Just pneumonia or lung cancer

[Inquiry]

Hi! My name is JR and I've been a daily lurker on here for the past month. This site has helped me immensely but it's only after this latest doctor's visit that I feel compelled to post something. So, for the past month I have had pains near my chest/right shoulder. I went to my GP and he told me it was pectoral inflammation (I had been moving). He actually told me that my lungs sounded perfect. He gave me a muscle relaxer, which actually helped and sent me on my way. Then I started having persistent intermittent low grade fever. I was really trying not to worry and told myself it was anxiety. This lasted for two weeks until I started feeling short of breath a day ago and went to the ER. They diagnosed me with pneumonia, but the doctor said they got it really early. And I got the impression only the radiographer actually saw it there. Of course, after putting myself through the wringer worrying about cancer/heart disease, even damn ALS, I am now worried that I actually have lung cancer that has been mistaken for pneumonia. Does anyone know the odds of this occurring? I would think it would be pretty low, but the HA beast won't let me go as of yet. The ER doctor said the cough caused the chest pain, but I was barely coughing. I know that because if it had been anything but my HA would have went into overdrive! Yet, slight coughing with inflamed pectoral muscles could explain it. *Sigh* I just don't know. Anyway, sorry for the long first post, but I am kind of freaking out as my father died of lung cancer a few years back. I appreciate ANY feedback, even if it people excoriating me for smoking when my dad died of lung cancer or admonishing me for bringing this on my myself (all very true).

By the way, I am 25 and a pack a day smoker for four years (very idiotic, I know, and this whole ordeal has made me finally quit. For good).

[Alice1]

If the radiographer was skilled enough to spot early pneumonia he would absolutely have spotted lung cancer. They are trained to spot the difference! Wait a few weeks and if it is still bothering you ask for a second opinion!

[Inquiry]

Thanks a lot Alice! That's what I got to keep on telling myself! I'm trying my hardest not to google this because i know there are probably several stories that would scare the shit out of me. But those stories aren't mine. Thanks again!

[Cdmx]

JR, as an ex smoker I occasionally have those fears myself. Lung cancer at 25 yrs of age is unheard of. Rest easy and try to quit now so you don't have actually worry about it 25 years from now if you continue smoking

[Thoughts]

Per the CDC morality data, which I really suggest you do NOT look up, the odds for someone your age are 0.1/100,000, or one in a million. Also, at that age group it would not be due to smoking anyway. It is pretty well established that you have to have 20 to 40 pack years on you before LC becomes a real risk. It is also known that if you quit smoking at the age of 30 you have identical mortality to a lifelong non-smoker. That is in the average though, so don't take that as a license to smoke for another 5 years with no risk. Anyway, anxiety is a bitch. Good luck.

[Inquiry]

Cdmx

Thanks a lot. I'm definitely quitting because I really don't want to have to worry about this (as you said) for the rest of my life, especially when I can't count on my age as pretty much precluding any truly serious issue.

Thoughts

Thanks a lot. I will take your advice on not checking the CDC mortality rate but those numbers are certainly comforting. Just got to keep thinking that me having lung cancer would be like hitting a really shitty, Hunger Games-esque lottery. I definitely won't take that as license to pick up smoking again! Still comforting. Yeah, anxiety is certainly a bitch. Trying to get some help for it because ever since I graduated law school and have no real trajectory for where my life is going, it has become virtually debilitating.

[Thoughts]

Go to random.org, enter 100000 in the number generator, think of a number and hit go.

As to the data, I said don't look because you might be like I wonder about this other thing, how likely is that, and so on and so forth.

[countrygirl]

You can be very reassured about the radiographer report as they are more likely to err on side of safety and recommend more tests if they are not totally sure its early pneumonia.

My mothers friend who had smoked all her life was told she probably had lung cancer from x ray after developing bad chest infection symptoms. She had further scans all saying same thing so she was operated on and her left lung removed totally. Once the histology came back she was amazed to be told she had never had lung cancer and the mass seen on all the scans was a very very bad deep seated infection. As it turned out the treatment would have been the same as they had already tried all available antibiotics anyway but it proved that they do err on side of caution in xrays of smokers.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Trust in them because these are two very different things. The radiographer may spot it and flag it up but the doctor is still going to look himself and check it against your symptoms.

Perhaps it's a wake up call though? My dad had a lump found once and it scared him enough to stop smoking as he didn't want to go through that experience ever again.

[bernie1977]

I've had pneumonia twice and I'm still here, the pneumonia was enough to give me the kick up the ar$e to stop smoking so maybe you should think about that. Anything more sinister would have shown on the x ray so don't worry.

Get well soon

[Inquiry]

thoughts

Had never thought of that. Certainly seems like a good exercise in understanding how the statistics are almost overwhelmingly on my side.

countrygirl
Thank you for your kind words. It does stand to reason that if a radiographer had any doubt about the diagnosis then he would order more tests. By the way, how is your mother's friend?

MyNameisTerry

Thank you for the reassurance. I got the impression the doctor couldn't even see the pneumonia; only the radiographer could. That seems like a good thing because surely the doctor would have been able to see lung cancer, especially lung cancer that is big enough to cause symptoms. This whole ordeal is definitely a wake up call though. I haven't had a cigarette since the diagnosis (and had actually quit about a week before that, but broke down and smoked a pack the day before I went to the ER.). Like your dad, I don't want to go through this experience again, especially since I have such ridiculous HA. Of course, now I'm getting worried about throat cancer, which is absolutely ridiculous. Just further demonstrates the demonic circus wheel that is HA.

bernie1977

Thank you so much for the reassurance! This has definitely been the catalyst I needed to truly quit smoking for good (I've made attempts before, but I'm resolute this time). Honestly, it is probably the only good thing that will come out of my HA. Thanks again.