Lymph nodes showing up on a CT scan and the doctor says they are "nothing"?

hoosierboy
hoosierboy Member Posts: 1
edited March 2020 in General Cancer
I have been doing well for a couple of years now and recently had a checkup with a scan. My doctor said there were some lymph nodes that are showing up but they are nothing. I don't like that description, especially since nodes haven't shown up before, or if they did they weren't mentioned. So now I'm questioning if I should go see another doctor and have another scan done or not.

Comments

  • LiveWithCancer
    LiveWithCancer Member Posts: 470
    edited March 2020
    If you do not feel comfortable with your doctor's reaction or assessment, I would not hesitate to go for another opinion. It is your life. Doctors have been known to be wrong. For your own peace of mind, get another opinion (you might be able to just get someone to look at the scans you just had rather than getting new...)
  • JaneA
    JaneA Member Posts: 335
    edited March 2020
    It might be difficult to get a second opinion due to the coronavirus pandemic, but I would certainly try to get one. You'll have to get a copy of your scan on a disc unless your facility will email - which they certainly should do during these times.

    One thing that I recommend for every patient - always get a paper copy of your scan report to put in your records. Then you can compare the report to your last report - then you'd have more peace of mind about did they show up before.
  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 329
    edited March 2020
    Cold and flu season is still here (remember those?). Anyway, the location of those nodes might make a difference. How long since last scan? Was your CRC localized, or had it spread? And, what does he mean by nodes showing up?

    What I'm thinking: First, call for a more detailed explanation. If no good, call for another doctor - at another facility. It's your life and you are your own advocate.
  • carm
    carm Member Posts: 18
    edited March 2020
    Hello, I am an oncology nurse and there are many reasons why you might see a lymph node on a CT scan. They are the garbage bins of the immune system. Whenever anything foreign is found in the body they are brought to the lymph nodes and marked for destruction so @Po18guy is correct in that the flu season is winding down. There are many bacteria in the gut and abdomen that could have caused this. If you are concerned, request a PET scan to rule out any progression. Best of luck to you
  • GregP_WN
    GregP_WN Member Posts: 742
    edited March 2020
    11 years ago my PCP was consulted about a couple of lymph nodes that swelled up in my neck. From my previous diagnoses, I knew that the definitive answer for it was going to come from a needle biopsy. I asked for one then, that day. He said, "no, we need a CT scan, that will tell me all I need to know about it". My insurance won't pay for an outpatient CT Scan, so, after wasting about 4500.00 the results came back as non-impressive, or something like that. And "nothing to worry about. But I wanted more, so Next, we did the needle biopsy that I wanted to start with, that confirmed squamous cell carcinoma. All doctors are not created equal, some were top of their class and go-getters, brilliant young doctors, others were just their because their parents made them go to be a doctor and they finished at the bottom of the class. I've had both, but I will no longer put up with the latter.

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