Lung consolidation on X-ray severe lung cancer anxiety

[Lucky802]

Hi, I have been a forum member for a while but it's the first time I am posting. I had really bad bout of health anxiety 4 years ago when I developed aches and pains throughout my body. Had to start taking amitriptiline and have eventually improved.
This year in winter I have constantly been having colds and infections. Ended up with what I thought was bronchitis in the end of February - had bad cough with lots of sputum. After 3 weeks I visited GP and got prescribed antibiotics and sent to chest X-ray. Antibiotics cleared the infection and I feel better now and cough stopped. However my x-ray showed lower lobe consolidation and I will need to have another X-ray in 4 weeks to see if that's cleared. The doctor suggested I had pneumonia but my only symptom was bad cough and a bit of temperature to start with. I wasn't bed bound or out of breath as you do with pneumonia. So my anxiety is through the roof now, and in the Internet lung consolidation is often cancer. I don't know how to survive for the next 4 weeks until I have another x-ray. I am driving my husband mad with my anxiety so can't really keep talking about it with him.
I am not expecting people here to know my diagnosis but perhaps somebody had a similar experience? Thank you

[muzicdejay]

Hi, I have HA to do with lung cancer so just wanted to say I know how you feel. How long after your first xray did they tell you they saw the Lung consolidation?
I know it's easier said than done but don't google, it's the worst thing you can do, I make myself ill when I start googling and nearly almost everything mentions cancer on the internet.
The waiting is the worst though inbetween results/tests etc and for people like us who suffer with HA it's horrible.
You are not on your own, here if you need a chat

[Emc]

Try not to panic.
The story is completely in keeping with pneumonia (which is just a chest infection you can see on x Ray - it’s not necessary to be really sick to have it). It’s standard practice to repeat cxr to make sure it’s gone away and the vast majority of the time it does.
If it was cancer the symptoms are unlikely to have stopped with antibiotics so again infection is far more likely.

[Lucky802]

Thank you very much for taking time and posting your replies. Yes, googling is evil but it's really hard to resist. They said I had consolidation 2 weeks after I had x-ray(not the quickest!), I actually assumed that my chest X-ray was normal because I didn't hear back for that long.
Emc - thank you for re-assurance, I do hope it's just an infection so just have to stay away from googling!

[muzicdejay]

Thank you very much for taking time and posting your replies. Yes, googling is evil but it's really hard to resist. They said I had consolidation 2 weeks after I had x-ray(not the quickest!), I actually assumed that my chest X-ray was normal because I didn't hear back for that long.
Emc - thank you for re-assurance, I do hope it's just an infection so just have to stay away from googling!

Then I'd try not to worry too much. If they thought it was cancer they would of contacted you before the two weeks. They assume it's nothing too serious or they would be sending you for immediate scans and other tests.
By them using a wait and see approach then another xray in 4 weeks I'm sure they are not too worried by the xray results and probably are correct in their diagnosis.
Good luck with the next xray and let us know how it goes and in the meantime if you get too anxious then people are always here.

[Scass]

My friend was diagnosed with pneumonia too and also has to have a repeat X-ray taken. She was also fine & walking around etc. She hasn’t had the other X-ray yet either, but it’s obviously standard practice.
Let us know how you get on x


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[Lucky802]

Thanks again - the reassurance really helps. I will definitely update after I had the next X-ray. I just had a really bad run this winter with illnesses which re-activated my health anxiety. Scass - thank you for sharing your friend experience, that really helps to know that somebody else had a similar experience.

[Lucky802]

Just wanted to update - I had a repeat x-ray a month ago and it was all clear. So you can definitely have pneumonic findings on lungs even if you don't think you had pneumonia. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to my post.

[ThroatGoat]

Just wanted to update - I had a repeat x-ray a month ago and it was all clear. So you can definitely have pneumonic findings on lungs even if you don't think you had pneumonia. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to my post.

Great news!