not to look at my boys and start crying.  Rushing them into daycare before the CT scan before they could see my eyes.  Geez.  It's been terrible.  I don't know what's wrong with me yet, but I will say that I feel a since of relief knowing that the nodule is calcified.  It's pretty bazaar that we are seemingly feeling the same discomfort only on opposite sides.  When I would tell people what I was feeling, they all just kind of looked at me like...whatever.  But it's very real and everytime someone tells me not to think about it until I find out for sure what is causing it, I think, you have no idea....I have to think about it because I actually feel it regularly all day, every day.  Keep me posted on your outcome :)  I would truly like to know what it is and if we are experiencing the same thing.  I guess my next steps are an internal medicine specialist and into the liver, gall bladder and pancreas.....I have a feeling that a colonoscopy is not to far off either.  Thanks for the luck :)  

Tell me, did you originally go to the doctor because of the movement and pain in your left side?  Or was there something else that triggered it?  Are the nodules related to the left side discomfort and pain?  I am still feeling completely in the dark at this point but I do know that my lung, gall baldder and liver are the only things shoved into the right side where I am experiencing the strange movement and pain.

Lots of luck to you too.  And of course you're not leaving anytime soon....you're only 36 and you have little guys to tend to.  Mommy's aren't allowed to go anywhere :)  I believe that's in the rule book????  

[tanns]

How did your appointment go today?  I know what you mean, when you have real, physical symptoms and people just tell you not to worry about it, it is so frustrating.  I think it is worse when you don't have a reason for the pain but yet, it's still there.

Well, originally I went to the doctor for left sided chest pain and left arm weirdness.  I was convinced it was my heart and ended up seeing 4 cardiologists over the past year and a half.  It's not my heart.  The nodules were found when doing a CT of my chest because of the chest pain.  I'm not sure if they are related and I can't think of anything that triggered it.   I've seen SO many doctors it is unbelievable, from gastro docs, pulmonologist, endocrinologist, ob/gyn, 4 cardios, 3 gp's and two internal med.  The one I saw last week is amazing.  It's a double edge sword, I want answers but not scary ones.  It is hard.  I think a visit back to the pulmonologist will happen soon.  I've actually had 3 CT's on my chest in the past 18 months, now the two on my abdomen and pelvis Wednesday.  YIKES, I could get paranoid about that but that's another story.......

Do you have problems laying on your right side?  I have the worst time laying on my left side.  It feels like there is a small pillow shoved up under my ribs.   It is the weirdest feeling.

I hope your visit went well today and you got the GOOD answers you needed.

Take care.

[Whacky]

Wow.  I hope I'm not in for the long haul of doctor visit after doctor visit.  It is strange that you are experiencing the same thing on the opposite side.  Once my lung was ruled out I thought, it must be my gall bladder, which could explain the excessive bowl movements for so many years.  My mother saw on television about this woman (like me) that has to plan out every event of the day based on bathroom avail. and it turned out she had an over productive gall bladder.  So I thought, well there you have it!  Gall stones could be causing me the pain and relate to my other symptom for years.  Which apparently is the next step....gall bladder and liver blood tests and I would imagine that a colonoskopy is just around the corner as well.  At this point, I'd be satisfied with a tape worm!  That would explain the movement I feel.  Do you feel movement?  At least 10 times a day I feel like I'm carrying a baby in my right rib cage at about 5 months pregnant.  My aunt said that it could simply be nerves being supressed under there, which are leading to the ache in my arm.  Which would make since I guess.

Oh, I don't have discomfort when I lay on my right side.  Generally it is just all day.....periodically, no reason for it at all.  Sometimes when I'm uncomfortable sitting I'll stand and lean over a chair and stick my butt out really far as to feel as if I'm stretching the area.....but it doesn't help.

How did the CT's go today?  It's funny how they just keep moving down the chain of body parts doing CT scans.  I guess it's what they have to do to try to locate the problem.  I would think in all honesty that the nodules must be related to the pain, otherwise, why would both of us on opposite sides of the body be feeling the same pain?  Well, I hope everything turned out alright today.  There is nothing like just living in fear wondering when they are going to tell you something terrible.  Sometimes I feel better not knowing.....  At this point I feel comfort in knowing that the nodule is not that of something I have to worry about relating to a lung disorder.  I'll stick with the tape worm in my mind to ease the paranoia :)

Take care of yourself and keep me posted!

[Whacky]

Well it seems that after the 3 viles of blood they took yesterday everything looked alright but my white blood cell count was elevated so I am to come back in for a "smear" (whatever that is) and call the Dr. office Monday morning to schedule an appt. to see the doctor.  Odd since I already scheduled one for Sept. 26th.  Guess I'm going in sooner for whatever reason.....  More blood....I'm not going to have any left after this is all said and done.  

[tanns]

Ok, weird.  I just read both comments but on the second one--my last 4 WBC counts have been elevated.  My labs have come back with a few "off' numbers but nothing anybody can put together.  My WBC has been high, not terribly high, but like 11's and 12's when the cutoff for normal is 10.  My mean platelet volume is low, 6's or so, when the cutoff for normal is 9.  A few other oddball things but nothing that makes any sense to anyone.  Oh yeah, my CRP is high, 5 or so.

On the other comment, I think I saw that show your mom did.  Was it Mystery Diagnosis?  She found on the internet about a man who wrote a paper about a disease that was named after him.  She had horrible, horrible gastro issues.  I would say that I've had problems for as long as I can remember.  I often run for the bathroom right after a meal and have occasionally had to leave the table.  (sorry, I know it's gross).  But I've had that looked at even before the pains started.  And after they started I had an ultrasound on my gallbladder, a HIDA scan, small bowel series, endoscopy, colonoscopy (2), esophagram and now the ab and pelvis CT.  Nothing.  I am extremely bloated in my upper abdomen, right under BOTH rib cages.  It does look like I'm pregnant at times.  Even when my lower ab's aren't as big, my upper ab's look like I'm with child!!!  I don't know if I feel movement though.  I feel something, but it is different.  It's the same pains but a series of different kinds.  I know it sounds weird, like I'm a looney but it's really hard to describe.

I just got a call from the nurse on the CT's today.  There is a cyst on my ovary but nothing that they think would be causing my pains.  At least not upper body.  It does possibly explain my lower pelvic discomfort.  I see her again in two weeks so I'm sure if it was serious, they would have me in there ASAP.  So now we are just on to the next test.....agh!!!

Good luck on Monday, let me know how it goes!!

Take Care, t.

[tanns]

I was just checking in to see how your appointment went yesterday.

Hope all is well with you.

t.

[boonee]

I have been following the forum discourse between you and "whacky" re granulomas.  I too have been told I have very small granulomas on both lungs and have been told by my doc to come in for another CT scan in Oct.  I was hesitating about doing this because I have been dismissing granulomas as nothing to be alarmed about.  After reading your postings, now I think I'd better follow his advice.  
You mention lower pelvic pain and the presence of an ovarian cyst.  In 1994 I had severe pelvic pain and I too felt like I was pregnant.  Long story short, after a visit to my gynocologist, he ordered an ultrasound and did a laparoscopy on my abdomen.  Stage 3 ovarian cancer was found.  A complete hysterectomy and 6 chemo treatments later, I am cancer free for now what is 13 years.  My oncologist was a hero.  I urge you to see your gynocologist and discuss the possibility of ovarian cancer.  It never manifests itself with pain until it has been present in the body for as much as a year, which was my case.  Then, boom, pain like you wouldn't believe.  Good luck to you and "whacky" as well.  

boonee

[tanns]

I am so glad you are cancer free!!  YEA!!  That is so good to hear.  I know my ultrasound done last month and my CT done last week both showed a cyst.  I am suppose to go back in three months and have it rechecked.  I remember seeing something about a woman who had heartburn and mild chest pains for close to a year before she was diagnosed (after being misdiagnosed) with ovarian cancer.  Very tricky.

If you don't mind me asking, did they do the ultrasound and see the cyst and decided to do the laparoscopy?  Or were they planning on the lap for exploratory causes of your pelvic pain? I have to make a followup with my ob/gyn, I guess I will do that sooner rather than later.  It doesn't hurt to be safe.

Thank you for replying, take care and stay well.
t.  

[pls07]

I am so glad i found this sight.  I have many questions.  I had so many test, and all came back negaative except one.  I had the PET/CT scan negative, Broncophsy negative, blood work for cancer negative, TB test negative, sarcoidis negative, Chest x-ray they found nodule 1.6 cm thats what started all of this..  After all the test were done my pulmonary doctors, oh had pulmonary test and came back good.  The pulmonary doctor wanted a needle biopsy and that came back positive.  Doctors, have diagnosed me with Limited Small Cell Cancer, I have read alot about it, and reading says that it is normally not detected unitl advanced.   I had a bone scan and a MRI done to make sure it has not spread any where else. Has not, I guess I am asking am I fortunate that it is still in noddule and has not spread or should i get a second opion to make sure it is cancer before radiation and chemo.

[boonee]

Sorry I haven't answered you sooner;I have been away on vacation.  Re my ovarian cancer diagnosis, my OB/GYN ordered an ultrasound to find the cause of my pelvic pain.  I think he suspected ovarian cancer from the start.  The ultrasound showed a mass of cancerous fluid which had completely hidden one of my ovaries from view.  A week later he did a laparoscopy to verify the presence of cancer.  I personally viewed the VHS tape to see what he had seen - Stage 3 cancer.  I was on the operating table two days later for a complete hysterectomy.  Six months of chemo and the rest is history - 13 YR. SURVIVAL!!

boonee

[Booper44]

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[missdi55]

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