Weird Symptoms - Can Anyone Help/Relate?

Ereshkigal · Regular Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 34

This may seem like a silly thing to post in a cancer forum, but I'm really at the end of my rope, and doctors are giving me no answers.

My symptoms: I've posted on here in the past with these symptoms in relation to lung cancer (which luckily it turned out that it wasn't). Anyway, my main symptom was spitting up blood. This seemed to happen every so often after I would get done eating something. So I had an endoscopy done in April of this year which showed my esophagus was fine.

So, I went to a lung doctor and he ran some tests; XRay's and CT Scan of the chest (all came out fine) and I even had a bronchoscopy (in June of this year) done. Which of course turned out to be fine.

I noticed since having the bronchoscopy, I wasn't really spitting up blood anymore, at all. In fact, I just saw the lung doctor again yesterday, and told him everything was fine as far as the blood goes. He ran more xrays' and CT scans and said I was still looking good in the lungs.

The problem was today that I spit up blood again, after months of not doing so. I noticed that the only thing I did yesterday (that I normally don't do) is some singing. That seemed to irritate my throat, and I did kind of have a funny feeling there since doing that. Then today, in the mid afternoon (not even right after eating, like normal) I spit up some blood - just some in my saliva - say, two bright red specks.

So I'm wondering; is an extra sensitive throat a symptom of any kind of cancer? I can't imagine that all people who sing (even if they don't do it veyr often) spit up blood after doing so. Yet, the act of singing (and even talking, to some degree) seems to bother my throat in a way that I can't imagine is normal.

Oh, and also (not that this relates to this - well, hopefully not anyway) I had a "noncancerous tumor" removed from my neck about a week ago. Well, the doctor originally thought it was a cyst, until he got in there and took it out. So they sent it out for testing (it was his opinion after briefly seeing it that it wasn't cancerous, but who knows at that point...) and I'll get the results when I see him (in about another week).

centaura · Regular Joined: 05 Feb 2009 Posts: 15 Location: Midwest

I would bring it up with your doctor again. I know that blood after singing is not normal - I work with performers and their vocal cords are well trained muscles that cause them no issues [as long as they're being taken care of]. Seems you have some irritation at the base of your throat. When they took out the tumor - how deep into your neck did they go?

-Centaura

Ereshkigal · Regular Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 34

Hi, thanks for responding Smile

Since I posted this topic, I've actually not had too much of an issue with spitting up blood anymore (thankfully). However, I have noticed that I do have (as you mentioned) a lot of irritation at the bottom of my throat - I can tell it's sore a lot more than it probably should be? Of course I also have GERD so it's very had for me to tell when it's that versus something else that I should be concerned about...

As far as actually going into my neck; I don't believe it was very far, but of course I can't say for sure because I was not ever offered the opportunity to see my "official" diagnosis or surgery results. It was deep enough to leave a scar; not a very big one, but noticable nonetheless. And in fact I recently saw the doctor who did the surgery again and he seemed rather pleased with the result, so I'm not complaining...

It's just so hard to distinguish between symptoms that I should be concerned about versus not. I mean, they say early detection is key... but heck, if I had everything that I think "might" be troublesome check out, I'd be in the dr.'s office nonstop... but as far as the spitting up blood, yeah, that was definately something I was going to have examined. I mean, best to get this stuff done now, because when this summer rolls around I'm going to be officially off my parents medical plan, so that means no medical insurance until I get a job (which I don't see as happening anytime soon, with the economy the way it is)...

I really don't know how people who actually have cancer (and who do not have medical insurance) do it...

centaura · Regular Joined: 05 Feb 2009 Posts: 15 Location: Midwest

[quote]I really don't know how people who actually have cancer (and who do not have medical insurance) do it...[/quote]

Not to be crude, but they suffer. I know a lady who doesn't have any insurance, and she's got a bad knee. She can't bend it, and walks with a limp - but has no insurance, so just lives with it day to day. I know that when I didn't have insurance, I pretty much didn't go to the doctor unless it was urgent, and then all I ever did was go to urgent care or a community clinic. I never would have had the mass that I know of now found then. Thankfully I have insurance now, but even then - its only paying for 90% of things and I'm going to be hurting trying to come up with the other 10%, not to mention the endless copays.

I'm not sure what GERD is, but if having a constant sore throat is not one of its typical symptions, I would go to your doctor now while you have insurance - just to be checked out. Something is irritating your throat, and that's not how a throat should feel everyday.

-Centaura

Ereshkigal · Regular Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 34

Ah, I've read your posting in the other thread, and I'll respond after this, but I just wanted to acknowledge that here.

In any event, I'm pretty sure I've had about every test done that I can possibly have done. An endoscopy (twice) a bronchoscopy (once), a CT scan of my chest, numerous x-rays...even a colonscopy (for other reasons which had nothing to do with cancer... well, at least I know that now) have all been completed, and every time they tell me everything's wonderful. So, I really don't know what to do, other than just live with the irritation.

Oh, and GERD is basically chronic acid reflux. I never even had any symptoms until after my first doctor did the endoscopy and then put me on prevacid... and I've tried other acid reflux meds as well, with no relief from the throat issues.

I guess it's just frustrating, because if a doctor tells you you're "fine" and yet you continue to worry about symptoms you're having, then you're deemed a "hypochondriac" Rolling Eyes

centaura · Regular Joined: 05 Feb 2009 Posts: 15 Location: Midwest

I hear you about the doctor telling you that you're fine. I'm hypothyroid, and my doctor tells me that I'm fine - even though I can list the hypothyroid symptoms that I still experience, and have been doing a lot of reading lately about how the standard testing for hypothyroidism doesn't always tell the whole story.

If they've tested for irritations and found nothing, then my next recommendation is a tea that's called Throat Coat - sometimes found at grocery stores in the health food section, if not you might need to go to a health food store. Almost every performer I know of uses it when their throat is irritating them. I've drunk some as well, and it really does make a throat feel better.

-Centaura

Ereshkigal · Regular Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 34

[quote="centaura"]I hear you about the doctor telling you that you're fine. I'm hypothyroid, and my doctor tells me that I'm fine - even though I can list the hypothyroid symptoms that I still experience, and have been doing a lot of reading lately about how the standard testing for hypothyroidism doesn't always tell the whole story.

If they've tested for irritations and found nothing, then my next recommendation is a tea that's called Throat Coat - sometimes found at grocery stores in the health food section, if not you might need to go to a health food store. Almost every performer I know of uses it when their throat is irritating them. I've drunk some as well, and it really does make a throat feel better.

-Centaura[/quote]

I know what you mean there. It's weird when a patient keeps up with the literature more than the doctor treating them... On the other hand, though, both my mom and my aunt have thyroid problems (one with overactive, one with underactive) and neither of them have really had any problems related to cancer or anything - and my aunt even smokes. So I don't know much about the condition, but I do know they're on medication (synthroid or something?) for that condition, and it seems to keep them well...

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll be certain to check for it at the grocery store the next time I'm there; and I suppose if all else fails, then at least I can buy it over the internet. Smile

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