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Can anyone tell me about this lab test?

Posted , 4 users are following.

sparkymcfly
sparkymcfly

Hi all... My mom has been a bit depressed lately because she looked at an X-ray she took recently and it said this: PA and lateral views of the chest were obtained. Combination of: effects of left sided mastectomy and borderline diffuse COPD changes are constant. The lungs are clear, otherwise. No pleural abnormalities are discerned.The heart, mediastinum, and the pulmonary vasculature are within normal limits. The thoracic aorta is mildly tortuous and sclerotic. No lytic or blastic lesions of the bony thorax are found. --I'm studying to be an RN and I can translate this X-ray a little, but I'm wondering if anyone else here has had one similar to this and how you are dealing with it? My mom is also kind of upset that her other 2 X-rays in the past mentions emphysema but no one has ever mentioned it to her. Please help me understand. Thank you smile

1 like, 49 replies

49 Replies

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  • Patsy43
    Patsy43 sparkymcfly

    Posted

    Hi Sparkymcfly, Sorry I haven't been back on this discussiion for a while, but I am 72 years old and really don't need to read comments of people arguing about petty things. also I haven't been too well for the last week. Anyway Sparky, I wish you and your mum all the best in the future, I do hope she keeps well. xx Patsy43
    • ladyjack51
      ladyjack51 Patsy43

      Posted

      Hi Patsy43,

      I just want to apologize for engaging in an argument with Jude on here if it offends you. However, I was defending sparkymcfly. Still, I'm not proud that I let my emotions flow negatively in front of everyone. Please have a blessed day.

      Ladyjack51

    • sparkymcfly
      sparkymcfly Patsy43

      Posted

       Hi Patsy43... I'm sorry you had to see all of this.  It's why I tried to stay calm and clearly explain to whoever was reading this that all I came on here for was to see if anyone had a similar xray like my mom's or if they've experienced it thru a family member, etc. Thank you for your kind words and I do hope you get to feeling better.
  • yvonne81394
    yvonne81394 sparkymcfly

    Posted

    Sounds like your mom has some mild COPD due to emphysema.   If she's a smoker, she needs to STOP NOW before things worsen!  But I would suggest your get a translation of the findings from a board certified radiologist.   
    • sparkymcfly
      sparkymcfly yvonne81394

      Posted

      Thanks, Yvonne81394. My mom was a smoker most of her life but she has actually quit smoking 3 years ago. She's getting some other tests done next week so hopefully we'll learn more about what's going on soon.
    • jude65855
      jude65855 sparkymcfly

      Posted

      I only know about the stop smoking campaigns in Australia, but it seems to me to be very remiss of government authorities to not widely publciise the fact that COPD can show up years and decades after one quits:  the Quit campaign here actually tells people that their lungs will return to normal after a period of not smoking and this is patently misleading.  

      If I'd known that were not true I would've quit decades before I did, which was too late for my lungs and I'm sure for hundreds of thousands of other smokers.

    • yvonne81394
      yvonne81394 jude65855

      Posted

      You are correct!  The damage escalating stops but what damage has been done cannot be reversed as far as copd. 
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