Is it Lung Cancer?

[fmsmkr]

I'm 41.  I let stress get to me at 35 and smoked for 3 years to the day.  I stopped 2.5 years ago.  Because of all my efforts to quit I probably only smoked 32 of those 36 months and on average over the whole time I smoked about 25 a day, somtimes as low as 15 sometimes 40.  However, I was raised by smokers, so I was exposed to second-hand smoke for 18 years, and I inhaled deeply and often ripped the filters off of lights and ultra-lights.

A couple of months ago I began to notice a slight tightness in the right side of my chest.  When doing breathing exercises it feels like the right side is tighter and not filling as fully as it used to.  I didn't think much of it.  Then about 10-12 days ago I began to notice that when I wake up in the morning and begin to breathe deeply there's a feeling of a 'catch' and it feels like a rattle, though I hear nothing and do not cough.  It last for 4-5 breathes and then is gone.  It may come back some during the day if I've been inactive a while, but then it's usually one breath and then gone.

Then last week I began to get a burning in my back and a mild pain in my lower right chest, exactly in front of the spot that burns in back.  It doesn't get worse with breathing, but it's pretty constant.  I don't cough, though sometimes I feel like it, but it feels like it's in my throat, usually.  I do think I'm breathing a little shallowly.

Was at the Dr. yesterday.  Breathing sounds fine, good BP, good EKG, some blood work and chest x-ray, no results yet.

I'm just in a waiting panic and wondering about my odds

[THERESA66]

HI, MY MOM HAD A CHEST X-RAY DONE LAST WEEK, AND WE JUST GOT THE RESULTS AND APPERENTLY THEY FOUND A NODULAR DENSITY 4 4MM. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NODULE AND A NODULAR DENSITY???? MY MOM HAS A HISTORY OF CHRONIC BROCHITIS. SO PLEASE IF ANYONE KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NODULE AND A NODULAR DENSITY PLEASE POST A COMMENT, WE'RE SETTING UP AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE A CT SCAN. I'M JUST HOPING AND PRAYING THAT IT'S JUST A SCAR FROM SO MANY BOUTS OF BRONCHITIS, THANK-YOU

[National Jewish]

No!  There is not a chance that this would be lung cancer as a result of your smoking; too little, too recently.  The pain you experience is probably muscular.  A clear, "normal", chest x-ray would rule-out all but very rare causes of your discomfort.  If all your tests are normal, relax and give it time to go away.