ok last night i was coughing up blood...i have been smoking since i was 13 and now im 20....i want to go get tested for cancer too make sure im ok and if i do have it or anything wrong with me i can catch it early...but i do not know exactly what to do? i dont have a doctor at the moment and i was wondering how i go abouts getting tested and how exactly the tests are performed and how long it will take...

all ur help will be appreciated

well vivid boy oncology is not my field of expertise but i will tell you what little i know as far as testing is concerned. if you were coughing up blood the first question is how much blood was it? was it a large amount of blood or a small amount? large amount is very concerning but a trace amount in your sputum may have resulted from coughing too hard. you will probably get a chest x-ray done to see if they can identify any lesions that can signify some sort of process (ie cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia) or you may get a ct done of the body but i only really saw that done for people who had cancer spread to their bones. they may draw an alpha-fetoprotein level which is a marker for cancer but i am not familiar with that test and what its' significance is but you may want to try to look this up somewhere. most likely though they will do a chest x-ray as it is the quickest and least expensive. also they may give you a ppd test which is a subcutaneous injection in your arm to rule out tuberculosis. i pray that all goes well for you. and of course you really should stop smoking. you'll hear this everywhere you go but it's true. i used to smoke but i quit. my friend is in your position. he used to smoke since about 14 and at 22 he was diagnosed with gastric cancer. and unfortunately gastric cancer has one of the highest rates of mortality and there's not much you can do about it so in a few years i am going to lose a very good friend. if this doesn't give you the impetus to quit smoking then nothing will.

lost

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"This book is dedicated, with love, to Bobby who found the only pound of pure - Faith in a Loving God." Hubert Selby, Jr. dedication to the latest edition of Requiem for a Dream

im planning on it...i have been gagging on every ciggarette i have smokin today....which is very wierd....but i am concernedbecause of the blood...and yes it was a fair amount...not the usual coughing up a bit of blood but this was quite a bit......not pouring out though lol.......but lately i have been getting very bad chest pains and heart pains....not only that but when i eat i most of the time feel like throwing up now....i just want to make sure im ok....and then ill proceed to quit

It looks like years of smoking may be catching up with you. My best suggestion would to stop smoking asap then wait a bit. If you still have these symptoms get to a doctor and have them run some tests. My guess is if you stop smoking the symptoms will dissapear. Stay optimistic that you'll be ok because if you start to think you have cancer and such it will only make things worse. And even if you were to have something, you'll be catching it early and therefore increasing your chances of getting better. Good luck and get well soon

dont wait to go to doctor.

persistent chest pain might be a sign of heart attack, you might state you're too young to get a heart attack, but just go get checked out, losing blood in any way, especially internally cannot be good, and it dont take nothing but common sense to do that.

so get yourself together and go to the doctore, and tell him/her all your stuff, they're the most qualified to help.

take care of yourself

>JM<

Get your ass to a doctor man.
Internal bleeding of any sort is not good. Even if it does stop.
I'm not saying get all panicky; you can actually mentally work yourself up to actually HAVE a problem.
But you really should go and see what the deal is.
Better to find out now than to be niave and think it'll go away only for it to come back twice as bad and them carrying you into the hospital.
Yes you're young, but noone is invincible.
Hope it's nothing serious; I'm sure you'll be ok.
Take care.

___________________
"...End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take.
The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."

Last edited by Fir3start3r on Jan-31-2002 at 04:03

Well Vivid........smoking may have caught up with you and as for lung cancer, there is little hope of a cure. First of all, ppl should not be smoking, second of all, it could be something very different from smoking and the stuff caused by it. Who knows......i did not spend 8 yrs in medical school, so honestly i have no clue dude. All i can say, is quit tokin and quit smoking immediately and just wait for the doctor's decision. If it is another type of cancer, most types can be cured with intense chemo. So the way i look at things dude, cross that bridge when you come to it, so wait for the doctor's decision and don't worry if it could be this or that. Because most ppl spend their time worrying about things that never happen. You GOTTA quit smoking.........need help let me know.

Regards
TTA

hi Vivid Boy....

....I am NO doctor...but i too am going through a scary medical issue right now in my life and know how u may be feeling right now.....i went on the internet tonight and did some looking up on Lung Cancer...and this is what i got for ya....

i found that many things can cause bleeding from the mouth...

1. recent nosebleed
2. vigorous tooth-brushing
3. irritation of the throat from violent coughing
4. cystic fibrosis
5. pulmonary infection (bacterial or viral infection in the lung or airway) like bronchitis , laryngitis , or pneumonia
6. Lung Cancer....

BUT it also says that coughing up blood from the lungs is sometimes confused with bleeding from the mouth, throat, or gastrointestinal tract. So thats good news sorta.

Most lung cancers (83%) are associated with, and probably caused by, cigarette smoking. The more cigarettes smoked per day and the earlier the age at which smoking started, the greater the risk of lung cancer.Lung cancer begins by cellular changes in the bronchial epithelial cells and can invade adjacent tissues before symptoms are noticed.

There are many types of lung cancer, but most can be categorized into two basic types, small cell and nonsmall cell. In general, the small cell type has usually spread by the time of diagnosis and is treated by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The nonsmall type may not have spread at the time of diagnosis, and surgical resection of this type may be possible.

Metastatic lung cancer (the spread of cancer) can occur to almost any area of the body with common sites being the brain, bone, bone marrow, and liver. Treatment is based on determining the cellular type of the cancer, and by staging, which determines the size of the primary tumor and the extent of spreading to lymph nodes or sites of metastasis. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in both men and women. The peak incidence occurs between 55 and 65 years old. The incidence is 1 out of 1,000 people.

The MAIN symstoms are
1. cough
2. bloody sputum (spit)
3. shortness of breath
4. chest pain
5. loss of appetite
6. weight loss

I suggest you go to the doctor as soon as possible...just so you know what is going on....more then likely it is probally just a viral infection...because YES u can have lung cancer...But you are young and havent been smoking that long to REALLY be in that bad of shape.....

Personally i have been smoking for 10 years and i actually had my lungs checked about a year ago and they where NOT good but not in bad shape where i should be concerned....NOW i know everyone is different but lung cancer USUALLY happens when you have been smoking for some years like 20 or so....like i said i am no doctor but i would bet money on that that you DONT have lung cancer being u are young and havent smoked for that long.....but either or to ease your nerves go to the doctor soon....it could be something else....

If you dont have a regular doctor you see...there are LOTS of walk-in clinic that will give you the tests you need...jus call your local hospital and i am sure they will tell you whrere to go....i just hope you have medical insurance for the test because they are probally VERY expensive....

well thats the ebst i can do..hope i helped a little or even at all....but i am here for ya...you can PM or email me anytime if you like.....but do as we all say AND GO TO THE DOCTOR....

___________________
Bring back 1994 NYC clubbing nights, cus the sh*t today is filled with junk parties and DJs that play sh*t House.....Zabiela, Sander, or Howells and all the rest suck and couldnt throw a night like it was in the early 90s in NYC!!!...Screw Twilo - give me Limelight circa 1993!!!

tiesto reading ur post just scared the living shit out of me....before i just wanted to get tested just in case....i didnt really think i had lung cancer i just wanted to get tested in case and figure out what was wrong with me....butafter reading the symptons im fuckin freaked...these are the exact symptons i have been complaining about for well over 4-5 months now....ppl have been telling me i lost soo much weight....and im never hungry anymore i only eat dinner...i have constant chest pains and heart pains...short of breathe i used to get but i cant say i do...but now im really freaked...though it could be about anything...but im gonna go get this checked asap now..thnx for the info and the support man....thnx everyone...im calling first thing tomm to get checked.....

to Vivid Boy.....
..............wow i didnt mean to scare you at all...especially when you seem to be nervous anyway.....honestly i am sorry for that...

You know all of those symptoms can be from SO MANY different things....in fact your stress over the entire situation can cause those symptoms....chest pains, loss of weight and loss of appetite are MAJOR signs of stress and anxiety.....aswell as shortness of breath....your mind can be causing all of that.

like i said i would bet a million dollars that you DO NOT have lung cancer from your age and the amount of time you have been smoking.,..i smoke 2 packs a day for 6 years and before that it was 1 pack a day for 4 years and i am fine and we are about the same age....my lungs are not great but not bad...so i highly doubt u have any problems....seriously...

what type of cigarettes do you smoke anyway....menthol cigarettes can cause bleeding because they have fiberglass in them and that tears the lining of your throat and lungs which can cause bleeding...but its nothing to be REALLY worried about...all my friends who smoke Newports cough up blood daily but are perfectley healthy....

Once again i am truly sorry for making you scared....last thing i
would EVER wanna do is make u more nervous then u already are....

___________________
Bring back 1994 NYC clubbing nights, cus the sh*t today is filled with junk parties and DJs that play sh*t House.....Zabiela, Sander, or Howells and all the rest suck and couldnt throw a night like it was in the early 90s in NYC!!!...Screw Twilo - give me Limelight circa 1993!!!

lol dude dont worry...just the first time i read it i got freaked,..tell you the truth today i have been feeling alot better then any other day in a while....just my friends have always been like eric u need to get checked cause i would be clutching my chest in pain or my heart in pain....i always hear girls i havent seen in years be like OMG what the fuck happened u are soo fuckin skinny now....not that i was fat before i have always been practically the same size just i admit i have turned very skinny...My parents (Fresh of the boat italians) have been yelling that i never eat anymore...and coughing up blood the other day was the icing on the cake...and when i read ur post it scared me....but then again like u said this could be caused from anything....no doubt im gonna go in and get checked from a doctor but as for getting tested for cancer ill see what he says....just lately i know alot of being diagnosed with it...either way i think im gonna stop smoking soon...

damn dood, better go get tested now then have some shit later

my dad started smoking at 16 and been smoking ever since, and couple years back he had something wrong with his lungs because of smoking and spend like 2 weeks at hospital so that wasn't cool

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