Dots in the Lungs - by Mark

For a little over 2 months from late October to early January this year, I have had an ongoing cold.  The resultant cough just wouldn’t go away so I went to the Doctor just to be sure I was OK.   He thought it was just residual from the cold, but gave me a prescription for a chest x-ray. Due to a busy schedule I didn’t go in right away. 

I went in today to get the x-ray.  Ane & I then went out to dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  As we were finishing our meal my phone rang.  It was a doctor at the clinic who told us that three dots were found in my lungs on the chest x-ray.  To better understand what was going on he wanted me to get a CT scan as soon as possible, like tonight or this weekend. Since it was already 4:30 PM on Friday evening, we hurried over to the same image lab to see if they could get it done before closing at 5:00 pm.   As we were working it out with the receptionist we over heard her conversation on the phone with the doctor in the back. She mumbled under her breath, that I had a history of melanoma twice and that there were three masses in my lungs.  I guess that is what the doctor meant by dots!  I got the scan. About an hour later my personal doctor called. He suggested that I have a needle biopsy early next week.  He will set up the biopsy for Tuesday or Wednesday next week since I will be out of town on Monday.  At this point we don't know much, other than there are three dots. The doctor mentioned that it might be nothing and therefore of little concern or worst case it might be cancer. He mentioned metastasized and I am not sure in what context or what he meant. At this point they can't tell until they do the biopsy.