Hello and thank you for your post.

I am very sorry to hear about your mum's situation and I can appreciate the worry it is causing.

While a chest x-ray cannot say for certain that someone has cancer in the lungs, it can give information that someone could have cancer. I think this is what the GP has explained. Your mum is going to have further scans and bloods taken, so I am afraid it is now all about waiting to have these done and then for the results. After your mum has had the scans do ask her to find out when and how she will be told the results.

I realise that this is a big worry especially as your mum had breast cancer a few years ago and is still undergoing some treatment.  Also it  sounds like she has some pain and this will add to everything else going on. Being worried can make pain feel worse.  Do ask your mum if she is currently taking any pain relief medicine. If she is not or if they are not working then she might want to get back in touch with her GP to ask about medicine that can help her feel better. She can do this now.

It sounds like you know when the scans will take place, so hopefully your mum will not have to wait too much longer to have a better understanding of what is the matter.

Please do get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care,

Caroline 

Thank you for your reply Caroline. Do you think there's a chance that these shadows on the lungs could be nothing, or at least nothing too serious. It just surprises me how a doctor can phone a patient and say there's a possibility that it's a cancer that's spread and we'll be sending you for an urgent CT scan this week if she's not sure what it is and the CT scan isn't until 4 weeks after the phone call now.

I'm trying to think positive and not think the worst but then I start wondering is there any point in thinking like that and do I need to prepare myself for the worst. Is it likely to be a cancer that's spread or is the doctor just being thorough and cautious. My mum said how the doctor was talking on the phone it's as if she was trying to say that it is something bad, but is she allowed to give bad news like that before any tests have been done that would confirm or dismiss it. This doctor does have a bit of a reputation for being very abrupt and not very compassionate 

Thank you Martin, the waiting is unbearable and the thought of hearing bad news is even worse. If it has spread to the lungs then that's terminal isn't it? I've been googling since my mum had the phone call and I do see that things can be treated but is that always the case? I can't help but look at the worst case scenario with things like this and I'm just hoping and praying that we get good news.

Sorry to keep going on but would they try to prepare my mum if they weren't pretty much certain that it is cancer. Can they look at an Xray and know that its definitely cancer? I feel constantly sick and can't function and its over a week yet until she has the CT scan. My mum seems well apart from these chest pains and of course the anxiety of all of this.