Lung nodules were found, and I was told to eat whatever I wanted? Huaxi doctor: Don’t panic, you may have misunderstood!

In one's life, one's heart rate will always speed up several times, for example:

👉 When the final grades come out;

👉 When your mother picked up a bamboo stick and prepared to hit you;

👉 When your crush sends you a message;

👉 When a nodule is found in your lungs and the doctor tells you to eat whatever you want and go wherever you want...

Lung! Nodules!

Those few words were like a bolt from the blue, shattering my high-spirited life.

While crying bitterly, the doctor adjusted his glasses:

"Little brother, did you misunderstand something?"

"This is not a

Many people first heard that they had lung nodules

I feel like I'm dying soon

This is the biggest misunderstanding about lung nodules

We invited

Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University

Attending Physician/Postdoctoral Candidate Dr. Lai Yutian

Regarding some lung nodule issues that everyone is concerned about

Answered~

" How big does a nodule have to be to be called a lung nodule?

Teacher Lai Yutian:

Let me first give you some basic knowledge. Pulmonary nodules are not the name of a disease, but an imaging result. The areas of increased density with a long diameter of ≤3cm can be understood as "small lumps" in the lungs, which are lung nodules.

It has been almost a year and a half since I had surgery for lung nodules. Do I need to go for a follow-up check? What indicators should be checked for a follow-up check? The doctor seemed to have mentioned this when I was discharged from the hospital, but I don't remember...

Teacher Lai Yutian:

I haven't had a follow-up checkup for a year and a half after the surgery. It's been a while. Normally, we recommend a follow-up checkup every three months or six months in the early stage. The items include blood routine, blood biochemistry, tumor markers , and if necessary, enhanced MRI of the head, enhanced CT of the chest and abdomen, bone scan, etc. (determined by the patient's postoperative stage).

I would like to ask, if a breast tumor invades the lungs, will small nodules appear on the lungs?

Teacher Lai Yutian:

This question is more complicated. It depends on whether the breast tumor has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone-related treatments , and what stage the breast tumor has reached, to comprehensively judge whether there is a possibility of metastasis. If necessary, some examinations such as PET-CT can be used to determine whether it is a metastatic tumor.

Uh... there is something going on between lung nodules and shoulder pain. Ever since I was diagnosed with lung nodules, I've been feeling shoulder pain.

Teacher Lai Yutian:

I'm overthinking it. It doesn't matter . Maybe, I'm just saying maybe. Should we first rule out shoulder periarthritis, muscle strain and other shoulder-related diseases?

I have a question from a foodie: Is there anything special I should pay attention to when eating if I have lung nodules?

Teacher Lai Yutian:

No! The "eat whatever you want" at the beginning means this. I'm sorry to scare you all, dbq! Just like healthy people, as long as you have a reasonable diet and balanced nutrition, it will be fine . However, some patients with lung nodules also have diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., so they need to eat a reasonable diet according to the requirements of chronic disease management.

Can pulmonary nodules be treated with azathioprine or methotrexate?

Teacher Lai Yutian:

Alas, patients nowadays have a strong sense of autonomy. They take medicine for any disease by themselves. I feel like they are about to lose their jobs. In fact, what we least recommend is that you take medicine without a doctor's advice, especially anti-tumor drugs. I am really worried about you! Please, patients, take medicine under the guidance of a specialist.

After I had surgery for lung nodules, I had a severe cough that lasted for more than a week, but it got much better later. Now it's been two months, and I still cough occasionally when I sleep at night, but not during the day. Do I need to take medicine in this case?

Teacher Lai Yutian:

I still have a little cough more than two months after the operation. In fact, it is quite common. If it does not affect my normal work and life, no special treatment is required. Most of the time, the cough will gradually improve after three to six months.

If the cough is still obvious after three months, you can go to the hospital outpatient department to evaluate whether drug intervention is necessary.

There are multiple ground-glass nodules on my lungs, the largest of which is 6mm. Doctor, do you want me to ask if I should have surgery to remove it? I still feel a little uneasy.

Teacher Lai Yutian:

In fact, we will only recommend surgery for lung nodules that are larger than 7 to 8 mm . However, this is not a sure thing. We still need to consider the location, size, and nature of the nodules. We should continue to observe what needs to be done and what needs to be done.

Let me add one more thing here. No matter how small the nodule is, theoretically it is recommended that male smokers over 40 years old need regular annual check-ups, and for women the age limit can be relaxed to 45 or 50 years old .

Finally, let me ask the question that everyone is most concerned about: will lung nodules turn into cancer?

Teacher Lai Yutian:

Although life gives you a slap in the face, it will also give you a candy. More than 90% of lung nodules are benign and most of them will not turn into cancer. Some ground-glass nodules may gradually disappear (such as some inflammatory nodules), so there is no need to panic.

But there are also people who were slapped once and then received a second slap. Yes, these are the few people whose lung nodules turned into cancer... So, the conclusion is that a small number of lung nodules will indeed turn into cancer.

In general, "lung nodules" are not a terminal illness, and they are not even a disease. There is no need to panic. The most important thing is to be evaluated by a specialist, have regular follow-ups, and undergo clinical interventions (such as surgery, radiofrequency ablation, etc.). I believe that with the help of professional doctors, we can get timely and effective diagnosis and treatment plans.

After all, these days, which physical examination report doesn’t have the “three major disasters” of lung nodules, thyroid nodules, and breast nodules?

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