I've been with stage 4 adenocarcinoma for 3 years now, and recently have had a worrying new symptom: it feels as if my lungs are clogged up with bubbles. It's like breathing through a straw into treacle. It happens mostly when waking up, and I can sometimes control it by drinking water and doing exercises - not much fun at 4 o'clock in the morning. Using a fan to help breathing help as well. It's very worrying (especially when just waking up) as I feel that I'm going to run out of breath before I can control it.
Is this to be expected? And does anyone have any suggestions as to how to prevent the bubbles in the first place?
Written by
pt45
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Sorry to hear you have lung cancer and having some troublesome symptoms.
It could well be that it is mucous that is in your lungs, which can always be worse at night, as we recline and you feel it in the morning. If the mucous stays there it can certainly feel as if you are struggling to breathe.
It would be best to discuss this with either your GP or oncologist, some chest physiotherapy may help loosen the secretions and ease your breathing, especially if you are unable to cough anything up.
If you can sleep more upright it may help, along with doing some deep breathing exercises and cough any sputum up before you sleep.
If you would like to discuss anything further you can email ask the nurse at lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org or call the free phone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600
Thanks a lot for this. I've been sleeping upright for several months now for that very reason. When I was diagnosed I elected for palliative care only, as Covid was rife and hospital visits for chemo would probably have seen me off. Given the slow progress of the cancer, that was the right decision. So I don't have an oncologist to talk to directly. My GP doesn't have any solution to relieve the symptom and suggested that we contact the local lung cancer team, which we'll do probably today or tomorrow. I have to admit that I'd forgotten about the booklet - I shall read it again now.
It is good that the GP has referred you to the local lung cancer team, they can be community based or from the hospital. They will be able to advise and hopefully manage your symptoms.
There are things they could possibly prescribe to help you expectorate the sputum and chest physiotherapy can be a great help.
Some people find it helpful to have an oil diffuser in their bedroom, your local pharmacist can advise and you can use menthol or eucalyptus that may help to moisten the air and loosen lung secretions.
I recently had similar symptoms (12 years since my lobectomy for adenocarcinoma) and having had several nasty chest infections between 2015-2019 that hospitalised me, it was a new symptom for me - it felt like breathing through bubbles. I took steroids and amoxicillin but to no effect but after 5 weeks it improved - like you, it was a time when ambulances/waiting times in local hospitals were averaging 12 hours and didn't feel they'd do anything other than I could do with inhalers and rescue pack. However getting a second infection in February and another rescue pack of steroids and clarithimycin and 3 weeks not much better finally saw a GP last week who sent me for chest x-ray and bloods. hope you get to the bottom of your symptoms which may or may not be related to your lung cancer diagnosis. good luck.
Thanks for your thoughts. I've just been in for a chest X-ray and as a result the consultant will want to do an ultrasound and blood tests and maybe drain any fluid. That's next week. I suppose it's possible there's an infection which will add to my pill count.
yes but better to get it treated if it is - most respond to appropriate medication - I've been hospitalised over the years with pneumonia, pseudomonas and RSV and all responded to the right meds - and all were several years after my lobectomy. good luck.
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