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What was your very first symtom of lung cancer?


Braxton

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My ex husband, who is also my best friend has been coughing up small amounts of blood for the last four days.  It started when he lifted a heavy box above his head and wrenched his right side. He was in alot of pain.  He was taking ALEVE for the pain first two days. The pain has subsided. He does smoke a pack a day. He is not losing weight, not unusually tired, and appetite is good, no shortness of breath, or pain upon breathing.  Don't know if this lifting injury and started to cough up blood is a coincidence. I know it can be a symtom of lung cancer. He doesn't cough but very little and doesn't cough that much, maybe three times a day.  Today he woke up and bottom of right ribs feels sore in one spot. I am alittle worried. 

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Coughing up blood is not usually a symptom of a lifting injury.  You could cough up blood if you had a more traumatic injury to your lungs like dropping a box on your chest.   It could also be a symptom of plenty of ailments, cancer being one of them.  It’s worth getting it checked out for sure.   

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My husband had zero systems despite advanced cancer. From what I understand, that's not all that atypical. I would definitely get checked out, especially given that he's coughing up blood.

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Braxton,

Coughing up blood was the symptom that caused me to seek medical attention and the resulting scan showed a large metastatic tumor contained within the main stem of my right lung's bronchus. There can be other explanations for coughing and rib pain, but I don't think a lifting injury would produce this symptom.

I didn't have problems with appetite or weight loss, shortness of breath (despite the tumor almost filling the bronchus), and pain with breathing. My only symptom was coughing with blood, and I delayed seeking medical attention. It did not go away.

I'd suggest a doctor visit promptly.

Stay the course.

Tom

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I had a cough for an entire summer that was misdiagnosed as allergies, whooping cough, acid reflux, bronchitis, and pneumonia.  After twelve appointments with three different doctors, a smart nurse ordered a CT scan where my cancer diagnosis came as a shock to all given my age and overall health.   Just before admission to the hospital I did cough up blood (which had been attributed to use of multiple inhalers).   
 

Insurance companies are reluctant to pay for a CT scan however, it’s really critical to receive for an accurate diagnosis.  
 

Michelle

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Braxton,

In my case I experienced no symptoms, but rather it was a CT Scan for a kidney stone that showed my nodule.  As a result, after surgery, I was staged at 1a.  Coughing blood is always worth a serious look.

Lou

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  • 4 weeks later...

I lost my voice in June 2019. I was misdiagnosed twice, first with allergies and then acid reflux by my ENT. By October my voice did not improve, so I returned to my PCP. She could hear crackling in my lungs and sent me for a chest Xray, quickly followed up with a CT scan. Both indicated a large tumor in my lower left lung. Loss of my voice was due to a paralyzed left vocal cord caused by that tumor. I've been through treatments and serious side effects but have come out the other side and am on Tagrisso. My doctors and I believe my Stage 3B NSCLC was caused by exposure post-9/11 as an office worker in Lower Manhattan. There is no lung cancer in my family. Anyway, I'm hanging in there and getting better and am thankful for everything my husband has done as my caregiver. 

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I NEVER had ANY symptoms of Lung Cancer.   I suddenly developed some dizziness and a vertigo-like feeling which came on a few weeks after I went through hip replacement surgery.    This turned very serious in a matter or hours and I thought I had some type of advanced vertigo or maybe even a TIA (mini stroke).  I saw my PCP for an emergency visit and quickly failed a Neuro test, from there I was off to the hospital for an Urgent Head Ct Scan and that's when we found a Brian tumor (totally shock and no warning) except this sudden onset of what I thought was vertigo.  I spend the next week in a neuro unit and have several tests which ultimately revealed that I had Stage IV NSCLC, it had spread to my brain and I also had a Pulmonary Embolism, which also caused no symptoms.  Lung Cancer.   Even how 5 1/2 years later, I have no cough, not shortness of breath, no chest pain for discomfort and have never needed oxygen.  

This is a sneaky cancer and this is why I truly believe Screening is so important, but unfortunately many never meet the "current" criteria for screening or even know it exists.  I'm happy to see we are making strides in change the criteria, but we still have much more to do.   For now the best thing we can do is promote awareness and to let every one that Lung Cancer is the leading cancer killer and it takes more live then Breast, Colon and Prostate combined.  It also effects all ages and is anyone who has lungs.   Many of the newly diagnosed patients are young, active, never smokers.   And in many cases LC in not found until it's well advanced because it's such a sneaky cancer.   I hope some day we'll have more tests and the Low Dose CT Scans will be open to all and fully covered by all insurers regardless of age and smoking history.   

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My wife symptoms were confusion and stumbling. A hospital ER visit diagnosed critically low Na level in the blood stream. The hospital docs immediately recognized this as a symptom of cancer. Small Cell was diagnosed several days later.

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Right on Lisa!  Why isn’t there a low dose ct screening maybe at 50?  We test bones , prostate. skin cancer. mammograms. Something needs to change!

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Braxton,

I was perfectly healthy with no symptoms except that out of the blue I coughed up a small amount of blood. My PCP sent me to an ENT first.

The ENT sent me for a chest XRAY because her exam didn't show anything. The chest XRAY was cloudy so they put me on antibiotics thinking I might have walking pneumonia and told me to return for a repeat chest XRAY in one month. Since the repeat XRAy looked the same..I was sent to a pulmonologist. Following a bronchoscopy, there still was no certainty of what was going on. 

To make a long story short, with no predisposing factors, I was eventually diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC mutinous adenocarcinoma.

 

My advice-do not wait...get this checked out immediately!

 

Best,

Ro

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