On our way home from Northern MN my daughter & I were involved in a car accident, where we were rear ended.
After getting home we started in with sore neck, shoulder, and back issues so we went to our local emergency room to be checked out.
At the emergency room they did an x-ray of my chest area. The doctor then ordered a CT scan of my chest area. He then said, "I may be admitting you. You have fluid build up on your left lung. Have you recently had Pneumonia? Have you had pain in the chest area? Have you been short of breath?" I said, "I have not had Pneumonia and have not had pain in chest area but a dull ache when laying on my stomach. But I have also had issues with Gastritis, GERD ect so my family doctor has been treating me for these things." I was admitted from July 5th-July 7th to the hospital.
At the hospital they did a procedure called, "Thoracentesis." The best way I can describe this is: They put a needle between ribs, to draw fluid out from the lungs. After this procedure was done the doctor said to me: "I am going to run cultures on this fluid. This could be Cancer in a lung with you being a Breast Cancer Survivor. The cultures won't be back until Tuesday of next week sometime.
I am also a past smoker. I also have COPD which has been managed through inhalers such as Spiriva and Albuterol, when I have a flare up.
When the Radiologist finished the Thoracentesis he said, "I don't see blood in the fluid. I did get about 750 ML of dark amber-colored effusion removed."
I am scared and this waiting on test results is hard. Is 750 ML of dark-ambered colored effusion a sign of Cancer? Is 750 ML a lot of fluid? Can COPD be a cause of Plural Effusion? I don't know the answers to any of these questions. Has anyone on this board had any experience with a situation like this?
I sure appreciate this board and all the amazing people on here.