Hello,
I just want to start off by saying that I have not been diagnosed with anything. My uncle passed away in March of 2014 at age 50 from lung cancer and I’ve been terrified of lung cancer ever since. I turned 37 two months ago and I am a former smoker (20-35, roughly 15 pack years). Since June I have been having a variety of symptoms that have gotten me really stressed about the possibility of lung cancer.
June:
- noticed some blood in my saliva.
- chest x-ray which came back normal (read by a radiologist and a pulmonologist).
- chest CTA which came back normal.
- blood test, normal
July:
- got bronchoscopy and the pulmonologist stated that he saw no lesion or mass.
- I began to have mild night sweats and a headache
- I went to a neurologist,performed a neurological function test which was normal, the night sweats and headaches went away.
- blood test/ urine test (incl. chemistry, CBC, TSH, DHEA-S, cortisol level), normal
- started to have intermittent chest pain, back/spine ache (upper and lower), left arm ache, left shoulder ache, left knee ache, and abdominal pain around liver area. The pain grade is between 1-3.
- took bronch pics and chest CTA to another pulmon. and he stated that it was normal, also performed a pulmonary function test, normal.
August:
- got a complete autoimmune blood test which came back normal except for a slightly elevated rheumatoid factor.
- blood test, normal
- noticed bloody tooth in back of mouth (probably source of blood in saliva)
September:
- PCP ordered a lumbar x-ray and that came back normal.
All drs. told me not to worry about lung cancer.
My symptoms have been getting better since mid-September until last week when all the aches and pain returned.
I am still very concerned about some occult or a super fast growing lung cancer that metastasized everywhere that did not showed on CT scan in June or other tests. Is that likely? I just need advice. Thank you so much for your time.
Reply # - October 15, 2015, 07:39 PM
I'm sorry you're having such
I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time with these symptoms. There are several reasons why your symptoms are highly unlikely to be lung cancer.
Your age, 37 would be extremely rare to get lung cancer.
Lung cancer doesn't tend to run in families; there are just a very small number of people who carry genes that end up causing lung cancer.
Your CT scans and other work up found nothing. CTs with contrast are very good at seeing tumors.
Cancer symptoms such as night sweats and pain don't come and go, instead they start sometimes gradually but always get worse not better without treatment.
It sounds like you've been checked out pretty extensively for cancer. I hope able to find the cause of your problems.
Best of luck,
Janine
Reply # - October 16, 2015, 09:28 AM
Thank you so much for your
Thank you so much for your reply Janine. I read online that these are all possible symptoms but all my doctors told me not to worry about cancer so I was just confused about what might be causing my symptoms. I saw my uncle everyday for the last month of his battle and I just want to say God bless all those who are fighting this disease or have a love one fighting this disease. Again, thank you for taking the time to reply me Janine.