Coughing fit

ARobben
ARobben Member Posts: 46
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Hello everyone!

I know when many of you were diagnosed, coughing was one of your major symptoms. This wasn't the case for me, but in the last week or two, I have started having fairly frequent coughing fits. They cause me to have to stop what I'm doing, find a surface to hold on to and just let it go. These coughs feel deep, but they are never productive, meaning I never spit up anything.

I talked to my doctors about this today, as I had a follow-up appointment, and they said it may actually be a sign of improvement. They say it may just be my lungs working since I have been a little more up and active lately. Just wanted to hear some of your opinions.

Comments

  • MichelleP
    MichelleP Member Posts: 254
    #2
    Robben, when was the last
    Robben, when was the last time you had a chest x-ray? We have experienced the same coughing with my husband. A few times it was actually caused by fluid buildup in the lungs and we had to have them drained. It can also be caused by the chemo "working on the tumor" as well we've been told.

    Do you feel relief if you lean forward while sitting? This is also an indication of fluid buildup.

    Please call your doctor asap? This shouldn't be ignored and at all my friend. Let us know what happens please.
  • Jager
    Jager Member Posts: 32
    #3
    Hi Mate
    As I have told you before, I do have this coughing as a major symptom before been diagnosed. After first kemo, it improved really a lot and became an ocassional cough with yellow-dark product.

    Now, after second kemo, the first week the cough increases and my voice is just a whisper, I started to spit a lot of this yellow-green pasty stuff for 8 days, then my voice and the cough dissapear, but once I get the next kemo, it comes back.

    Actually I am suffering the whisper-voice stuff and willing to get better as I will have to go offshore next thursday.

    Ok, Here is what my oncologist said last tuesday, she said I am responding 95% to kemo (don´t know what it means and if somebody can explain, will appreciate it) and also said this cough-product is fluid I had accumulated in my lung (maybe because the tumor was blocking the upper lobe?) and now it is coming out due to kemo (maybe because the tumor has shrinked allowing the fluid to come out?).

    I am in the positive attitude mate and not trying to speculate too much on this, I am feeling better now after 7 days of last kemo but I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask my oncologist, nevertheless, she´s on holidays and will not see her until Aug 12th.

    Now, your lungs have never stopped working as you can breath. They do have a "cleaning" function but if so, you should get some product from the cough. What I can think about is that your treatment is working in killing fast growing cells and the ones in your throat or bronchios are reacting to that so that´s why you feel the urgency to cough and as your doctor´s said, it may be a sign that the treatment is working as it is actually killing fast growing cells (cancer cell included).

    I really don´t know and I am not an oncologist so this is only what I can figure out based on my experience and what I have talked with my onco. The best thing is to keep an eye on the coughing and push the oncologist on the same issue time after time, I had to express my doubts at least twice to my doctor to get an answer that I was able to understand from her.

    Best luck mate and hope to hear the very best news from you.

    Cheers


    Mario

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