A little background on August 19th I went to the ER with shortness of breath, weezing, and a cough. Blood work showed a high d-dimer so ER DR ordered a CT with contrast to look for PE.No PE, but they did see mild pneumonia in the left lower lobe, and lingula. I was given antibiotics and prednisone and sent home. Two weeks later on September 1st I was back in the ER do to a bad reaction I had to the prednisone. DR ordered a chest x-ray which a different radiologists to the 1st one read and compared to the prior CT. X-ray was clear, and no mention from the new radiologists that they saw anything unusual on either the X-ray or prior CT. Fast forward to the 15th of this month, and I had a new CT on my head and neck done for an upcoming thyroid surgery. I saw the radiologists report yesterday, and on it, it said possible mild emphysema of the lung apices. I'm freaking out! I know the word they used is possible, but what else could it be? Is it really possible that the two prior radiologist missed this on a contrast lung CT done literally weeks before? Could the pneumonia have exacerbated it and caused it to now come to the surface? Is it possible it's not emphysema at all but something else, or nothing at all? Also, why wouldn't my thyroid surgeon make any mention of this to me when I saw him a few days ago. They usually do the pre-op ultrasound, CT, and appointment in the same day. So I'm pretty sure the surgeon would have had the results of both a week later. Since they are done in the same hospital where the surgeon is. I'm waiting to see if anyone form the hospital calls me about this on Monday. I'm also suppose to have a pre-op phone call with the anesthesiologists on Wednesday and one of the questions on the pre phone call questionnaire is whether or not you have COPD? Do I tell them yes? or maybe? I haven't been actually diagnosed with anything. Just have the radiologists report that says it's possible. I need this surgery, as I have compressive, swallowing, and hyperthyroid symptoms that have greatly affected my quality of life, but at the same time I don't want to risk surgery if I have emphysema either. I've been terrified, since I read that report, I'm bursting into tears randomly, I haven't slept or eaten. I keep thinking about my son and how me and him are the only family we have, and I'm so afraid I'm going to die, and that my life is over. That I'll never again be able to do all the things I love or want to do. I have been sick for almost two years. misdiagnosed, and gaslit, and now when we finally got to the bottom of why, and there was some light at the end of the tunnel. I get hit with this. I'm sorry if I sound whiny and poor me. I know all of you have gone through these similar emotions, thoughts, and fears, and I know I don't have an official diagnose yet, and maybe this isn't the right place to ask all this or even to vent my feelings, but just seeing the words possible emphysema has me broken, and I don't know where else to go. Please, any guidance anyone could provide me would be so appreciated?