WINDED and METS questions-no tests for me......

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chemosmoker
chemosmoker Member Posts: 501
edited December 2011 in Esophageal Cancer #1
Hey all.

Got a question for all of you.....

Getting winded this last week just walking to get the mail and I "assume" this is "mets" to the lungs.

I feel as though I pushed a 1300 pound boulder uphill just walking to the mailbox, literal. Then I sit ans regain my calm breathing. Not too dizzy just hard to get feeling like I am not choking for enough oxygen. Came on slowly over the last two three weeks. Time for blotted oxygen so I assume it's time for the old O2 bottle rig they have been offing now, too, huh? And I smoke. BOOM! LOL. Gotta be CAREFUL!!!

My full Pathology said I had COPD and emphysema and spots anyway and if the EC didn't get me, lung cancer should have in a few years probably. Pathology can be SO uplifting!

SO, have any of you gotten this as a result of mets as I won't be getting any CT or PET or as I am Hospice and and have NO Medicaid. SO I have to 'assume' and ask the hospice doc.

Curious and feedback welcome.

Otherwise I am doing great, my liver is STILL process the ASCITES and I am maintaining my weight. Thank GOD! I feel like I did six months ago really.

Hope Christmas can be a LITTLE better on the board for this next two weeks than what we have had to read and live through together, God willing!!

God bless you all!
Love
Eric

Comments

  • Freida
    Freida Member Posts: 182
    #2
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    Hi Eric
    I have no experience
    Hi Eric
    I have no experience with the mets to the lungs, but the symptoms sound very like Bill's symptoms when he had a blood clot in his lungs.

    You have such a wonderful positive attitude. I need to try and cultivate that as I tend to be a bit doom and gloomy ;). I hope you and your family have a good Christmas.
    Hugs
    Freida
  • ritawaite13
    ritawaite13 Member Posts: 236
    #3
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    Hi Eric and Michelle
    I'm so glad to see you back here. I know you moved and had no internet for awhile but you were missed!!
    I'm afraid that Freida just may be right but there's no way to know without an ultrasound. My husband Greg also had blood clots that went to his lungs and caused similar symptoms. Even though you are not receiving cancer treatments can't you have this checked out? Or maybe you don't want to, I don't know. We were told that this type of cancer is notorious for causing blood clots and that's what happened to Greg. First his leg, then his lungs and then one of those nasty buggers made it to his brain and caused a stroke. Sorry for the harsh honesty but that's what we do here, right?
    Hugs to you both,
    Rita
  • jss2011
    jss2011 Member Posts: 132
    #4
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    Hi Eric
    Nice to see you posting. How is Michelle?

    I think you have a good handle on what is going on even without tests. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Glad to hear your weight is stable, you are really giving this EC one heck of a fight.

    Julie
  • megmacmd
    megmacmd Member Posts: 85
    #5
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    Oxygen
    Sorry to hear you are soo winded.Glad you are still posting and hanging in there .Hope you can enjoy the Holdays with friends and family and dont blow yourself up with smoking and oxygen. Does hospice take care of you for free if no insurance? My mom, dad and sister all had insurance. Meg Mac
  • unclaw2002
    unclaw2002 Member Posts: 599
    #6
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    Eric,
    Glad to see you
    Eric,

    Glad to see you posting again. Just a thought - because other things could be causing your breathing problems, from a chest cold to blood clots unrelated to the cancer spreading I would try to at the very least get a chest xray to find out if something else is going on. I know my dad's first impulse if he had a pain somewhere was oh no the cancer is spreading --- even his oncologist said you know sometimes while we are fighting cancer other things do happen. So for instance I would not want to see blood clots go untreated and as a plus if it is a chest cold then you can rest a little easier knowing the cancer hasn't advanced.

    Take care of yourself and enjoy the sunny days. It is raining and chilly this evening in Delaware . . . its late and I just got back from shopping and getting ready for our trip to New Orleans to spend Christmas with my mom.

    Lots of hugs to you and Michelle,
    Cindy
  • Cora11
    Cora11 Member Posts: 173
    #7
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    unclaw2002 said:

    Eric,
    Glad to see you
    Eric,

    Glad to see you posting again. Just a thought - because other things could be causing your breathing problems, from a chest cold to blood clots unrelated to the cancer spreading I would try to at the very least get a chest xray to find out if something else is going on. I know my dad's first impulse if he had a pain somewhere was oh no the cancer is spreading --- even his oncologist said you know sometimes while we are fighting cancer other things do happen. So for instance I would not want to see blood clots go untreated and as a plus if it is a chest cold then you can rest a little easier knowing the cancer hasn't advanced.

    Take care of yourself and enjoy the sunny days. It is raining and chilly this evening in Delaware . . . its late and I just got back from shopping and getting ready for our trip to New Orleans to spend Christmas with my mom.

    Lots of hugs to you and Michelle,
    Cindy

    Eric, I ran it by Keith and
    Eric, I ran it by Keith and he rattled off a few answers. The shortness of breath can have many etiologies- mets like you said, anemia, COPD, fluid around the lungs, infection. I hope you'll at least bring it up to the hospice people so they can guide you as to what to do regarding evaluation to make you more comfortable. I"m up late tonight and that had me thinking about your insomnia. If you are up right now... well... sending you some thoughts of comfort. I will be thinking of you and Michelle and the kids and hope your holiday is extra special. I know each day with Michelle is already that.
    All my best,
    Cora

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