jcawork Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Worried as I have been coughing a and wheezing since last week of radiation 6 weeks ago. Chest x ray okay. All Docs say inflamation of hilar/broncial and that it could takes months to resolve. Wasn't coughing before.... Anyone else had this? I feel like I have LC more than I ever had w/ all this coughing. Thanks, Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Lucie did a lot of coughing after radiation on her upper spine and it took quite a number of months before it subsided completely. Hang in there. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Jen, The way John's oncologist explained the coughing was that the treatment irritates your lung and your body thiinks there is something there to cough up. It will get better as it heals but it will take awhile. There are perscriptions to help plus John took a codeine cough syrup at night. Ask for something, don't just put up with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDianneB Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Jen, I have what sounds like something similar to that. It started a few weeks into radiation, and hasn't stopped. That was in August -- here I am now in November, and at least 3 docs listened to my chest multiple times, telling me it was clear except for my "radiation wheeze." I too was told by the Rad. Oncologists that it would probably clear in a few months. Now, they seem to be grasping for more and more expensive tests, and the Oncologist seems to think this is now a problem. (I posted about my travails with these docs last week.) I'm seeing the Pulmonologist Wednesday who told me initially about the scarring from radiation, and I have faith that he will be honest with me about this. If it's *something* and they aren't saying so, then the other docs are withholding info from me at least, or they were withholding treatment from me for it, since no one has ever offered treatment for it before. (Well, except the Oncologist did say she could send me to a gastroenterologist and have them put a tube down my throat to widen it. Ick.) If it's nothing, then it should be nothing, and they are holding me up from finishing treatment (no PCI apparently until they figure this out) because of *nothing*. I don't have a bad cough, and the inhaler they gave me way back when works well if the wheeze gets too noisy for me to sleep. It gives me NO trouble. Last week we had a few damp days, and I seemed to wheeze a little more, but this morning, I'm walking into work on a beautiful day, and I felt like I could have jogged in here and breathed just fine! My take on it is that it's just what they warned me about and just what they've said it was -- from the radiation and/or the scarring that came from the radiation. I think the Pulmonologist will probably cut through all the equivocation I've had elsewhere, so will see what he thinks. So, tomorrow may be the big day in the lives of most Americans, but Wednesday is my big day! Di Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hebbie Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Six weeks after radiation? How about six MONTHS Radiation does a number on your healthy lung tissue, as well as the bad stuff. It will take quite a while for things to settle down in there. I seemed to have it extra-bad. About a month after completing treatment, I got to the point that I couldn't take a deep breath without feeling a constant "itching" sensation in my chest that would send me into a coughing fit. I couldn't sleep....it was crazy. I ended up taking steroids for a few months to ease the cough, along with a cough medicine with Codine. It's been over a year since completing treatment and I still have a cough when I first lay down or first wake up and if I work out on the treadmill a little too heavily. But the best thing I ever did was START walking on the treadmill. When they say to exercise your lungs -- they mean it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ry Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Jen, My cough was worst after treatments, both chemo and radiation. It was not near as bad before dx. It has slowly gotten better . I still have a morning cough and an intermittent one through out the day. My last radiation treatment was Sept 2002. My cough was bad until May of 2003. I had a inhaler, phenergan w/codeine, and tessalon perle. The codeine stuff I only took at night so I could sleep. The tessalon I took as directed. My onc also prescribed antibiotics when the spudem(sp) was not clear. Keep an eye on the spudem(sp) with your low white counts. Infections are easy to get. You do not want the crap to get any deeper. Our best of luck on getting it under control. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe B Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic590.htm I had a cough for a while as well, it was due to radiation Pneumonitis; most radiation oncologist will deny that this is the cause of your cough.... and I think incidents of this are much higher than what is reported. Basically, the damage to your lungs from the radiation, causes the body to "overreact" with wbc's causing inflammation and a persistent cough. It does get better with time... Radiation Pneumonitis Clinical Details: Classic radiation pneumonitis has 3 main phases. Early phase (first month): This represents a latent period of pneumonitis. During this phase, loss of both type I and type II pneumonocytes occurs. Type II pneumonocytes produce surfactant, and decreased amounts result in transudation of serum proteins into the alveoli. This leads to edema of the intersitial spaces. Intermediate phase (1-6 months): This is characterized by dose-dependent leakage of proteins into the alveolar space, thickening of the alveolar septa, and development of clinical symptoms. Common clinical symptoms include nonproductive cough, low-grade fever, tachycardia, and dyspnea. Late phase (6 months and later): This is characterized by a loss of capillaries and increased collagen deposition. This results in restrictive changes within the lung characterized by reductions in vital capacity, lung volumes, diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and total lung capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDianneB Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 "I had a cough for a while as well, it was due to radiation Pneumonitis; most radiation oncologist will deny that this is the cause of your cough.... and I think incidents of this are much higher than what is reported. Basically, the damage to your lungs from the radiation, causes the body to "overreact" with wbc's causing inflammation and a persistent cough." I think you're right on target about the Rad. Onc. One of them jokingly said to me once during my weekly check while I was having radiation, that "Whatever bad happens to you is because of the chemo, of course. Anything good that happens is a result of the radiation." Indeed! They would discuss my esophagitis willingly and often, yet when I would mention the wheeze, they'd just look at me and nod their heads as if to acknowledge, but not comment. The only comment about it was when it first started, and one said it was "normal." The more I think all of this over, the more angry it makes me, and the more determined I am to go elsewhere if I need to after I see the Pulmonologist on Wednesday. Grrrrrrrrrrrr Di Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest catlover3 Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 I've had a cough for a year now - mostly at night when I go to bed. I wasn't diagnosed with small cell lung cancer until the following May. Have been through 6 chemo sessions, 3 weeks of radiation and am now facing 3 weeks of radiation on my head just in case there are some renegade cells there. I asked my onc today about the cough and she says it could be from the radiation and would just take time to get better. Have you heard of anyone haveing head radiation for this type of cancer? I'm a little concerned because they tell me in 3 years I'll suffer memory loss and cognitive decline. I've wrestle with this decision for weeks now but finally gave my consent yesterday. Hope I've done the right thing. Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDianneB Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 Ann, there are several here who have had what you're talking about - PCI (prophylactic cranial irradiation). I'm sure that when everyone gets settled from the holiday, they'll let you know their experiences, or you might want to check out some of the earlier topics -- this has been discussed several times. I'm waiting to see if I am a candidate for PCI, and will definitely have it if I am. From what I've learned, the benefits far outweigh the risks to someone with SCLC, because if it recurs, it will most likely recur in the brain. I should find out next week if I'm going to have this or not. Maybe we can compare notes! Di Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmaydee Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 ann.... i'm doin' the pci thing now.....it's kinda strange..... i think i had a flu-bug or something puttin in it's $.02 just to get things interesting.....it made me pretty sick to my stomach.......but i dont think it does that to most people.... it's not bad like chemo/rad all at once.....nothin like that.... hair falls out......mainly a little fatigue....... and a little "stupid"....but it (usually) goes away supposedly..... they gave me steroids too.....them's "some" whacky pills there......helped me pick-up 14 lbs in about 3 days....(no kidding)...kinda like eating speed... ..if youre limited stage i definitly think you need to do it.....(pci)....if you "feel strong" (recuped) after your last treatments....get it as quick as you can..... .......s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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