Elaine Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 Another poll for my article. Thanks to all who respond. Maybe doing so can help others. Smokers, ex-smokers and never smokers are invited to respond. If you need to add any clarification, please do so here or in a pm. Your name will not be used. For example, maybe you had to ask for the xray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 Ok, leave it me to over think this... Do you mean once you had symptoms of the cancer or do you mean approximatly how many dr. visits before a routine x-ray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted September 28, 2004 Author Share Posted September 28, 2004 Once symptoms started. I tried fixing my other poll and apparently, I can't fix them once they are submitted. This question excludes any "routine" x-ray. Sheesh, I know better than to word questions this vaguely!! Don't let any of my s tudents know about this!!! elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisaRN Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 3 trips to the family dr for us ...... then when he still didnt get better he went to the immediate care walk in center next to his job.....that was a waste of time too all he ever go was a new cough syrup and a new anti biotic ..... that's why i decided to head out of town and took him up to YALE..... he had enough robutussin with codeine ..... WITH EVERY DIFFICULTY ~ THERE IS RELIEF.....................LISA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAnn Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 Didn't have to ask. Treated me like an annual physical. Had 1 x-ray, seemed fine. Had 2nd, 3rd and 4th, still could not see tumor. (This because I kept going back practically demanding that SOMETHING was wrong!) Finally was referred to a pulmonologist that looked at the 4th ex-ray and immediately noticed a slight "shadow" that didn't look right and HE was the one to send me to CT where the tumor finally showed up. 4 radiologists did not pick up on what he saw right away. sheesh! TAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisaRN Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 PS Elaine, What are you writing the article for?.... i just saw your profile....didnt know you were a journalist..... very cool..... i am 17 credits away from my bachelors in journalism..... took lots of writing classes at the associate level ..... just in case i didnt make it thru nursing school ...just kidding ~ writing is a passion for me .... actually i havent decided what i will finish my bachelor's in.... it will prob be nursing.... i want to eventually get my MS in nursing, maybe practitioner..... not sure yet.... i wrote many articles for the college newspaper, the last of which was Nov 2002.... ironically it was all about lung cancer awareness month..... if only i knew what i was headed for..... i have also written several children's books (many years ago when i had time on my hands and a little guy to entertain .....but, he's not little any more ) Anyway.... if you would like to PM me, please feel free.... perhaps we can unite our talents and work on a project together sometime...... OOOOOPS...........JUST FOUND YOUR POST RE: WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT.... SORRY WITH EVERY DIFFICULTY ~ THERE IS RELIEF.....................LISA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 Elaine-- Geoff's mom was seen by multiple doctors (multiple times) before one ordered an x-ray. (Since she was never a smoker, they may have discounted her symptom--which was a persistant cough [and eventually hoarseness from said cough] that did not go away.). She saw doctors of various types for over four months before an x-ray was ordered (and she has really good insurance!). I want to say that she saw doctors for over six months, but I'd have to check with her husband to be sure. First they thought it was allergies (for a LONG time), then the flu (since it was flu season and it was going around, it had to be the flu), then walking pneumonia (hit her with an anti-biotic), then full-blown pneumonia (hospitalize her with IV aniti-biotics). Then and ONLY then, while she was in that hospital, did a young, female doctor think something was odd and looked into the matter more deeply. It was determined that she had never had pneumonia--but LC (Stage IV, by now) in March 2004. So--she had to be hospitalized for something she did not have to get an x-ray and be properly dx'd. THE DOCTORS SIMPLY WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SYMPTOMS OF LC. They did not mean to hurt her, but their lack of awareness did. To be perfectly fair--we were not familiar with the symptoms of LC, either (and thought of it sub-consciously as a smokers' disease, as when it IS mentioned in the media, that is how it is inaccurately and unfairly framed). Our awareness was as poor as that of the doctors. Melinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roseymac Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Elaine, Fred was treated for simple laryngitis he lost his voice, that was the only symptom he had. (Although there was a weight loss the last 6 months) But instead of getting better it kept getting worse so they kept changing the antibiotics. And finally I had enough and wanted him checked for pneumonia. And there it was a tumor in the chest compressing the left vocal cord. And Pneumonia !!! Rosemary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ry Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 I had my xray the day I went to the doctor with symptoms. I also had a CT the same day. I had a windowed CT the next day and had my frist radiation treatment . John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betplace Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 I had an Xray when I went to hospital with chest pains in August. However the ER Doc said the xRay was patchy and he thought it was viral Pnemonia, sent me home with no meds and told me to follow up with my Doc in 2 weeks. I went to my Doc, he gave me Prednizone which helped the lung spasms, but when it didn't go away a month after I quit smoking, I demanded they work a little harder to find out what was wrong. They did another Chest Xray and that showed the tumor, so went for Cat the same day. Took 2 months from August 17 to Oct 23rd to Dx me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 As I said in the other post,the most minor cough, and it was only about three weeks. Most people would not have gotten a chest xray. My parents told the dr I would not let up. If I had not had that witchy ESP, who knows how long it would have taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna G Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 I had an xray because I was complaining of pain, what they were "looking at " was my spine, what they saw on a plain old xray was a solid tumor larger than a golf ball in the apex of my lung. Donna G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Due to hacking up blood, I ended up with a TB Tine test with controls and a chest x-ray to rule out TB. Non-smoker, of COURSE it wasn't anything as sinister as lung cancer (no one thought of it) and they were more worried about something contagious... X-ray showed pneumonia (covered the tumor "fog")...Follow up on pneumonia showed a foggy patch, CT followed, then biopsy and the world crashing down...NOT because I had read of LC, but because of the "C" word in general... From there, with research, the world crashed a little more with each number and word... Now, here I am, hoping to help others through those first weeks of terror... Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaB Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Elaine, If you want responses for a dx 2b...My husband’s first symptom (that he has told me about) came in late July 2003 when he was swimming multiple laps in our pool, getting ready for our annual August trip to the wild Mendocino coast and scuba diving for abalone. He had been swimming about 30+ laps every couple of days and one day complained about a very painful “pulled muscle” in his back. The pain went away; however, he went for a checkup in early August 2003 with his internist who ordered a chest x-ray. The Dr. thought maybe he had aspirated some chlorine water into his lungs and gave him an anti-inflammatory medicine. Although he did not complain about anything else, about this same time I became aware that his breathing was sounding a little ‘out-of-breath’ when I spoke to him on the phone and noticed this during other times. Also, he had no cough. BTW, I was the one that had THE persistent cough …had a chest X-Ray in Oct. 2003 and everything was okay…I also quit smoking one year ago this month I will try to get regular x-rays, now that I know so much more about early detection, etc. DonnaB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nushka Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 Elaine, My doctor always did yearly x-rays. I did have a persistant cough but each xray showed nothing so he just treated my bronchitis. He did find it on x-ray that he insisted that he do as it was time for it. I was in a hurry and wanted to come back later for it...boy would that have been a mistake. I still have a lot of bronchitis..but scans show my lungs are clear so far...they tell me it is from the radiation. Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJAS Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 Even though I responded 2, I should clarify. He was first mis-dx in E.R. (no chest x-ray, sent home with inhaler though never had asthma). Then saw family doc who ordered treadmill test and x-ray but didn't clarify that he could get x-ray (or should get it) immediately. Doctor did EKG and gave him nitroglycerin as heart problems were considered possible. The hospital kept rescheduling the treadmill and we thought the two tests were to be done together. A week and several calls later, I begged the doctor to do something. He said that Steve should get the x-ray that day (why didn't he say that before???). Then they didn't think they would look at the x-ray for a couple of days. I finally asked to talk to the nurse we had known for years and reminded her it was Steve - someone she knows NEVER complains or admits to being ill. If he was struggling, it had to be serious. She talked to doctor, he called the x-ray dept. then called me and said to take him to E.R. Left lung completely collapsed and the fluid-filled cavity was pushing on his right lung and heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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