Symptoms Lung Cancer
Symptoms Lung Cancer
It is not uncommon for people who are diagnosed with lung cancer to have suffered little to no symptoms at all. For those who do have symptoms, these can be a range of mild to very severe depending upon which stage of lung cancer they are in and how long the symptoms have been occurring.
A frequent cough that has not been experienced before and does not go away, can be one of the first symptoms of lung cancer. If the cough seems to get worse within a few days, it is necessary to see your physician. This can be especially common in those who smoke or have been smokers in the past. Coughing up blood can be particularly dangerous and is definitely a cause for alarm.
Another symptom that some who have lung cancer suffers from is chest pain. These may be mild to severe and there may also be pain surrounding the chest area. The person may also suffer from shortness of breath if there happen to be any blockages in the lungs or fluid in the lungs due to cancer tumors. It is also common for lung cancer patients to have wheezing when they breathe or hoarseness when they speak. Recurring illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis may also be warning signs of lung cancer.
Other symptoms that may be experienced by those who have lung cancer include metastasic rashes, vision problems, weakness on one side of the body, and seizures. These mainly depend on what area of the lungs the cancer is in and the type and size of any tumors. Some of the most common symptoms of many lung cancer patients include weight loss, extreme fatigue, and low sodium or potassium levels in the body.
If a person has one or more of these symptoms, it is important to take them seriously. While they do not mean the person definitely has cancer, they can be warning signs of something more serious occurring in the body. Some of these symptoms may be wrongly diagnosed as colds, flu, or other viral infections. However, if there is a history of lung cancer in your family it is important to let your physician be aware of this. This can help a doctor to know which diagnostic tests may need to be done in order to make the correct diagnosis.
The sooner a physician can make the correct diagnosis of lung cancer, the more quickly this disease can be treated. While lung cancer cannot be cured, it can be treated successfully if caught in the earliest stages. Improvements are being made every day in the search for a cure for cancer and treatments are gradually becoming more successful.
By knowing what symptoms to look for, being aware of your family health history, and getting treatment as quickly as possible the possibility of being a cancer survivor and going into remission increase dramatically. So anytime you notice a change in the way you feel or if you start to develop unexpected symptoms that don’t go away with getting extra rest or using over the counter medications, it is time to see your physician to get the care you need as soon as possible.
