Pat is so right, but I wanted to add that in medicine it is common to say something is an incidental finding. What that usually means is that they were looking for one thing, and the test showed something else that may not be a huge deal. I'm not saying what is going on with your husband is unimportant, I'm just explaining what the wording may mean. Part of the problem with doctors and patients is they don't speak the same language.
An example of an incidental finding would be if you had a problem with your intestines, so you had a CT done which showed a cyst on your kidney. Kidney cysts are extremely common and often just something that is there, but not necessarily something that needs treatment. So you would have your intestinal issue diagnosed, and the kidney cyst would be an incidental finding and probably not need treatment.
I'm not sure if that is what the doctor meant when you spoke to him, but that is a very common phrase used in medicine. I hope that makes sense to you. Again, good luck to you and your husband.
Comment Reply
Hi Again
Pat is so right, but I wanted to add that in medicine it is common to say something is an incidental finding. What that usually means is that they were looking for one thing, and the test showed something else that may not be a huge deal. I'm not saying what is going on with your husband is unimportant, I'm just explaining what the wording may mean. Part of the problem with doctors and patients is they don't speak the same language.
An example of an incidental finding would be if you had a problem with your intestines, so you had a CT done which showed a cyst on your kidney. Kidney cysts are extremely common and often just something that is there, but not necessarily something that needs treatment. So you would have your intestinal issue diagnosed, and the kidney cyst would be an incidental finding and probably not need treatment.
I'm not sure if that is what the doctor meant when you spoke to him, but that is a very common phrase used in medicine. I hope that makes sense to you. Again, good luck to you and your husband.
June 24, 2010 - 8:19pmThis Comment
Reply