is this throat cancer?

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

I was coughing 3 days ago and coughed up blood,not lots but a little.I freaked out and went to my doctor and he did a instant blood test and that was normal. He said at the worst it cld be cancer or TB that really scared me.I am a smoker,20 year old male.My chest xray was done in September and it was all good.

I had sore throat on last wednesday that got better by yesterday,no sore throat pain now.But on the other hand,my cough has been there for a long time which i think is due to my smoking habits.Sore throat for me is the sort where it comes and goes with medication,i got sore throat for nearly 2 months in july-september,then i had sore throat like once a month kinda thing but always went away with medication.

I was going through the symptoms of throat cancer and i found the following symptoms:

* Abnormal (high-pitched) breathing sounds
* Cough
* Coughing up blood
* Difficulty swallowing
* Hoarseness that does not resolve in 1 to 2 weeks
* Neck pain
* Sore throat that does not resolve in 1 to 2 weeks, even with antibiotics
* Swelling in the neck
* Unintentional weight loss

I do have cough,neck pain ive had for 2 weeks now but it has improved quite alot but still is present,sore throat got better in 2 days like i mentioned but it may come back after a few weeks and nothing else,in fact i've gained weight,doctor said neck pain was due muscle spasms after he physically examined my neck by pressing it,no lymph nodes,no difficulty in swallowing and no hoarseness.

Just wanna ask you guys

-how much coughing up blood is dangerous ( as in how much blood do throat cancer patients cough up ).

-if sore throat is cured but comes back after a 2-4 weeks,is it still considered a chronic sore throat?

-the coughing part,for throat cancer patients do they cough 24/7 ?

-how long does it take for throat cancer to develop? that means how long does it take between the day it has formed and symptoms to appear?

PLEASE advice me guys,i worry alot and suffer from hypchondria as well,i am really worried sick.Becuase today i coughed out abit of blood ( i have always coughed out the 'blood' in spots/dots, nth more ). When i cough there are small black threads that my doc said is nicotine but sometimes those threads are red/pink and he said red/pink may be caused by blood from coughing too hard which i hardly do,i just cough to push the phlegm out.

Im sorry for the long post but please advice me as soon as possible because im going crazy,doc thinks its nth wrong but everything there is a spot of blood i freak out.

Thanks.I really appreciate your help.thank you again.

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1079 Location: UK

Hi - Hypochondria as as bad as any cancer. It leads to stress and depression. and you are probably confirming your own fears. You are young - stop smoking now and at once.

Coughing can rupture blood vessels. It can also lead to sore throat and all sorts of muscular strains.

Your blood test and x-ray were normal, there are no signs of lymph node swellings, you are not having problems with swallowing, your voice is not abnormally hoarse. So you are frightening yourself into a state.

At the end of the day, if you are still unhappy with the diagnosis, ask for another opinion.

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

hi,thanks for your advice and sorry for the long reply.

I have a feeling that when i cough out the pink threads,its caused by smoking. I am trying to quit smoking ( cutting down slowly ) and i only smoked 2 sticks on wednesday and the pink thread came after smoking each stick ( smoked over a period of 4 hours ). I didnt smoke on thursday at all and there was no pink thread or blood. I smoked at Friday 1230am ( my first stick ) and at 430 am ( 5th stick ). I woke up at 12pm and at 115pm,there was blood in my mucus.Not much though,probably as much as the head of a needle.

That got me damn worried,it was kind of bright red and wasnt dry blood. Lets say you have cough and you smoke,can it cause you to cough up? if a blood vessel is ruptured by coughing,how long does it take to heal bacK? Finally, patients with throat cancer,is their cough there all the time or only little while is present?

thanks again.

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

just thought wld add this in,just got back my blood test results,for FBC and ESR. My ESR is 2 and my doc said that my FBC is 'excellent'. That can get rid of my fears?

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1079 Location: UK

Yes, but STOP SMOKING. I cannot emphasise enough that it is stupid to continue if it is going to lead you to worry whether or not you have developed a major illness.

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

i had been well for the past 1 week,but right now there was spots of blood again,3-4 times in a row,just spots and no streaks of flowing of blood.

Like i mentioned above, my Full Blood Count was good and my ESR was 2.

So my questions are:

1.If your full blood count test was said to be 'excellent' by your doctor, does it mean you are 100% free of any cancers?

2.Does the same apply for ESR?

Thank you very much,i am planning to stop smoking at the end of the month with a good friend of mine as we want to do it together.Really sorry if this sounds irritating but im a hypochondriac.

Thank very much.

brainman · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:40 am Post subject: Re: is this throat cancer?

anfieldheroez, I am sorry about your current health issues.

Just because your blood counts are good does not mean that you do not have cancer. Often, chemotherapy does affect the blood counts but except for a few cancers that specifically target blood cells other cancers rarely impact the counts in and of themselves.

I believe the same is true for the Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) but I could be mistaken. The sed rate is also a function of the blood.

Having said that, it does not sound like you have any other signs of cancer. Keep working with your own medical team to identify the cause of your health problems.
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anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

Another thing is i have these thread like particles in my phlegm.3 weeks back,i saw that my phlegm had pink/red thread like particles in it. So it was later that i had done the blood tests listed above.

The particles stopped few days later.

Now its back again.It is really scary.How do i know if it is blood or is it simply from my blanket that is made up of similar looking red/pink threads? Its really scary.

Final thing,people with throat cancer-is their cough chronic and even get up to cough at night?

And i had an biopsy done to check for oral cancer in august and it was all good,the biopsy was taken from my left inner cheek,can that also help to rule out throat cancer?

Thank you so much.

brainman · Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:17 pm Post subject: Re: is this throat cancer?

If I were you, I work go to my doctor and get one of those sterile sample cups to collect a sample of the sputum/phlegm for the doctor to check to see if it is blood and to see what those thread are.

The only thing that your biopsy can rule out is oral cancer in that particular sample. It does not rule out anything else... not even oral cancer in other places in your mouth.

I do not mean to aggravate your anxiety... just do not know what is causing your symptoms. Better safe than sorry.
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Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
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lynnedbird · Regular Joined: 24 Aug 2006 Posts: 14

[quote="anfieldheroez"]Another thing is i have these thread like particles in my phlegm.3 weeks back,i saw that my phlegm had pink/red thread like particles in it. So it was later that i had done the blood tests listed above.

Sometimes people with Allergies or nasal problems have blood in their muscus and can wake up coughing in the middle of the night!! Have you thought about that maybe?

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

[quote]Sometimes people with Allergies or nasal problems have blood in their muscus and can wake up coughing in the middle of the night!! Have you thought about that maybe?[/quote]

sorry,did not understand your point.

I am living in fear,my neck muscles feel pulled again,my mom suspects its due to worrying too much,my left side of the jaw has pain when i yawn or open my mouth wide and it just leads me to think i definitely have throat cancer.But my doc has reffered me to an ENT on Monday but even he said he is doing that only for me to gain assurance.

What are other symptoms,earliest symptoms throat cancer patients face? there are no swellings on my neck and stuff,what cough to throat patients face? dry cough? please explain more whatever you can,would really help me.Thanks

lynnedbird · Regular Joined: 24 Aug 2006 Posts: 14

It sounds like all your tests are coming back fine. Sometimes when you have allergies or sinus problems you will have blood in mucus and sore neck and face!! Teeth problems sometimes will cause these too!! Have you talked to your dr about any of these as maybe wrong instead of cancer. My husband had a sore throat that last months, not going awy at all. We never expected cancer, I do daycare so we have been exposed to many many sore throats. We found out through tonsil surgery!! Sinuses and allergies can do many things to you. Coughing, blood in mucus, swelling of face, sore neck throat!! I have allergy induced asthma and my allergies do all kinds of bad stuff!!!

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

what are the symptoms of throat cancer that involve pain/swelling in jaw? Can someone explain in more detail pls? I am really in living hell at the moment,unable to sleep and stuff. Oh yeah and i just quit smoking,5 days ago only though but well,its a start,so been 5 days since i last smoked.

And the earliest symptoms as well? Some are saying white blood cell count may have abnormal readings in the complete blood count but some are saying if there is a small tumor,then the reading is still normal.Anybody can advice please?

Thank you.

anfieldheroez · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2008 Posts: 9

I thought i might share this with you guys.Ok,so i went for laryngoscopy,the direct optic one as i was too afraid.It was all good and the doctor was smiling as well when he told me 'you're perfectly fine boy'.

But there are some bad things as well.I quit smoking on Monday but after the results,i surprisignyl felt more nervous and bought a pack and now i am afraid i would start that habit again.Secondly,my left jaw is hurting like hell when there i move it around ( TMJ ? ).Also,i told the doc that there was some small red thread kinda particles in my phlegm and when i asked him what they could have been he said 'shouldn't be anything'. Life of suffering from hypochondrias

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1079 Location: UK

It is indeed.

Throw away those cigarettes NOW!

Find an outdoor activity and take it up vigorously.

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