View Full Version : Lung cancer? guys please im freaking out
im freaking out okay.. i smoke not all the time Rarely only when im really stressed out i have had a few smokes this week.. my wife isnt understanding to my health anxiety she told me i probably would get lung cancer.... im so scared.. im in a very depressed state... i always have a hard time breathing it never feels like im getting enough air i breath in and i feel like thats not enough!!!! my chest always feels abit weird i have ignored it untill now... i also just finished talking to a mate on msn and he scared me even more he said.. if i had lung cancer i would feel wind coming out the bottom of my lungs.. what if thats the weird feeling in my ribs!?!?!?! omg!!!!!!!:scared15:
i am so so so so so so scared why else would i feel im not getting enough air? could that be anything else????? about a year ago i had 3 x rays of my chest done because they saw somthing so i went to a epert he said it was defenantly not a spreading desease but only a scar... im so scared what if he was wrong.. please guys i feel like im going to go looney here and im getting weird pains .. does this sound like lung cancer??? plz!:lac:
I work in a hospital. I'm not a nurse or a doctor, I'm a med secretary. But I do know that those who are diagnosed with lung cancer usually have a cough and they initially think it's a chest infection but it doesn't clear up and these people usually go for further investigation because they can't stop coughing.
I'm sure that isn't the same with everyone but if you had lung cancer to the extent that you couldn't breathe, the tips of your extremeties wouldn't be pink i.e. your lips, tip of your nose, perhaps your chin, fingers and toes wouldn't be pink, more of a bluish tinge to them. Also, if you were short of breath through lung cancer, it isn't that you can't get enough breath, it feels more like you've just run the marathon ten times over. You're breathing would be very shallow and fast.
I sometimes feel like I can't a deep enough breath so I try to yawn sometimes just to get enough air in but I know that even though I tell myself that consciously I don't feel anxious, subconsciously I must have been. The one thing that reassures me, if you sleep well at night when relaxed, that is the best reassurance to have. Those that can't breath through lung cancer can't breathe properly 24/7. Their lungs don't start to work properly during their sleep, they spend most of the early hours wired up to an oxygen tank etc etc.
Try not to worry even though by the very fact that by having these symptoms will worry you. Worrying about our symptoms only ever makes them worse hey???????
Sal x
i always have abit of a cough :weep:
i donno if im blue but ive noticed that past year i look abit pale :lac:
last year i did a test for imigration to check for things like that and well they saw something and sent me to a expert who said it looked nothing like a spreading desease it was only a scar!!!
would he have been wrong? or maybe my lung cancer formed after i left!?!?
MY! God!:scared15:
maybe this is why i always feel like sh** :(
gtrgrl3369
20-01-09, 13:42
Hi honey, I just wanted to put your mind at ease a little. About a year ago I went to the doctor because I just wasnt feeling right. I had a lung xray and the doctor told me I had a nodule on my lung, this was right in the middle of my breakdown so you can imagine what I was feeling. To make matters worse I googled nodules and scared myself silly. I went to another doctor in the ER and had another xray done after a hefty dose of traquilizers and my xray told this docotr that what the other one had saw was my blood vessels had grouped together and I was perfectly normal even after smoking 25 years. I had further follow up and I am fine. Anyway, the point to all of this is that I was given info on lung cancer from the first doctor and thought I would share it with you. People with cancer usually loose weight for no reason, have severe night sweats, cough up blood and literally gasp for breath. You may have a pale appearance now but remember it is winter and we are not out in the sun as much. As for your cough, when I had HA I would make myself cough because I thought it would make me breathe easier. The breathing is probably because you are not breathing deep enough, most people dont, we only use one third of our lungs when we breathe. HA is scary, I have been there. Sorry for the long post, you sounded like you needed to hear what someone else has gone through. Write me if I can help. In the meantime deep breathing really helps. Take care. You can do this...:hugs:
From your first post I can relate directly to that. I was fixated on my breathing for a long time, the more i thought the less air I got, the more I panicked the more i trie to breathe ..... classic anxiety symptoms.
From your second post you've been checked out and given the all clear. A scar internally or externally is just that. Its where your body has healed and left a mark from sometime in your past. I've got scars on my hands - they still work fine. Same on the inside.
You've been passed as fit so I'd the following two things :
1 Don't fixate about things that have been given the OK by docs
2 And forgive this for being a little harsh, but ask your wife to either visit this site or look for a support group that educates people who live with anxiety sufferers.
My other half thought I was shying away from work and people until she started doing a psychology degree. Now she asks me to proof most of what she submits.
Information is the key - my dad thinks I should pull my socks up, my brother thinks I whould just go back to work. Perspectives change as people understand what sufferers go through. I for one am guilty of being judgmental of anxiety before I fell ill.
Theres support and info out there for both you and your wife. Ask your GP and they should be able to recommend accreditted organisations.
Krakers.
Hi honey, I just wanted to put your mind at ease a little. About a year ago I went to the doctor because I just wasnt feeling right. I had a lung xray and the doctor told me I had a nodule on my lung, this was right in the middle of my breakdown so you can imagine what I was feeling. To make matters worse I googled nodules and scared myself silly. I went to another doctor in the ER and had another xray done after a hefty dose of traquilizers and my xray told this docotr that what the other one had saw was my blood vessels had grouped together and I was perfectly normal even after smoking 25 years. I had further follow up and I am fine. Anyway, the point to all of this is that I was given info on lung cancer from the first doctor and thought I would share it with you. People with cancer usually loose weight for no reason, have severe night sweats, cough up blood and literally gasp for breath. You may have a pale appearance now but remember it is winter and we are not out in the sun as much. As for your cough, when I had HA I would make myself cough because I thought it would make me breathe easier. The breathing is probably because you are not breathing deep enough, most people dont, we only use one third of our lungs when we breathe. HA is scary, I have been there. Sorry for the long post, you sounded like you needed to hear what someone else has gone through. Write me if I can help. In the meantime deep breathing really helps. Take care. You can do this...:hugs:
thank you so much for your reply you have made me feel abit better tho im still scared.. i have never coughed up blood my cough isnt even that bad i just always have a weird tingleing feeling in my chest doctors have told me be4 it was due to acid reflex and my bad signisses ... i do gasp abit for air well atleast i feel i do but nothing bad ever happens its pretty hot here tonight im hopping maybe its the heat that makes me feel this way.. im just so scared thanks for replying it really helped i dont even smoke that much maybe like for a week every 4 months or so only when im having a very stressful week.... i really hope im normal im to younge im only 23 :lac:
Has anyone ever got the feeling they are not getting enough air? sometimes i just take deep breaths and as someone said be4 yawn just to get more air when i yawn i do feel abit of relief .. is this somthing serious has anyone ever experienced this?... im sorry you all must be getting annoyed with me :blush:
Malv - currently its a fixation. The more you think about it, the more you analyse it, the more your body (without you knowing) reacts to it.
The best thing right now is distraction - turn on the TV, open a book, play an online game, do the gardening (yes I know its cold), basically anything to distract yourself.
You must have hobbies / interests etc - try those, buy a magazine. You'll be amazed at what giving your brain a break will do for your anxiety.
Krakers.
I get the feeling of not getting enough air all the time. I will do silly things like time how long I can hold my breath. If you do this be warned that the first couple of times you try to hold your breath you will not do very well. If you try 3 or 4 times over a 10 or 15 minute timeframe you will get much better. Anyway, try taking 10 deep breaths where you breath slowly in your nose until your chest and abdomin are full, hold for a few seconds and breath all of it slowly out your mouth. It should take several seconds to breath in and out. You might cough b/c your whole body is so tense it fights the urge to relax. You also might not feel better right away but if you do thsi several times a day you could feel somewhat better. I find myself with tingling and numbness and my body all tight and I try this little exercise to bring me down a bit off of my anxiety cliff. I really do know what you are going through and not a day goes by that I don't think that I have some disease that is going to kill me. Right now I am "sure" that I have a melanoma and that I am not going to see my kids grow up. Take care and try to do something that relaxes you.
I get the feeling of not getting enough air all the time. I will do silly things like time how long I can hold my breath. If you do this be warned that the first couple of times you try to hold your breath you will not do very well. If you try 3 or 4 times over a 10 or 15 minute timeframe you will get much better. Anyway, try taking 10 deep breaths where you breath slowly in your nose until your chest and abdomin are full, hold for a few seconds and breath all of it slowly out your mouth. It should take several seconds to breath in and out. You might cough b/c your whole body is so tense it fights the urge to relax. You also might not feel better right away but if you do thsi several times a day you could feel somewhat better. I find myself with tingling and numbness and my body all tight and I try this little exercise to bring me down a bit off of my anxiety cliff. I really do know what you are going through and not a day goes by that I don't think that I have some disease that is going to kill me. Right now I am "sure" that I have a melanoma and that I am not going to see my kids grow up. Take care and try to do something that relaxes you.
My wife had a melanoma it was the strangest thing i have ever seen the doctors told her right away to get it checked out.. they saw it after she gave birth to my sonit would be a different shape within a few days/weeks it didnt look just like any moleshe got it taken off and she was fine.... she never worried a minute about it..:mad: i wish i was like her
NervousNellie
20-01-09, 14:26
OMG!!! Now I'm freaking out that I could have lung cancer!! I developed this weird cough about a week ago - I think it's getting better? I have some post nasal drip, so I'm not sure if my cough is caused by that. Last night I woke up drenched in sweat and I've been having pains in my chest after not having them for quite some time. I've been feeling a bit short of breath, but I put it down down anxiety and didn't think anything of it. I sleep like a baby though :) (unless my kids wake me up)..I'm a smoker and I have smoked for about 7-8 years total (I quite several times during an 11 year time period). I just had a chest x-ray in October when my GP sent me to the hospital for a fast heart rate. They also ran bloodwork, but I'm not sure if it was just cardiac bloodwork or if it included a CBC.....OMG...please help!!! This post scared the heck out or me!!!!!!! :ohmy:
NervousNellie
20-01-09, 14:30
Oh I forgot to mention....just recently my toes have been turning blue when they get really cold!!! When they're warm, they're a normal pink color. I have almost all of the symptoms that you guys have discussed!!!!!!!!!! Please help!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't need to be worrying about this now too!!!!!!!!!
OMG!!! Now I'm freaking out that I could have lung cancer!! I developed this weird cough about a week ago - I think it's getting better? I have some post nasal drip, so I'm not sure if my cough is caused by that. Last night I woke up drenched in sweat and I've been having pains in my chest after not having them for quite some time. I've been feeling a bit short of breath, but I put it down down anxiety and didn't think anything of it. I sleep like a baby though :) (unless my kids wake me up)..I'm a smoker and I have smoked for about 7-8 years total (I quite several times during an 11 year time period). I just had a chest x-ray in October when my GP sent me to the hospital for a fast heart rate. They also ran bloodwork, but I'm not sure if it was just cardiac bloodwork or if it included a CBC.....OMG...please help!!! This post scared the heck out or me!!!!!!! :ohmy:
im right with you :scared15:
Theres a hell ofa lot of flu around at the mo - highest on record since - well a bit ago anyway. For people with HA, not a nice combination, but give it a couple of weeks.
You know yourself its the easiest conclusion to jump to anything you've read or googled if you suffer HA.
Krakers.
i always wake up in swet as well and well i can never sleep properly :weep: infact sleep has been a big issue for me latly omg
Oh I forgot to mention....just recently my toes have been turning blue when they get really cold!!! When they're warm, they're a normal pink color. I have almost all of the symptoms that you guys have discussed!!!!!!!!!! Please help!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't need to be worrying about this now too!!!!!!!!!
if you have signisses in your nose that really can make you cough it drips down the make of your throat and makes you cough sometimes you cough up yuck.. that is nothing really i have been to the doctor for that many tims to be honest
NervousNellie
20-01-09, 14:39
if you have signisses in your nose that really can make you cough it drips down the make of your throat and makes you cough sometimes you cough up yuck.. that is nothing really i have been to the doctor for that many tims to be honest
I do have pretty bad sinus problems - and our weather here has been changing by up to 40 degrees a day, so I probably shouldn't freak out about this. Although everybody is trying to help you (and me now, lol), it seems that they symptoms of lung cancer are pretty similar to the symptoms of anxiety, which isn't all too comforting!! I know that everybody means well though....but I'm still freaked out. Never gave a thought about lung cancer until now!:weep:
My HA at the moment is high due to thinking i have lung cancer, and after reading some of the replies i feel a tad worse.
I have suffered chest infections on and off for about 3 years where i have to go on antibiotics and steroids until it clears. I have had many chest x rays and my last showed some scarring on one of my lungs but my gp said that this could be caused through previous infections and there was nothing to worry about.
Last week i was put on antibiotics and steroids again and sent for a chest x ray last Thursday. I'm in a spin because i don't feel ill as on previous occasions....i don't feel right but deffo not ill. So you would think that if i didn't feel ill i wouldn't worry.......but i am big time!
My breathing is nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past, the only thing that is different is i have a slight pain across my upper back and when i do cough it is only slightly productive where as before it has always been so much more.
I do tend to get hot at night but i put that down to the menopause but now i'm wondering if this is a sign of something more sinister :(
Do you think i would have heard from the hospital by now if my x ray showed up anything nasty?
I'm in a awful state with worry, i am a smoker and the more i worry the more i smoke....!
Trish x
COme on guys,
I had 1 hours sleep last night, 2 the night before, 18 the night before that and 14 the day / night before.
What I read into this is my sleep is messed up.
I went through 6 weeks of cold sweats, 8 weeks of being too cold to sleep properly, 2 years of symptoms after symptoms after symptoms.
I suffer from anxiety, depression, alcohol dependency (apart from half of last year when i didn't drink).
I've tried drowsy antihystamines, temazepam and zopoclone at double the dose for sleep.
Bottom line is its anxiety.
Accepting that is the begining of the road to recovery - if I die tomorrow, I'd likely be base jumping off Big Ben, not suffering from a disease I'd convinced myself I had.
I'm not trying to make light - I suffer, just not with HA. While its a horrible type of anx, you're still in the club and just as likely to be posting tomorrow as me.
Krakers.
My HA at the moment is high due to thinking i have lung cancer, and after reading some of the replies i feel a tad worse.
I have suffered chest infections on and off for about 3 years where i have to go on antibiotics and steroids until it clears. I have had many chest x rays and my last showed some scarring on one of my lungs but my gp said that this could be caused through previous infections and there was nothing to worry about.
Last week i was put on antibiotics and steroids again and sent for a chest x ray last Thursday. I'm in a spin because i don't feel ill as on previous occasions....i don't feel right but deffo not ill. So you would think that if i didn't feel ill i wouldn't worry.......but i am big time!
My breathing is nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past, the only thing that is different is i have a slight pain across my upper back and when i do cough it is only slightly productive where as before it has always been so much more.
I do tend to get hot at night but i put that down to the menopause but now i'm wondering if this is a sign of something more sinister :(
Do you think i would have heard from the hospital by now if my x ray showed up anything nasty?
I'm in a awful state with worry, i am a smoker and the more i worry the more i smoke....!
Trish x
They would Surly call you i mean the day i went to have the x ray just a few days later they sent me to a specialist .... it turned out to only be a scar but they reacted quick... it they found somthing serious i know they would let you know straight away... im positive you are fine! just like you i have had alott of chest infections in my life.. thats why i have scars as well
NervousNellie
20-01-09, 15:13
COme on guys,
I had 1 hours sleep last night, 2 the night before, 18 the night before that and 14 the day / night before.
What I read into this is my sleep is messed up.
I went through 6 weeks of cold sweats, 8 weeks of being too cold to sleep properly, 2 years of symptoms after symptoms after symptoms.
I suffer from anxiety, depression, alcohol dependency (apart from half of last year when i didn't drink).
I've tried drowsy antihystamines, temazepam and zopoclone at double the dose for sleep.
Bottom line is its anxiety.
Accepting that is the begining of the road to recovery - if I die tomorrow, I'd likely be base jumping off Big Ben, not suffering from a disease I'd convinced myself I had.
I'm not trying to make light - I suffer, just not with HA. While its a horrible type of anx, you're still in the club and just as likely to be posting tomorrow as me.
Krakers.
Hey Krakers,
I wish that us HA-ers had the same type of confidence as you!! It's easy for you to look at this realistically and say that we are being ridiculous, but that's because you don't suffer from HA!!! I'm not trying to be mean, but I've been on both sides of the coin - my husband had HA a few years ago and overcame it. At that time, I didn't suffer from any type of anxiety and I couldn't understand why he was "making up" problems that he didn't have. I was actually very short with him because I got sick of him saying that something was wrong. I couldn't understand how he could possibly think that something was wrong when he was checked out and was perfectly healthy. And then it happened - I ended up with HA and now my husband has gotten over it!! (The good news here is that a former HA suffer actually fully recovered from it!!!!) Us HA-ers can't begin to explain the fear that you feel when somebody mentions a disease or a symptom of a disease. We constantly need reassurance. I freak out about going to the doctors - not because I'm afraid of the doctor himself or any testing, but because I'm afraid of what he's going to find! So I don't expect you to know how we (HA suffers) feel, just like you don't expect me to know what it's like to battle alcoholism!!
So while you may be able to look at this situation logically, it's a potentially serious problem to us! Like I said, I'm not trying to be mean or pick on you and am not putting down your post in any way, but I just needed to blow off some steam..... :winks:
Hey Krakers,
I wish that us HA-ers had the same type of confidence as you!! It's easy for you to look at this realistically and say that we are being ridiculous, but that's because you don't suffer from HA!!! I'm not trying to be mean, but I've been on both sides of the coin - my husband had HA a few years ago and overcame it. At that time, I didn't suffer from any type of anxiety and I couldn't understand why he was "making up" problems that he didn't have. I was actually very short with him because I got sick of him saying that something was wrong. I couldn't understand how he could possibly think that something was wrong when he was checked out and was perfectly healthy. And then it happened - I ended up with HA and now my husband has gotten over it!! (The good news here is that a former HA suffer actually fully recovered from it!!!!) Us HA-ers can't begin to explain the fear that you feel when somebody mentions a disease or a symptom of a disease. We constantly need reassurance. I freak out about going to the doctors - not because I'm afraid of the doctor himself or any testing, but because I'm afraid of what he's going to find! So I don't expect you to know how we (HA suffers) feel, just like you don't expect me to know what it's like to battle alcoholism!!
So while you may be able to look at this situation logically, it's a potentially serious problem to us! Like I said, I'm not trying to be mean or pick on you and am not putting down your post in any way, but I just needed to blow off some steam..... :winks:
Well said Nellie i couldn't have put it better myself:)
Sorry people - was trying to help. Obviously I can't.
I shall refrain from posting and if I've caused offence I appologise.
Krakers.
Oh Krakers please don't stop posting. We all suffer in different ways and there was no malice meant in either post.
I wasn't offended by your post as i am sure there was none in Nellie's....she was able to explain better than me...thats all:D
Trish x
Thanks Trish - my apology still stands. This thread has been running for 3 hours (a bit like chat) and I have tried to help throughout.
I think if steam needs to be vented, then I'm happy to take it. I wasn't trying to be controversial, I guess I really don't understand. I do understand how it feels not to be understood though, and if any of my comments are way off mark then educating me is the best way.
Krakers.
NervousNellie
20-01-09, 16:53
Krakers - As i said, I didn't want to sound like I was trying to put you down and I certainly didn't want you to stop posting as a result!! I was not at all offended by your post - like I said in my post, I was just blowing off some steam! I was just trying to make a point by sharing with you how a person with HA thinks. Your posts may actually help people realize that what they are feeling is irrational. Sometimes people need to hear that firmness - I know that I do from time to time. It kind of smacks me back down to reality. Please don't stop posting, as I'm sure that you have helped many people! :)
its been i think a day since i made this post its 8pm right now here in australia i had a smoke just 1 and i came in the house now i cant stop swetting i also have shortness of breath and im shaking abit my body feels trimbly i need reasurece im not addicted to smoking i rarly do it i threw my pack away just a minute ago i feel sick i cant stop swetting i have shortness of breath please can somebody out ther help me... please please:weep:
well im just trying to calm myself down i guess everyone is busy
ladybird64
22-01-09, 11:50
Malv..you're ok. Promise.
If you're not a regular smoker then you might well have the "cold sweat" when you light one up, that would also account for the sickly feeling.
It should leave your system within an hour or two but at the moment you have worked yourself up into a panic and that's why you feel so awful.
Go and plonk yourself into a chair, have a drink of something soothing and try to slow yourself down a bit.
It will pass, just give it time. :)
tryingtocope
22-01-09, 12:00
Hi there,
Just wanted to reply to say i have the breathing thing. I used to get it just every so often, usually before or during work, but the last few days it's been constant. Its a nightmare i know, but its nothing to worry about long term!
Im sorry your wife isnt very supportive, and putting these thoughts in your head, ive been suffering with anxiety for about a year now and its getting steadily worse, i havnt told my boyfriend, i dont know why, i just dont know what he would think, so i know what its like to feel as if youre on your own with it.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.