pleuresy,pneumonia-possible cancer???confused!!

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

hi there
my husband recently had pleuresy followed by pneumonia.
he had really bad chest pains-and hasnt been sleeping. He was also coughing up blood.They did say it is possible it could be cancer depending on biopsy.
He had ct scan and they found 2 tumors on bottom left lung. He then went for biopsy but the tumors were beyond reach.They said they would remove the tumors but the next appointment they told him he needed the bone scan.
Now he is waitin for bone scan. They havent confirmed whether the tumors are cancerous because they couldnt take a sample.
Will this bone scan reveal what type of tumors they are? Also he may have tb .Im so confused with it all. He is coping quite well with it all.
Does this sound like cancer? He did lose alot of weight but the past 3 wks he has put bit of weight on and his pained has eased but he is on strong painkillers.
I appreciate any comments.
thanks so much
blueberry 71

brainman

blueberry71, I am very sorry to hear that your husband is so sick. It obviously could be several things... including cancer. The bone can will help determine if it is cancer but will not help to determine what cell type it is. The only way do to that would be to do a biopsy of any of the tumors... even a biopsy of any tumors they might find in his bones.

I know that right now your head and heart must be swimming in a deep sea of confusing possibilities and options. Keep working with his medical team. Keep asking questions. Keep hoping.

You and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 871

Blueberry,

Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear of this possible lung cancer diagnosis for your husband. My thought is they know it's something and may well suspect it is lung cancer. These are all fairly typical tests to do to move toward a diagnosis. I'm surprised they haven't done a PET scan -- that could be next. If it shows up in the bones, then it is late stage and they won't be operating on his lung. They will only do a lobectomy when it is a low staged cancer like I or II and sometimes Stage III's. If it is in the bones or other areas, it is Stage IV and has already hit the blood stream. Surgery won't have a benefit because micro-metastatic cancer cells are traveling through the blood. He will need to do chemo and radiation.

I know you are trying to understand a lot of "stuff" being thrown at you in a short period of time and I don't want to add to your confusion.

Please have hope as you wait for the new scans. Maybe it won't be cancer at all or it may be confined to his lung and that would be great news. Even if it is not, he can do well with the chemotherapy and radiation. They are just trying to rule out all the other things right now. Jim is correct and my husband always said that he didn't have cancer until they tell him he had cancer. Only a biopsy can tell if it is cancer and the type.

Hang in there --- I know what a strange and frightening time this is for both of you. Very surreal.

My husband had the TB test too -- pretty weird feeling to hope for TB, but that's what we did. He finally needed to have a wedge section biopsy done to determine what was in his lungs because they couldn't reach his tumors either.

Many hugs and best wishes,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

Hi ya
Thanks for your advice. John had a bone scan last monday-its been 8 days and still waiting for appointment or phone call.Not knowing is so frustrating,- he started with chest pain again last wk and towards the end of the wk he was being physically sick. The sickness started on sat and its now wed and still being sick.Doc said there are plenty of bugs going round at the minute.
i will let you know what the outcome is when he gets results.
Im quite surprised they havent done a needle biopsy-before the bone scan.
Like you say-we are both very confused because he has had pleuresy,pneumonia and possibly tb..
i will let you know what the outcome is when he gets results.

Thanks again-it really helps to read other peoples experiences.
Hugs and kisses to you all.
blueberry 71xx

brainman

Blueberry, if they do not call you, you should call them. At least that would let them know that you are concerned about the test results Wink

. A bone scan should not take that long to read. Hopefully, the delay means that they did not find anything.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

Hello
My husbands bone scan results came back clear which is excellent news. He goes back in June. His tumors are too small to biopsy. Can cancer take this long to be diagnosed?He still has chest pains. He has had 4 lots of antibiotics for tb but still dosent feel better. He had a sickness bug and was sick for 5 days -which contained blood. Doc said it there are lots of bugs goin round.
Unfortunately he still smokes alot. his tumors are on the outside of lung.He had broncoscopy but they couldnt reach and were too small. They are goin to check if they have grown when ge goes back. how big do they need to grow before they can biopsy them?
we just wish we could get answers. Its so frustrating.
Thanks for your advise guys,really helps.
xxxx

brainman

Hi blueberry.

The short answer to your question is "Yes". Lung cancers are usually detected once they are very advanced. If your husband does have cancer, he may have detected it quit early... wish is a very good sign. Unfortunately, your husband does not have a conclusive diagnosis so I do not know what the doctors will do. They might want to treat it as if those tumors are cancer. However, if they are benign, treatment will not do anything but make him sick (nausea mainly). Or they might recommend a "wait and see" approach. Which of these they will recommend I do not know. Others may have their own stories to share that might shin a light on your husband's situation. I do hope the PBJ will reply. She is my right-hand person when it comes to lung cancer.

May you and your husband live in the Light.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 871

Blueberry,

I'm so sorry that this whole thing is taking so long. I'm very glad to hear the bone scan came out clear -- one hurdle jumped in the process.

As you have learned, broncoscopes can only reach so far into the lung. For as much cancer as my husband had in his lungs, they never were able to get a conclusive sample of his tumors. If they knew the tumors were on the outside of your husband's lung, I'm surprised they even bothered with doing one. What disturbs me is his ongoing issues with lung infection and coughing up blood -- this is something that is quite common for lung cancer patients. They could do a PET scan, but the results might be skewed from the ongoing infection activity in the lungs. Infection can light up on a PET scan.

To be very honest, I would be pushing for more testing. They may have the above reasons to not proceed with the PET until the infection is under control. I'm sure this is frustrating as all get out for the both of you. This is dragging on and if it should turn out to be lung cancer, that's not good to go long periods of time and allow it to grow unchecked. On the other hand, if this is a slow growing type, that's a huge plus for him. Some people are placed in the awkward position of "watch and wait." We ultimately had to do a wedge-section biopsy on my husband for final determination. Looking back, I think they could have gotten away with a needle biopsy in one of his lymph nodes, but that's water under the bridge.

I pray for some answers soon for the two of you. Living under a question mark is not healthy and most people would far rather know than not know.

I don't really know how large the tumors have to be before they attempt a biopsy, but understand that when they are too small of a target, it is difficult without going for wedge-section surgery. That's why a PET scan may be the next logical step. I'm not a doctor, but can easily understand your fears over this long delay in firming up a diagnosis.

I'm sorry and my thoughts are with you. Keep us posted and above all, push for answers and be a strong advocate for your husband. The two of you are in charge and have a right to know what is going on.

Are you in the United States? Maybe you should collect all of his records and consider a second opinion at a major cancer center.

Best wishes,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

maryaz

All that I can add to this from our experience is if you are not satisfied with an answer, call the office and talk to someone. I, personally, think there is a balance to this calling. We all cannot really bug them for a lot of little things. Get the questions together and call and ask to have someone call you and ask. We are entitled to information.

We found a lot of slow going that should not have been. I think my story (link below) covers my husband's case. He had a broncoscope too that they could not get anything. Then they thought Valley Fever. Ultimately turned out to be a more rare Pulmonary Infection. It was the needle biopsy that finally named it as cancer.

In our opionion, way too much time was lost. I think I am saying to you to be satisfied with the answers or ask again. We knew nothing starting on this journey. We are still new at it but we have learned a lot.

What do they say is the reason for the pain and for the bleeding? I didn't understand about 4 antibiotics for infection.

Best of luck to you.
_________________
Mary

Husband is 67 year old Male
NSCLC - Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Chemo and Radiation Treatments together
Allergic reactions to Taxol and Taxotere.
The Story: http://www.cancerforums.net/about9079.html

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

hello
pbj11-i hope your husband is doin ok and responding well to treatment.

We rang the doctor today and he is coming to see jon tomorrow as he got another bug again? this weekend-keeps being sick,pain in lung ,coughing alot and sweating.Im sure doc will bring his appointment forward.
In the uk the pet scan hardly gets mentioned-i looked it up and only certain hospitals do them?
His immune system must be so weak to keep gettin these viruses.
They gave him antibiotics for tb but because his symptoms didnt clear up they gave him different ones-obviously not at the same time.His pain is mainly at night which keeps him awake.
will keep you posted on the outcome.
Take care everyone.
best wishes
Blueberryxxxxxxx

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

hello Mary
iv just read your story- oh my- you both have gone through the mill. Cannot believe how long it took to diagnose your husband.My heart goes out to you-its so frustrating.
How is he doin at present?
blueberry 71 xxxx

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 871

Blueberry,

The reason I asked if you lived in the States is because I have witnessed the dragging of the heels for patients who live in countries with nationalized healthcare too often. I'm not trying to be controversial, just have seen this happen over and over where certain tests and drugs that are commonly used in the U.S. are not used in nations with government run healthcare. That's not to say that this is what happens in every situation, but you've been beating down the doors for awhile now.

This is all the more reason for you to really push, push, push and be an advocate to get the answers. Be the squeaky wheel. While your husband could be having sweats from whatever mystery illness he keeps fighting, they also happen from lung cancer. My husband experienced night sweats before he was diagnosed from the tumors.

My husband did respond to many of his regimens, but sadly lost his battle and passed away last fall.

Many prayers and hopes for some movement and answers for your husband. Hang in there --- I know how frustrated you must feel.

Hugs,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

pbj11
Im so truly sorry for the loss of your husband and thankyou for being understanding with the misunderstanding in my message to you.
Doc gave him more antibiotics again...... but he is going to bring the hospital appointment forward.
Thanks so much for your encouragement and determination you give to others like myself.
will keep you posted
Lots of hugs
blueberry 71. xx

blueberry71 · New User Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

hello
Update on my hubby Good news.-went back today and they did xrays again AFTER 3MTHS OF BEING TOLD IT COULD POSSIBLY BE CANCER.
No changes on tumors & consultant said that cancer is ruled out at this present time- he is being treated as a tb patient with strong Antibiotics .If that dosent work then he basiacally has smokers lung/bronchitus. Hestillhas chest pain and coughing up blood but thisis part of this disease.
It is a weight lifted of his shoulders butcouldthis develop intoanything else like COPD?
Best regards
Blueberry 71 Confused

pbj11 · Site Admin Joined: 12 May 2007 Posts: 871

Blue,

Thanks for the update with such good news! He must have tested positive for TB if they are treating him for that. Congrats -- I know TB isn't great, but it's a heck of a lot better than a LC diagnosis! Very Happy

COPD is an umbrella that covers many different respiratory illnesses. I don't know what exactly falls under that umbrella, but I'm sure you can ask the pulmonologist.

Good luck and thanks for letting us know.

PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

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