Chest pains and dark phlegm

Trimix · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Posts: 2

Please could I have some advice as I am getting a bit worried about some chest symptoms that I am experiencing.

Firstly I do smoke cannabis (without tobacco) on a regular basis and have done for many years now. I have been getting pain in my chest on the right hand side under my collarbone for a couple of months now. The pain comes and goes, and I?m not sure if it is my lung or ribs that are aching, or if I have injured a muscle in my pectoral. My concern being that I feel fine in the morning but have been producing brown specks and the odd lump in my phlegm, this will stop after being up and about for an hour or so. I don?t have a cough and otherwise my lungs feels clear. I run regularly between 3-8 miles 2-3 times a week with no pain or noticeable problems with my breathing, in fact I keep besting my times. I have in the past stopped smoking for several months at a time and have produced this phlegm for a few weeks then it goes away. I assumed that this was just the oil and muck coming out of my lungs.

The reasons I am unclear about if it is muscular is that if I ?pull? my shoulders back as if I were on a parade ground the discomfort increases in the chest. Also I find that the ache is far less after I have had a hot bath could this be the effect of the steam? I have over the summer been working delivering water which was very heavy work, lifting down 18.5 litre bottles from my truck always taking the load on my right shoulder then carrying them two at a time all over the place! The first time that I started to get these chest pains was strangely when I was on holiday and was not lifting anything heavy. I am no longer moving water about my chest pains seemed to start as my heavy work stopped (give or take a few weeks)

I have seen my local Doctor about this problem, I did omit the fact that I smoke cannabis as I cant have that on my records, and didn?t raise the oil in my phlegm as a result of wanting to keep that private. He listened to my chest and got me to do some resistance tests with my arm and he feels that it is a muscle problem.

The one thing that is worrying me is that the ache does feel worse once I have smoked some cannabis, I?m not sure if that?s my lung?s being aggravated or the psychological effects of the drug.

I used to work as a diver and I am looking to return and so killing two birds with one stone I am awaiting a diving medical. This will look at my lung and heart function as well as chest x-rays. I?m hoping that this will show up anything sinister that may be going on.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Trimix · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Posts: 2

Hello Again,

I'm sad not have had any response to my worries Sad

I have been to see the doctor who heard some rattle in my lower right quadrant (strange as my pains are top right) This came back normal, no action. I continued to bring up dark sputum and returned for another visit, I was then put on a weeks course of Amoxicilin which didn't seem to have any affect on my pain or sputum production. I went back again with the same complaints (sounding like a broken record) and saw a different doctor who sent me for blood tests Immunology (aspergalosis) Haematology and Cytology all came back normal.

At this time I stopped smoking and was also put back on another week of amoxicilin. During this week my sputum producion dropped in quantity and also became alot lighter (from dark brown/grey to a lighter brown) I have now stopped smoking apart from the odd weak moment, after which the next day I have a reaccurence of the chest pain and also darker sputum production. So I have now stopped completely.

I am now awaiting a appointment with a chest consultant but and concerned about some other sympoms I am experiencing.

Almost daily I have a very mild stitch like feeling under my ribs on the right, a low grade sore throat (could be from clearing what muck is still coming up) and now have a swollen gland in my left armpit, dull ache.

Any advice would be very gladly recieved as Im quite worried now.

Mark

rlee · Site Admin Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 245

Mark,
I think you are doing the right thing by being evaluated by physicians. I would be honest with your doctors as well as communicate all your concerns. Be honest with them and if you don't want something on the medical record, just tell them. Most doctors won't write something down if you tell them not too. Your symptoms could be many things from benign to malignant. Consider continuing with the evaluation as you are doing.

Sincerely,
RLee, MD

Any information provided is NOT intended to provide specific medical advice to users but rather to provide users with information to help them better understand their health condition and related care. All readers are strongly encouraged to consult with a qualified physician for answers to their personal medical questions.

gardener · New User Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

I did an internet search and was very curious how you're doing. I have so many of the same symptoms, so I'm curious what you found out. I'm female, 44, and have smoked marijuana off and on for years (no tobacco). The last 3 years I started heavy smoking every day. Recently I started having chest pains, on the right side under my ribs. After several months of this I got scared and quit. I've been quit for a month now, the chest pain is now very low level. But I have dark gray and light gray phlegm in the morning. It does not look like typical cold stuff of green and/or yellow.

I haven't been to the doctor yet, but I probably will because I'm scared. I thought the pain would disappear when I stopped, but it's still there, just low level. I've been reluctant to tell her I smoked marijuana, but will because I want to get to the bottom of this. Hearing Dana Reeve died and she was a non-smoker my age is what really got me to quit.

In searching the internet I found that when tobacco smokers quit, they often start getting lots of dark phlegm, because their lungs are now cleaning themselves again. I'm hoping that's all this is. Otherwise I'm very healthy and run 4 times a week.

Please let me know what you found out, if it was anything else. Thanks

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