early signs of lung cancer

hotdogs
hotdogs Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
I am a female, age 51, who for about the last month has developed a dry hacking cough. Unfortunately I am also a smoker who has tried to quit but has not been successful as of yet.
My question is this. Before being diagnosed with lung cancer, what other early symptoms did you have and did you have them before the cough started or after the cough. Would appreciate any information you have to offer God Bless everyone on this website. Thank you.

Comments

  • fatstan
    fatstan Member Posts: 3
    #2
    I'm a 54 year old male. Lung cancer was discovered in 1999. I had no symptoms at all.A routine xray picked it up. I was also a smoker for 40 years. I had surgey on both lungs to remove it. No chemo or radiation needed. Going on three years now,and so far so good.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
    I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE A CHEST XRAY PERFORMED. NOT SAYING IT MIGHT BE CANCER, COULD ALSO BE ALLERGIES..BUT BETTER TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.. I WAS AFRAID TO GET A CHEST XRAY 4 YEARS AGO, BUT AM GLAD MY WIFE FORCED ME TO.. I HAD A LUNG REMOVED AND I AM STILL CANCER FREE..DONT WASTE TIME..GET THE XRAY..
    MANNY
  • hotdogs
    hotdogs Member Posts: 3
    #4
    unknown said:

    I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE A CHEST XRAY PERFORMED. NOT SAYING IT MIGHT BE CANCER, COULD ALSO BE ALLERGIES..BUT BETTER TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.. I WAS AFRAID TO GET A CHEST XRAY 4 YEARS AGO, BUT AM GLAD MY WIFE FORCED ME TO.. I HAD A LUNG REMOVED AND I AM STILL CANCER FREE..DONT WASTE TIME..GET THE XRAY..
    MANNY

    Thank you for your response and I agree I do need to have an Xray done. But my question was what other symptoms were you having that took you to the Doctor in the first place.
  • momsurv
    momsurv Member Posts: 3
    #5
    Dear Hotdogs, I didn't have any type of cough. I found my lung cancer by accident. I was having a goiter and my thyroid removed when I was told that I had a spot on my lung. Since that time, I have gone through surgery, chemo and am now considered in remission. However, I was told Wednesday that I have a few pre-cancer cells and that I need to watch for them. I too were a smoker and had quit smoking back in 1998. I was living in Oregon and started being unable to breath. I came home to Houston and the rest as they say is history. If you are still smoking, please stop. I know it is hard, believe me I know and if you really need to talk just let me know. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
  • hotdogs
    hotdogs Member Posts: 3
    #6
    momsurv said:

    Dear Hotdogs, I didn't have any type of cough. I found my lung cancer by accident. I was having a goiter and my thyroid removed when I was told that I had a spot on my lung. Since that time, I have gone through surgery, chemo and am now considered in remission. However, I was told Wednesday that I have a few pre-cancer cells and that I need to watch for them. I too were a smoker and had quit smoking back in 1998. I was living in Oregon and started being unable to breath. I came home to Houston and the rest as they say is history. If you are still smoking, please stop. I know it is hard, believe me I know and if you really need to talk just let me know. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

    Dear MomSurv: Thank you for your information and advice. I'm still working on the smoking and know how important it is to quit. Did you have any nausea with your cancer and did you "just not feel good" but when people asked you what was the matter you could not tell them anything in particular except I just don't feel good? My questions may sound crazy but I am trying to figure out what is going on. Also, did you have acid indegestion a whole lot? Thank you again for the kind words and I to will say a prayer for you. And if you need to talk, you also let me know.
  • towanda
    towanda Member Posts: 19
    #7
    Dear hotdogs, I know what you want. You want several different people, some of whom had symptoms and several who have not to give your mind some rest. Don't let your mind rest. Get an X-Ray NOW! I'm sorry to scare but you don't want to keep coming back to this site day after day looking for answers that will never be here. I'm 27 and have small cell lung cancer. My chances would have been a hell of a lot better if i'd gone to see a doctor as soon as my chest pains started, but no, i wrote it off as a torn muscle. Listened to everyone tell me that there's no chance that it's cancer. I had chest pains when i laid down at night, i coughed up blood one time, I pissed like a race horse and i just didn't have the energy to do anything. And it was an "All of a Sudden" type thing. I wrote it off for so long. I'm sorry i did. Again, I don't mean to upset you but maybe i do just enough so you will go and see the doctor. My thoughts are with you. God Bless. Cindy
  • tballard
    tballard Member Posts: 3
    #8
    My 49 y/o wife was diagnosed with Small Cell Cancer in December. She was a long time smoker, although not a heavy one. Before she began coughing she developed a wheeze. She also complained of a tightness or aching in the chest. Bronchitis type symptoms. Any major physical activity would cause shortness of breath. Swimming or walking the hill to our home, about 100 yrds moderate incline, would tire her. Hope this is of some help.

    Tom B
  • antsynancy
    antsynancy Member Posts: 17
    #9
    I had the upper lobe of my left lung removed on 3-1-02. I was a smoker and always seemed to have a cough of some type. Last summer I became short of breath and went to the doctor. The xrays showed I had pneumonia. In December I again felt short of breath and had another xray done and on this xray the lump showed up. Other symptoms were horseness this had started approximately a year before finding the lump.

    Definately have an xray, even though they decided the lump was there last summer but not caught, I had stage 1 non small cell cancer and didn't even need chemo after my surgery.

    Good Luck
  • june19521
    june19521 Member Posts: 8
    #10
    unknown said:

    I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE A CHEST XRAY PERFORMED. NOT SAYING IT MIGHT BE CANCER, COULD ALSO BE ALLERGIES..BUT BETTER TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.. I WAS AFRAID TO GET A CHEST XRAY 4 YEARS AGO, BUT AM GLAD MY WIFE FORCED ME TO.. I HAD A LUNG REMOVED AND I AM STILL CANCER FREE..DONT WASTE TIME..GET THE XRAY..
    MANNY

    FOGET THE XRAY THEY DO NOT SHOW EVERYTHING, GET A CAT SCAN IMMEDIATELY. I HAD COUGH THEY TREATED ME FOR ALLERGRYS FOR OVER A YEAR, THEY TOOK SEVERAL XRAYS SHOWED NOTHING. GET CAT SCAN RIGHT AWAY DO NOT DELAY.
  • june19521
    june19521 Member Posts: 8
    #11
    hotdogs said:

    Dear MomSurv: Thank you for your information and advice. I'm still working on the smoking and know how important it is to quit. Did you have any nausea with your cancer and did you "just not feel good" but when people asked you what was the matter you could not tell them anything in particular except I just don't feel good? My questions may sound crazy but I am trying to figure out what is going on. Also, did you have acid indegestion a whole lot? Thank you again for the kind words and I to will say a prayer for you. And if you need to talk, you also let me know.

    I HAD ACID INDEGESTION ALONG WITH TROUBLE BREATHING. I QUIT SMOKING BEFORE I NEW I HAD CANCER. THE DOCTORS TOOK MANY CHEST XRAYS BUT KEPT SAYING IT WAS ALLERGYS IT WAS NOT AS I FINALLY GOT A CAT SCAN AND IT SHOWED LYMPH NODES IN MY CHEST. IT WAS CAUGHT EARLY AND I HAD TWO CHEMO SESSIONS AND IT SHOWED UP ON CAT SCAN THAT I HAD NO MORE CANCER, BUT I HAVE AGRESSIVE ONCOLOGIST AND HE WILL DO 25 TREATMENTS ALONG WITH LAST TWO CHEMO TREATMENTS TO MAKE SURE IT IS GONE. I HAD NONE IN MY LUNGS NOR ANY PLACE ELSE IN MY BODY NO TUMORS AT ALL. YOU MAY BE LUCKY IF YOU GO GET CAT SCAN NOW. WISHING YOU LUCK
  • luckieslady
    luckieslady Member Posts: 34
    #12
    towanda said:

    Dear hotdogs, I know what you want. You want several different people, some of whom had symptoms and several who have not to give your mind some rest. Don't let your mind rest. Get an X-Ray NOW! I'm sorry to scare but you don't want to keep coming back to this site day after day looking for answers that will never be here. I'm 27 and have small cell lung cancer. My chances would have been a hell of a lot better if i'd gone to see a doctor as soon as my chest pains started, but no, i wrote it off as a torn muscle. Listened to everyone tell me that there's no chance that it's cancer. I had chest pains when i laid down at night, i coughed up blood one time, I pissed like a race horse and i just didn't have the energy to do anything. And it was an "All of a Sudden" type thing. I wrote it off for so long. I'm sorry i did. Again, I don't mean to upset you but maybe i do just enough so you will go and see the doctor. My thoughts are with you. God Bless. Cindy

    searching

    Hello Towanda.. I am scared I had Stage II anal cancer this year and went through Chemo/rad it was a squamous cell 5cm. Keep in mind my dad and his mom both had the same cell and I lost them both.After my treatments were over (June) in September I got the MOST horrible lung infection did an xray to confirm that ..with lots of meds inhalers and breathing treatments I survived.In November I had my port removed and the same day I coughed up a massive clot and later that day I coughed blood and that night to BUT i havent since then..the passed two weeks I have been experiencing "vertigo" and this passed week there are spots on both sides of ribs not the whole rib area but places always the same places that hurt not consistant ongoing but always the same place and when it hurts it hurts and it scares me .. I called doc they ordered a CT on Tuesday..could the xray have missed it? I am scared here>....

  • dennycee
    dennycee Member Posts: 857 Member
    #13
    luckieslady said:

    searching

    Hello Towanda.. I am scared I had Stage II anal cancer this year and went through Chemo/rad it was a squamous cell 5cm. Keep in mind my dad and his mom both had the same cell and I lost them both.After my treatments were over (June) in September I got the MOST horrible lung infection did an xray to confirm that ..with lots of meds inhalers and breathing treatments I survived.In November I had my port removed and the same day I coughed up a massive clot and later that day I coughed blood and that night to BUT i havent since then..the passed two weeks I have been experiencing "vertigo" and this passed week there are spots on both sides of ribs not the whole rib area but places always the same places that hurt not consistant ongoing but always the same place and when it hurts it hurts and it scares me .. I called doc they ordered a CT on Tuesday..could the xray have missed it? I am scared here>....

    X-rays and lung cancer

    Hi.  It's me Dennycee again.  Those X-rays miss a lot and really only pick up most cancers at a larger size- if it catches it.  A CT is much more likely to give you honest results and then, of course, only a biopsy can tell you if its cancer.  

  • luckieslady
    luckieslady Member Posts: 34
    #14
    dennycee said:

    X-rays and lung cancer

    Hi.  It's me Dennycee again.  Those X-rays miss a lot and really only pick up most cancers at a larger size- if it catches it.  A CT is much more likely to give you honest results and then, of course, only a biopsy can tell you if its cancer.  

    Thank you.......

    Thank you so much.. it is hard not to search for others stories..it is scarey..I will be this way till I recieve results...

  • dennycee
    dennycee Member Posts: 857 Member
    #15
    luckieslady said:

    Thank you.......

    Thank you so much.. it is hard not to search for others stories..it is scarey..I will be this way till I recieve results...

    I can soooooooo understand

    I can soooooooo understand that.  Please keep us posted.   

  • Carlee
    Carlee Member Posts: 98
    #16
    antsynancy said:

    I had the upper lobe of my left lung removed on 3-1-02. I was a smoker and always seemed to have a cough of some type. Last summer I became short of breath and went to the doctor. The xrays showed I had pneumonia. In December I again felt short of breath and had another xray done and on this xray the lump showed up. Other symptoms were horseness this had started approximately a year before finding the lump.

    Definately have an xray, even though they decided the lump was there last summer but not caught, I had stage 1 non small cell cancer and didn't even need chemo after my surgery.

    Good Luck

    I had kind of a stiff neck

    I had kind of a stiff neck and shoulder pain on my left side.  I went to my pain management doctor and he did and xray.  The tech noticed something on the xray that looked like a lump in my lung.  They called me immediately back in and did a CT scan which showed the cancerous tumor in my lung.  A biopsy verified it was cancer. 

  • beatlemike
    beatlemike Member Posts: 55 Member
    #17
    Carlee said:

    I had kind of a stiff neck

    I had kind of a stiff neck and shoulder pain on my left side.  I went to my pain management doctor and he did and xray.  The tech noticed something on the xray that looked like a lump in my lung.  They called me immediately back in and did a CT scan which showed the cancerous tumor in my lung.  A biopsy verified it was cancer. 

    beatlemike

    I kept getting bronchitis over and over,along with weight loss and extreme fatigue. Started coughing up streaks of blood in my saliva. And the last few months developed a cough unlike any cough I have ever had that was unending.

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