Coughing up blood a year post lumpectomy.

[Sisters1]

Hello. Has anyone had lung infections and coughing up blood a year and a bit post lung surgery? My sister has these symptoms now and worried the cancers back.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

I don’t know where you live but if it is cold there this could be related to the furnace drying out the air in the home. Blood in the sputum can also happen when there’s a cough due to allergy or infectious process. When dry air meets that infectious process you get the perfect storm causing tiny vessels to break.

Usually a tiny bit of blood is not an issue. It becomes an issue when the patient is coughing it up by the spoons full.

Do report it to the doctor either way. In the meantime your sister could increase humidity a bit in the areas she spends the most time (bedroom, favorite chair). Cool air humidifiers are the best.

[Sisters1 in reply to Denzie]

Many thanks Denzie. I don't think it's humidity related but you never know she moved to a new flat just before this appeared. Has blood in every cough except strangely today?? We had the results of the cat scan yesterday and there are lines at the bottom of her lung that they're not sure what this is. .shes had four previous courses antibiotic prescriptions, one of which worked for a few days then blood returned. Shes got a bronchoscopy tomorrow. Praying it's something that can be sorted. Thanks for your support with this all advice gratefully recieved. Regards

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to Sisters1]

Please let us know what you learn when the results of the bronchoscope are back.

[Sisters1 in reply to Denzie]

Hi Denise my sis has to go back in april to get her results. Is it usual to wait this long for results??

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to Sisters1]

April is much too long to wait for results. At longest it takes a week to get results of a biopsy. Two months is appropriate for a follow up exam.

If you don’t have results within a week (and that’s pushing it), call and get the results.

Does your hospital have a patient portal? If yes start checking it.

[Sisters1 in reply to Denzie]

What's a patient portal?? How does that work??

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to Sisters1]

The patient portal is online access to patient records. Most hospitals have something similar. You have to sign up for it. I’m going to send you a pm and together we can figure out if your hospital has one and who you should talk to to get it set up.

[Sisters1 in reply to Denzie]

Thanks Denzie. She got a letter askn her to come on 28th Feb now. She's worried that's not good because they originally had an apt for her to come in later.. I'm not sure. If it's not good we will have to deal with it and hopefully it's early again and we have another shot at treatment and revovery. If it's something else not need treatment then that's even better.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to Sisters1]

The 28th is still a bit to long to wait for results after a biopsy but it’s better than what was planned. I would take hope from the fact that they didn’t call and say she needs to come in right away. If it was bad they would want to get her in ASAP. To wait in the event of cancer would open them to a law suit for delayed diagnosis.

Ask the doctor or his nurse about the patient portal.

[Sisters1 in reply to Denzie]

Hi denzie the good news is that they can't find cancer but don't know what it is that's causing the blood. All tests have come back negative the blood loss also appears to be making her aneamic. At the worst they say it might be slow growing cancer not yet detected but unlikely because lung cancer can be aggressive. She's being asked to give weekly sputum tests and go back in three months. Still breathless and tited

[Sisters1 in reply to Denzie]

Many thanks Denzie. Sis had to go back to gpo Today because the coughing of bloods getn worse.. Not sure if it's been aggravated by the bronchoscopy. She's been given a 5th course of anitibiotics since Christmas now.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to Sisters1]

A bronchoscope can indeed aggravate it.

[anrean]

Please let your oncologist know. Denzie is right that it could be dry, cold air but it is better to be safe than sorry.

[Sisters1 in reply to anrean]

Many thanks anrean. She moved to a new flat before this started. One never knows. Il bear this in mind when next speaking to the consultant. It's making her more breathless but otherwise putting on weight and seems good in herself considering.