Yet another lung cancer worrier (sorry)!

[justdontknow]

About a year ago I was in more or less exactly the same position I find myself now.

I was worrying myself silly that I had lung cancer. I was a light smoker and upon getting chest and back pain, I quit. The pains didn't go away and in fact my symptoms got worse. A cough, sometimes blood in the sputum I was coughing up.

I kept going to see the doctors. At last one doctor recognised anxiety, but also sent me for a chest x-ray and I gave a sputum sample to make sure nothing was seriously wrong physically. All was clear.

I had a series of induction sessions with someone from the mental health team (not a counsellor). These I found stressful but helpful. I also started smoking again.

At the end of the sessions it was recommended I sought further more professional help. I did not follow this up. I have a well-paid job and young children and just couldn't see how I could fit this in to my extremely busy life.

Things have been mostly okay, but now I'm at stage 1 again. Chest and back pain, sore throat, hoarse voice, occasional streaks of blood in my sputum again. I saw a doctor last week who checked out my heart and listened to my breathing. He didn’t seem too concerned, but I worry that because I kept going on about my health-related anxiety, he may not have taken the physical symptoms too seriously. I was getting a little better but now I feel worse. And of course, now I’m anxious.

I can’t keep going back to the doctor, but I can’t get it out of my head that I’m really ill – anxiety cannot cause traces of blood in my cough.

So where am I? I wish I knew. I’ve read with sympathy the other recent posts along exactly the same lines. Not sure it helps though! By the way, I'm male, 35.

[kazzie]

Hi Ya

Im 44 ive been smoking since i was 15 and i havent got lung cancer!!!

Seems to me you have seen the doc and he is happy that you are ok

If you cough a lot thro anxiety you can cough up blood

Hope this puts your mind at rest

Luv kaz x

[manmoor]

Do you know I'm so surprised at myself for reading this topic. I've been where you are hundreds of times in the past 10 years with my health anxiety and can sympathise with you. About 4 years ago I had a cough that wouldn't go away and diagnosed lung cancer before I went to the doctor and put myself through sheer hell. When I got the reasurrance from the doctor my cough was gone in a week. Hope this helps you as you are truly not alone in your thoughts. We are all here to support each other.

Take Care

Mandyxx

[vernon]

Hi and welcome to the site, I am a 57 year old male smoker and the past couple of months I fear the same as you, I do cough and pretty bad at times, got a sore throat and very horse voice. I had a breathing test at doctors on like a computer graph, was ok, he sent me for an x-ray and told me to use a peak flow meter three times a day for a month, 2 weeks without and 2 weeks with an inhaler and all was ok. This was about 8 months ago but now it’s all back again coughing sore throat and horse voice, but no blood like you. But there usually is an answer other than being ill for all this, as about 3 years ago I was so Ill with tummy pains the runs and bleeding constant from my back passage. I went for lots of tests including a sygmoidoscopy and all was ok, they said I had IBS, and the bleeding was just caused by piles from going to toilet to much. So even though it’s hard for us not to get all worked up, but there are lots of other reasons for blood other than cancer or a bad illness. I suppose even the strain from coughing could cause a bit of blood. Hope you feel better soon. Vernon

[justdontknow]

Thanks for the replies.

Ironically I haven't been coughing much at all, so the blood can't caused by bursting a blood vessel through coughing. There is obviously something wrong. Anxiety cannot cause blood to be present in the sink when I cough up phlegm.

Okay, so probably not lung cancer. I see that in the cold light of day. But right now it's mostly dark outside. And inside. Maybe it's just my lungs clearing all the rubbish out? That's what the GP seemed to think.

Should I be going back to the doctor? Should I be going back for counselling? I feel like don't know anything any more. And that I've gone backwards to a year ago when I thought things were mostly better.

Oh well.

[mooks]

god im the same ..smoke too much but anxiety drives me too it...but get chest pains (when will i ever learn that its the anxiety)...cough up gooh ( could have been anything ive eaten during the day)
basically smoking is not good for me I know....i try to rationalise the symptoms as above...
do you wish you were like a mega rich guy that could have a full health chk...i was reading somewhere that tom cruise screen himself for all illness every 6 months...oh to have that priviledge
nut to answer you...its the anxiety...thats why we google..thats why we think every ache/pain/cough is doom...its not our fault BUT I have learn ( after thinking i was having a heart attck and it was infact a burger i'd eaten to quickly) is to step back and think im not going to even worry about it until i collapse...now thats an odd way of thinking but...by thinking it i ignore it and strangely it goes away.....

[vernon]

Hi Just, If I wasnt happy with a result from the Doctor I would return, It looks to me this blood is a big cause of your anxiety and the sooner you get satisfactory results from you Doctor the sooner you can get to sorting out your anxiety. A Chest x-ray cant realy detect to much and if you are not satisfied ask Doctor to send you for a scan or even just the camera inserted into your lungs, I dont think the camera is a pleasant test but it would make you feel much better to know whats wrong? Maybe the blood is coming from els where too? hope you sort this out, Vernon

[halfwayhome]

Seems like I wrote this post. I say that too "but anxiety CAN'T cause this." Turns out anxiety can cause almost anything.

Blood in phleghm? That I don't know. But, if your doctor isn't worrying, try not to worry also. It is possible that it IS just something weird that happens. Your body can do crazy things sometimes that don't really mean anything but causes us to drive ourselves totally crazy with anxiety.
Maybe try a different doctor? I don't know, it's difficult for me to suggest much because I've been to TWO doctors, and I am still utterly convinced that I have a brain tumor. (They refuse to give me a CT scan although I have a lot of things that *I* think are symptoms because they said my exams were normal and "this is not a brain tumor." Bah.)

If it makes you feel any better, I had blood in my stool (Ew, I know.) a couple times and it turned out to be nothing (supposedly.) Try not to worry too much!

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

xoxox

[justdontknow]

Well thanks for all the replies everyone.
I was feeling better having read the replies and other posts on similar topics.
Then on Monday morning - more blood in sputum. Well quite a lot actually when I first coughed when I got up. A bit less on the second cough, less on the third, then no more for the rest of the day.

Now I'm convinced it's more like some throat cancer as I've now had a sore throat/feeling of a lump in my throat for over 2 weeks, a cough, hoarseness and of course the blood.

I really dread the thought of making yet another appointment with the doctor. "Oh no, here he comes again..."

[Monty13]

Hi,

I used to smoke and gave up with the use of ziban - which was very helpful for me.

I had chest pains and palpataions which have all gone now I have quit. (over a year now)

If you are worried about facing your GP you can always ask to see a different one at your surgery.

Smoking causes the fine hairs that line your trachea to lay flat due to tar sticking to them. These hairs (epethelium) usually waft upwards slowly removing waste from the lungs to the throat to be swallowed or spat out.

There are conditions that can produce blood from the lungs other than cancer. e.g. emphysema or bronchitis.

Coughing however little can cause inflamation in the alveolar/cappillary bed in the lining of the lungs.

Try not to worry too much. see your G/P - he is paid lots of money to see us - he won't mind.

All the best

Monty