Hi all, I'm 28 and have a very bad anxiety that I have lung cancer and I'm hoping to find some reassurance to ease my mind.
In March 2020 (17 months ago) I had breathlessness issues and it led to an xray in July 2020 (14 months ago) that was clear, since then I've had bouts of breathlessness and lately it's manifested itself into a pain in the top left of my chest (heart ECG, blood tests all came back fine recently), sometimes when I breathe in it hurts and I have intermittent chest and shoulder pain, which I've told my GP about and he's reluctant to send me for another xray as he doesn't want to expose to unnecessary risk, however all this time I've had breathlessness feelings and now they feel worse than ever, with the added feeling of intermittent chest pain
I'm also dealing with a separate issue of heartburn which I'm having a gastrocopy for next month for, which I'm prescribed PPI's for
I've gotten myself in a rut of convincing myself I have lung cancer and I'm going to lose my loved my ones
Written by
Virond4w
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hello Virond please try to think positively, all your tests have come back clear so far which is great. You do know that anxiety can affect your breathing I suffered with it really bad until the doctor in the hospital realized it was anxiety which I now have prescribed meds for. It may be a good idea for you to speak to your GP about anxiety as this may be the problem, I'm not in any way saying it it is , but it's worth chatting with the GP about it. Hope this has been helpful please let us know how you get on, have a good day and take care 😊 Bernadette and Jack 🐕 xxxxxx
Hi Virond. Was reading Damons response and to your plight. I know how anxiety has affected my breathing in the past and can cause restriction of muscles. There is also the possibility of the condition known as costacondritus. This can cause pain around the sternum and ribs as a result of inflammation of the connecting tissues and ligaments I believe.
Hi VirondAnxiety can be debilitating and cause breathlessness. The pain you describe could be muscle pain, if you cannot relax and are very stressed this puts stress on the muscles and it can be very painful. You must speak with your GP and maybe he/she can prescribe a muscle relaxant to see if this helps. If it's so bad I would ring 111 get them to take you to hospital because I know how some GPs can fob you off. Good luck keep us informed 💜
I wonder if you could have contracted Covid in March 2020 , before routine tests were available ? I often wonder if both I and one of my daughters did …..different breathlessness from my normal asthma/ COPD , joint pain, sore throat and toes etc. I am still breathless….tried to explain to my asthma nurse that it felt different from normal, very odd.
Are you coughing anything up…..discoloured mucus ?
Blood test showed no infection ?
Perhaps you could contact the BLF helpline for advice ….open for UK residents during the working week on 03000 030 555.
The BLF website has reliable advice on dealing with breathlessness .
Heartburn, GERD, acid reflux and silent reflux are all answerable to many symptoms amongst them a feeling of anxiety and breathlessness. Anxiety is known to cause reflux so you're in a bit of a vicious circle here. The very first time I had awful acid problems was in my 20s when my little brother was killed. Though psychologically I was coping (2 small children, living in a foreign country far from a good doctor) I was knocked for six with grief which seemed to get me in the guts. My sister was effected with extreme anxiety and paralysing panic attacks. We're all different.
Concentrate on getting the stomach issues sorted out (avoid acid food ie vinegar citrus, spicy food, fatty food, spirits will help while you're waiting).
Of course we aren't medics here however, the test so far would indicate there's no cancer.
Do you smoke excessively to make you think you have lung cancer?
Lots of breathing exercises on youtube to calm down anxiety, have a look because they really work. Deep diaphragm breathing is one. Good luck. Peege
When I was younger in university and abroad I used to smoke a bit, I would say 20 a day but a lot, haven't smoked for years.
Around when the symptoms started I was vaping at the time, for around 6 months as I was stressed so resorted to vaping and the occasional cigarette before stopping due to breathlessness
Hi it would be very unusual to someone your age to have lung cancer. This is usually caused after decades of smoking as around 17 out of 20 cases are from smoking.
A small proportion aren't but again it's much more common to be older people ie over 50. It sounds like you have health anxiety and there are a good couple of sites on here for that. It is very common and breathing problems from it are high on the list of symptoms.
Hi Virond.I had lung cancer 5 years ago. The first thing I noticed was I lost my appetite, everything tasted like eating a dish cloth so I ate ice cream and drank lucozade. The other thing was my legs went thin and I lost a lot of weight. I only got breathless with fluid in my lung after my operation .
If you have already got a clear xray, please try not to worry. The xray will pick up a tumour in your lung if there was one.
Maybe your doc will send you for a ct scan to give you peace of mind .
Many of the nice people here have given you good advice. I just want to say that one of the hallmark symptoms of severe heartburn is chest pain. I think once you get that under control and they can give you a fuller picture of what is happening inside your guts they will be able to help you feel better , whether through an operation or conventional medication.
Best wishes,
Cas xx 🌿
P.S. I know what it's like to have pain and people tell you there's nothing wrong with you. It's frustrating and it makes one feel like they are going mad. Hang in there. It may take time but things will get better.
Hi Virond.I think your anxiety is playing a big part in this. What do you do to alievste the stress? I'm sure you'll be fine. Acid is awful and I'm sure they will find a reason as to why you have it, maybe you've a Haitus Hernia like many of us. There's only you that can get yourself out of this rut. I know it's easy to slide down the ladder and harder to get back up. Do you have hobbies? Do you walk? Meet friends? Do you work?
What gets me in the rut is thinking about how much I love my partner and how I would I would make her feel if I wasn't here anymore, it drives my anxiety that these things in that make think I've got something that's going to cut short our beautiful time together and ruin it
I try to keep my self distracted by being the best partner I can be whilst also enjoying our hobbies and my own hobbies, including spending time with my friends
Your doing the horse before the cart... She must be picking up on your anxiety. Try and put it to the back of your mind if possible. Get on with being a great partner and enjoy your life together. I'm sure you'll be fine.
I see all results came back negative which is great news ,i remember 20 yrs ago before i had copd waking up with shoulder neck & back ,chest pain everyday & couldn't figure out why ,it turned out my mattress was completely worn out, i splashed out on a firmer orphaepedic type & this seemed to cure it almost immediately ,i have to admit i was 3 stone overweight which prob wasn't helping matters .
I have yes, he thinks it's playing a role, he wants to isolate the problems first and see what the gastrocopy comes back with first, he's due to speak to me again 4 weeks
I don't know what I can say to reassure you but I will try. I have severe COPD and have had several stents fitted over the years for severe angina attacks. It is now well managed - thank goodness, However, several years ago I manifested the same symptoms as yourself and all the tests came back negative - apart from the ones we knew about. I was worried about my heart and never once did I give any consideration to lung disease. My GP was convinced that I was suffering from severe muscle spasms in the chest which also radiated to my back and shoulders. The diagnosis was reached by my very capable GP who literally took me back in time to when I, stupidly, attempted to lift a heavy object. I suffered with the symptoms for some considerable time until they ceased, without any further medical intervention. I know, at the time, I was really frightened (anxious) and I can understand how you feel. You have been getting some sensible and encouraging advice on the forum and I would certainly listen to the advice of Damon and Jake.
I wish you all the best for the future and, of course, stay safe.
it sounds like copd?? I've been worried I have copd, and while going through the symptom list It said shoulder pain, and I was like "don't have that", then it started hurting, of coarse. Please, keep us updated, i'm right there w/ you.
Dear Virond, May I share my story? Maybe it will help you…..I had severe health anxiety in my late 20’s to about mid 30’s. Was sure I had heart disease, all kinds of cancer, hepatitis, etc. I had none of those. Nothing. But I did have severe anxiety. Took a long time to get sorted, but guess what? I didn’t die! I can’t tell you how many people of the age that I was at that time come on this forum sure they have COPD, lung cancer, etc. My heart goes out. It was a misery - I couldn’t think about much else. I was at the Dr all the time. Went from one to another. Had friends take me to the Emergency Services. Called for ambulances. Took test after test. Wore a heart monitor for a month. Would lie awake at night with worry. Could not accept there was nothing wrong. How could I hurt, gag, heart race, suffocate, shake, feel miserable, gasp, nearly faint if there wasn’t something seriously wrong? For years this went on. Finally I gave up. I was just so tired of Drs telling me my tests were normal. I decided I would probably just have to live with it, whatever it was. By then, the full blown panic attacks had started & I couldn’t ignore my mental health anymore. Once I learned - with great, fantastic help- how to manage the anxiety, 100% of the physical symptoms went away. Zero symptoms remained from that period. I am 62 now. Still work , love life, love my family. No health anxiety. Hang in there. Plenty of hope for you!
I had a chest xray that came back all clear so I'm relieved, although now I'm worried about xray radiation, I must be silly as I know it's negligible risk, I need to speak to someone about my health anxiety.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Lung cancer stage 4
Fear 
Lung cancer
Chronic lung pain but few other signs
Lung nodules
