Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

[Guest]

The last time I had a chest x-ray was when I had my last child, thirty-one years ago.
This year, I became part of a major university hospital study to determine whether x-ray or CT-scan is more accurate in finding lung cancer in smokers. At random, I was chosen to receive the x-ray. My friend got the CT-scan. She's fine, but an 8x7mm nodule was detected on the back side of my right lung, between my 4th and 5th vertebrae.
The hospital now wants me to have a CT-scan but, after visiting several websites about CT-scans, I'm hesitant. One site stated that radiation from a CT-scan is about 100 times more than from an x-ray.
I'm wondering if some other procedure might work as well, such as a follow-up x-ray in a month or two, a complete blood count, urinanalysis, or something called a PET-scan, which I know nothing about except that a PET-scan is more expensive than a CT-scan. I have no idea of how much radiation a PET-scan gives off, either
I pay for nothing, as a participant in this study; I'm even paid $40 for transportation to/from this hospital. I'm not sure, however, if the hospital would insist I get the CT-scan, due to the higher price of the PET-scan.
I really feel that this nodule has probably been on my lung for many years. It just seems highly unlikely that it just got there about the same time that I had this once in 31 years x-ray.
If anyone reading this has had a similar experience, please e-mail me; let me know how everything finally turned out for you. Many thanks! Mary My e-mail address is seamarc@netpenny.net