I had a large (3+ cm diameter) lung lesion in the upper right lobe about 1 1/2 years ago, associated with lobar pneumonia. The lesion looked like an octopus in a CT scan, really ugly.

A biopsy showed no bacteria or fungus, but missed the lesion. Lung biopsy's aren't trivial. I was in hospital for three days with a collapsed lung and coughed blood for a week after the first one. A follow-up biopsy again missed the lesion, but turned up 1 stinking adenocarcinoma cell. How can there be only one? At least my lung didn't collapse that time, but I again coughed up blood for a week, and felt like somebody made a hole in my lung.

My pulmonary specialist is Chairperson of the Dept of Pulmonary Medicine at Scripps Clinic here in San Diego. I trust her judgment. Her plan was similar to your plan except because of finding a cancer cell, I also had a PET scan the next week to look for metabolic activity. That was negative. The PET scan is a miserable experience with arms strapped with Velcro and being fully inserted into a maybe 75 cm. diameter tube. The entire 1/2 hour was spent fighting claustrophobic panic.

For the lesion I had a repeat CT scan in four months. The lesion shrunk a bit, so the next scan was in six months. It shrunk further. The next scan will be in 9 months, then annually if all is well.

My doctor's theory is that I had fungal pneumonia that had cleared by the time of my first CT scan. The lesion was caused by the fungus and my body's successful battle to destroy it.

Every day's a gift, even with PN.