I was diagnosed with pneumonia, I don't know what stage of pneumonia I have, it was not mentioned in the x-ray results.
The results were sent to my GP, and he prescribed me medications to treat pneumonia. I think it is difficult to know what stage I have, even if I thought about this. This is because I didn't have any symptoms; I only had a runny nose, phlegm with blood, and a slight pain in the chest from time to time.
If there had been no blood in the phlegm, I would not have suspected anything serious was happening to me, and I would not have gone to a doctor.
I had this constant anxiety, and now my mind keeps telling me that the doctors might be wrong, I have lung cancer not pneumonia, when I try to remove this from my mind, my thinking is irrational, I think it's just because I'm so afraid, I don't know, I feel miserable. Especially when I remember there was a person who was diagnosed with lung cancer after recovering from pneumonia in a short time. My mind tells me that the same thing will happen to me. I am very afraid. Is this common to get lung cancer after suffering from pneumonia?!
I cried hard in the bathroom a while ago. I'm still young, I want to live! I don't know what to think! What do I do! I want something that gives me hope and optimism!
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Vinaa
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Hi Viniaa,Sorry to hear you are so anxious but I do understand why . I am no expert, but I have had lung cancer and that was 11 years ago. Has your GP made an appointment to see a consultant? If he thought you had cancer he would be referring you to an oncologist.
I dont think you would get cancer because of pneumonia if you should have cancer you would have probably had it years ago without knowing. The pneumonia is due to a weak immune system more than likely.
Thinking on a positive note there is a virus going round which I have got at the moment.
The virus produces lots of phlegm, tiredness, runny nose, coughs and some aches and pains in chest , joints and muscles.
Just think the worse scenario is you get lung cancer, Well its not nice but most cancers can be removed or treated. I had my whole right lung removed ,and survived so it isnt as bad as you probably thought.
This forum is brilliant so dont be frightened of asking for help. I am also a member of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation community .
RCLF helpline is 03333237200
or 0300 222 5800 for The Lung conditions Community Forum
I'm sorry you had to go through this, this is great that you have healed and are doing well, I hope you see brighter days.
The X-ray result was Peribronchial bronchial changes in RLL - can match pneumonia.
It seems rational thinking that if the result shows something is wrong, they will take me to another level of tests, but when the fear inside my mind is difficult to resist sometimes.
Hi, Vinaa. I'm sorry you've felt so worried about this.
My previous husband Bob had pneumonia several times, sometimes seriously enough to have to be treated in hospital. He had the long term lung condition COPD which made him more likely to catch pneumonia as he was still a smoker. When he died at the age of 77, it was of heart failure, not lung cancer.
Having pneumonia is not a route to lung cancer, but it can depress the spirits and takes some time to recover from. Try concentrating on doing things you enjoy today. Keep busy. Whenever fears of tomorrow come into your mind, tell them to go away as they are not reality.
Hi Vinaa, Based on seeing my own X-rays over the past 20 years pneumonia and mass which could be cancer do look rather different, if a mass is seen then a CT scan and broncoscopy are given very quickly after the initial X-ray to determine what the mass is. Try not too worry, most cold, flu, pneumonia type symptoms can cause pink sputum. I coughed fresh blood continuously for an hour very scary and this is a symptom of cancer, TB, Aspergillosis. Cancer is thrown at us all the time with TV advertising etc. it’s hardly surprising that we are in constant fear of it, You have had an x-ray and pneumonia has been shown and antibiotics will fix it. Pneumonia can take a long while to completely recover from and being in an anxiety state is not going to help recovery. It may take awhile but the anxiety will go away so try and get on with your life for now and focus on things that you enjoy.
I’ve had pneumonia several times and it didn’t lead to cancer. I suspect you are feeling low because pneumonia knocks the stuffing out of you. Try to concentrate on looking after yourself. Light exercise and rest to give yourself time to repair. Your doctor would have ordered further investigation if there was a chance that you had cancer.
hi vina. I had a bad dose of pneumonia and was hospitalised but no cancer. In my experience pneumonia takes a long time to recover from so take things slowly and if you’re worried go to talk to your GP. X
Hi I’m sorry you’re feeling like this. I’ve had Pneumonia a few times & in hospital twice with it. I have never gone on to develop lung cancer. I’m not even sure there are different stages of Pneumonia. It’s difficult not to worry when everything takes so long with the NHS lately. I know when I last had Pneumonia they did a follow up X Ray about 6 weeks later to make sure it had all cleared. It hadn’t it was still lingering around which it can do for a while I believe. I really think you should try to get an appointment with a GP for some reassurance. Maybe a friend or family member could go too. Take care.
it is your anxiety which needs addressing and treating, not your lungs. Your posts contain misapprehensions about pneumonia, the symptoms of lung infections ( including pneumonia) and cancer symptoms.
You say that you do not know what stage you are with pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection, sometimes caused by bacteria sometimes caused by a virus. It can be caught in the community. I was unlucky enough to catch it in 2015. People with long standing respiratory disease sometimes develop it. You would know if you had a longstanding respiratory condition. I knew I had bronchiectasis when I was 6. Iam 73 now.
It is usually treated with antibiotics. Pneumonia does not have stages as copd and other long term conditions have. It takes a long time to feel better from it and sometimes needs extra antibiotics to see it off.
It most certainly does not lead to cancer although you really need your GP to tell you that. I am just a patient with 73 years of experience of debilitating lung disease and you will not trust me.
You say that you had no symptoms of pneumonia. Indeed you did. Coughing up blood is a typical sign of lung infection, including pneumonia, as is pain in your chest. I can’t think what other symptoms you were looking for. Many people think that there has to be coughing or coughing up mucus as a sign of pneumonia. This is a big mistake because most times with pneumonia there is no or little cough because the mucus is stuck down at the bottom of the lungs by the infection and will only loosen and come up after antibiotics and breathing exercises.
You are very young to have cancer and there are very different symptoms. this is probably why your GP has dismissed your concerns over this. To them it is a non issue but they should be reassuring you.
You are wasting your life on unnecessary anguish. You have a nasty chest infection (pneumonia) which will clear up with proper treatment but does take a long time.
PLEASE Go to your GP and tell them exactly what your anxieties are, including any which relate to issues in your life in general.
I wish you all the best for 2024. Do get help toMake the most of your lovely young life and stop catastrophying.
I’ve never heard of lung cancer being identified as a causative factor for lung cancer so I suspect that’s Charlie Horrocks. GP should be your primary contact not people who know medicine and shit rust me bruv. Often they’re dead wrong. If they suspected malignancy you’d be on a 2ww referral and they’d tell you that’s what they were doing and why. In regard to the one person you knew who had both in a short time, correlation does not equal causation.
Hi Viniaa, I had mrsa pneumonia in 2017, which required 10 days in hospital. They did a follow up x-ray 4 months after to confirm it was all gone. They did find stage 1 cancer, that was growing, confirmed by a CT scan. This finding was incidental, and not caused by pneumonia. In many ways it was a blessing to find it in the early stages. If I hadn't pneumonia I wouldn't have known. 1/4 of my lung was removed robotically and I have been fine since. Ask yourself, what evidence do you have that you could have lung cancer. If there is no evidence, let it go. Don't waste your days with worry. Be proactive with your health, but don't take on things that might be, until you have proof. I believe it was Michel de Montaigne, that said his life was filled with terrible misfortunes, but most of it never happened. 😊
lots of reasons for blood in phlegm and it is scary. I had blood in urine and that was scary.
To the point I was tested for Lung Cancer as I had a 6mm nodule on my right lung, and damage already there. It was scary as other treatments stopped because of that,
My anxiety levels soared and you need reassuring - Pneumonia I believe can cause blood in your phlegm,
If your Dr thought it was lung Cancer you would have been referred to Chest Clinic who would have referred you to an oncologist ,
I totally understand how you feel, you need to see your Dr to get your head right, anxiety is hard to live with,
You are young, don't suffer please see your GP for a talk.
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