Has anyone had experiance of this?

[sandra123]

My husband, Brian, was diagnosed with Stage 1V NSCC after having pain in his hip (my previous notes refer). He had no other symptoms but did had a spell of coughing up clear phlegm.(I can find no details anywhere that this could be a sympton of lung cancer- it always states blood stained, coloured or foul smelling phlegm)

I wonder whether anyone else has had this happen and also wonder whether that should be included in the symptom list).

This coughing up stopped when he was dx but has now returned, disturbing his/our sleep at night.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, hope this wonderful weather continues, it cheers us up no end. xx

[willowtree]

Hi Sandra,

My husband was diagnosed with inoperable stage 3b lung cancer in December and he had none of the 'symptoms' listed. He had some discomfort in his neck from a swollen lymph gland and that was it. He looked and felt fit and healthy.

Sadly it seems that the 'common symptoms' are often not there.

Good luck

[sandra123 in reply to willowtree]

Thank you Willowtree.

I am so sorry to read that you lost your husband 4 months ago, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Much love, Sandra x

[Hidden]

Hi Sandra,

one of the symptom's is a cough that lasts for more than 2 weeks whether it be a dry cough or a productive cough, doesn't matter.

There are 2 points here however, 1, lung cancer is called the silent killer as there are never really any symptoms until it has reached the later stages. When it has been caught in the early stages is usually by accident when having tests for something else. This is why we need some sort of screening. Point 2, even when there are symptoms, like a cough that lats mote than 2 weeks, GP's are not always great at referring patients on. I had a cough for 18 months before I was diagnosed aged 49 (stage 4 when they found it) This is despite being sent for x rays which didn't show it as a routine x ray doesn't look below the diaphragm where my 11cm tumour was. And an emergency admission to hospital (not my local hospital) where the tumour was seen on a CT scan but diagnosed as pneumonia! I was treated for this for 5 months before I was referred to a specialist for surgery to see what they were dealing with. Unfortunately when they opened me up it had already spread throughout the lung and into the pleural space, so it was a case of just getting a biopsy and closing me up.

It seems to me that even when there are symptoms present, the GP's are not very good at picking it up. I was told I didn't fit the typical lung cancer profile. A never smoking younger female that still looked very fit and well. I even had a higher than average lung function test a week before surgery. What alarms me is GP's complaining on a forum I joined about the governments latest campaign to raise awareness of symptoms. One GP had written a post condemning it saying he was fed up of everyone going to see him as a result of the campaign with a 'cough' he words were "yes it may be lung cancer, but it probably isn't" With attitudes like that what chance do we stand?

xx

[sandra123 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Lynba. x

[Georgie1]

I can't believe it! Surely that is what this doctors job is to see patients and make sure he covers all possibilities. Otherwise as you say Lynba what chance do we have!

My lung cancer was found because I was attending another hospital for another problem, I wn't feeling well so was advised to go in to the emergency to get check out. I did and after blood tests and x rays was told that thre was something on the x ray and I would be being admitted. Then I was told I had cancer and it was in operable. I never had any of he symptoms. So I agree we need to do routine checks. Good luck to us all x