Has anyone had a VATS done for a lung biopsy?

[Carolyn JB]

Went yesterday for the results of the PET/CT scan and its inconclusive! Ther are approx. 4 nodules - 2 in each lung that are too small. If they are small I guess they won't absorb the sugar stuff they give you, so the dr. wants me to have A VATS (video assissted thorasic surgery, I think) biospy done of the lungs to determine if this is cancer or not. I am a little nervous about this - don't really know why but I am . I guess because my original surgery was so hard I keep thinking every surgery will be that way, even though logically I know thats not the case! I am just naxious to get hte appt. at MD Anderson, then get started on treatment. On a side note, my onc said to get the ileostomy reversed whenever the dr. would do it since radiation wasn't for about 6 more months down the road, but when I saw the surgeon yesterday he said we needed to wait atleast 2 more months, a little disappointing but he isn't waivering on that its reversable just a matter or when!

Carolyn

[missjv]

hi,
have you done chemo yet? if it is cancer and hopefully it is not, then chemo might just take care of it before it grows bigger. it might not be anything i have had a small nodule in lung for years and years and when i was diagnosed with cancer i had to show docs all my past scan reports showing how long the thing has been there im talking at least 15 years i was a smoker so maybe it is some kind of scar tissue i have never had a biopsy done and it has never changed in size. keep us posted.

missjv

[bud]

the vats is a two step procedure with the radiologist placing a target for the surgeon to see where to cut a wedge; it's pretty minimally invasive, and if the target doesnt move,they"ll get the gowth for tests My doc missed because the target moved, but he guessed and got lucky(?)
2 days in the hospital' two small incisions.