I'm not a medical professional but I do have a Stage IV Cancer so I speak from my own experience. If I had done a little more research about symptoms I experienced, I would have figured out sooner that something wasn't right. I would have insisted on X-Rays a lot earlier instead of just accepting what the Medical Practitioners told me.
My lung wouldn't collapsed and needed to be removed. And I wouldn't have this thing all over my body.
Anyway, it is what it is. I'm writing to bring an awareness about a symptoms of a Lung Cancer specifically.
2013 - 2017
For a little bit of a background, I had an Employer paid Annual Medical Check Up done for 5years straight. I had Chest X-Rays, Blood & Urine test, physical test followed with a Doctor Consultation once a year and a follow up check if something doesn't look right. Most of the times my SGOT/ SGPT was a little high from drinking alcohol on my day off. After a week or so, it will drop back down to normal. I was REQUIRED to be healthy. So I am CERTAIN that I was healthy.
I'm very familiar with my vital signs, picture of my chest and most things written on my Health Report having worked in an Emergency Response Facility. I've been an active cigarette smokes since teenager, no recreational drug usage, no alcohol abuse, active lifestyle and NO HISTORY OF CANCER in my family line. I also had never been admitted in the Hospital other than when I had my tonsil removed when I was a teenager.
I'm on a small size of the spectrum as a 5.0ft 103lbs (153kg 47kg) lady. But I used to be able to lift a sack of livestock's feed easily. I can hike and run and dance all night long with no alcohol/ drugs on my system. I know, I enjoyed rave lifestyle minus the drugs.
2018
My last Medical Check Up. This time it was done for Immigration purpose. My now Husband had proposed and Medical Check Up was the last process before the K1 Visa Interview I had to do in order to get a Visa. I did a full round of urine, blood, physical check, couple of vaccinations as well as Chest X-Rays. The Immigration Medical Check Up is notorious for being hard to passed especially the Chest X-Ray part. If they see anything other than a clear set of lung, they will reschedule another Chest X-Ray 6 weeks after your the first one. If they still see anything other than a clear set of lung, you will get checked and or treated for TB if it come back positive. There is NO WAY they will let you enter the United State with any lung disease. Have a little faith please. Getting in legally is not only expensive, it was HARD.
April 2019 - 35years old
Entered the United State. Got married.
October 2019
Persistent cough and a sharp stabbing pain from my chest all the way through my back made me visit Urgent Care for the first time. My pain tolerance has always been pretty high but the chest pain was pretty severe .
This was my first experience with a Health Care Provider in the US. They noted a wheezing crackling sound when they checked my breathing. And that was it.
Me, I noted how low my blood pressure was (90/70). My Blood Pressure has ALWAYS been a normal 120/80-ish. I mentioned how it is not normal for me several time. I was adamant about it. Their response was "It's a normal BP for your size" "you're so petite, it's normal when you're petite."
They gave me a shot and send me home. Bless their heart.
To say I was disappointed was underrated. They were literally ignoring me. And to the live of me, a visit to an Urgent Care on a weekend is by NO mean cheap. I was expecting a better treatment.
Around July 2021 - Feb 2022
Coughed out about 2-3 inches of a weird milky white rubbery textured stuffs. It's a thick long stuff with what appears to be a lot of tentacles. It was dry despite the facts I coughed it out of my throat. I had a video of it.
I coughed out this thing two times. Both times I'd feel like there's something stuck in my chest. And whatever that thing was, it would move up my airways with each passing days until a violent cough brought that stuff out. And then I'd feel a lot better.
I know what ya'll think. I should have brought myself to the Doctor by this time.
March 2022 - 37 years old
Found out I was pregnant.
April 21, 2022 - 37 years old
Been spotting for over a week. And for the second night in a row I had a high fever of 103-104F. My first experience at that Urgent Care made me hesitated but I gave in and went to the ER. Luckily, their standard seems to be a LOT higher.
They immediately checked my vitals, put me in bed, and advise me to have a chest X-Rays.
IMPRESSION:
Complete opacification of the left hemithorax including the airways
with shift of the mediastinum and right upper and middle lobe to the
left.My left lung was completely white and my right lung had already started shifting to the right.
April 25, 2022 - 37 years old
Ambulance took me to a bigger Hospital for a Bronchoscopy with supposedly better facility and (I was foolishly still hoping for) Medical Practitioner.
Jokes on me. Instead of immediately prepared me for a procedure, the Nurse put me on Isolation Room for TB patient because "you are not from here and there's a lot of TB cases where you're from."
Both me and Husband didn't have what it takes to fight. We were both still in shock and worrying.
The Pulmonologist didn't showed up until afternoon the next day and his first sentences was that Nurses and Registration should stop accepting patient and scheduling procedure before consulting the Doctor first because he is busy and don't have time.
YEP!
The same Pulmonologist made me fast 3 days in a row and cancel each procedure he planned on taking. He tried to make another guy (Forgive me for not remembering the title but it suppose to be someone from X-Rays department) to stick a needle through my back to take a sample. It was my 3rd day on that Hospital. I was hungry, tired, stressed and on a verge of a break down. I had already positioned for that procedure. My back was open and ready. They canceled it because "it doesn't seem like there's any liquid in her lung. It looks like a solid mass." Imagine that.
On the 4th day that Pulmonologist FINALLY put me to sleep and did a Bronchoscopy on me. My Husband took me out the same day. None of us want to spend another minute in that Isolation Room in that Hospital.
A week after that nightmare, I received a call from my Hospital saying that the Bronchoscopy was failed. There was nothing they can get from the procedure.
So we schedule another Bronchoscopy on a different hospital.