Symptoms: Cough and hoarseness. Worried it could be cancer

Posted by worriedman @worriedman, Jul 22, 2023

Hi,

My english isn't perfect.

Im 45 y old and i am a smoker for +18 a 20y.

1 week ago i started to have a hoarseness voice and 3 days after that start i feel soms chest pain.
I feel the the chest pain for 80% of the time and it doesn't get worse when i laugh or cough. (Pain level of the chest pain : 3/10) (i have read on several sites the chest pain of lung cancer must be worse when you laugh, cough,.. ) and when i laugh or cough.. my chest pain stays the same.. not worser

5 months ago i got diarrhea for almost 4 months (now its normal). The doctors take a sample of my stool and the test of the stool is ok. (No parasitetes, no blood,...)

Last month i got also a chest pain (the same chest pain) for 10 days and after 10 days it was gone.

Now i got a hoarseness voice and the chest pain. I want friday to the doctors and she said about the hoarness, my throat is a little bit red (i got little throat pain) and she said it is viral...

Is said im afraid of lung cancer.. but she said its viral.. no lung cancer.. she listened to my lungs.. it was ok.

Whats you opinion, pls? Do you think about lung cance

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

worriedman | @worriedman | Jul 22, 2023

Sometimes i don t feel the chest pain

worriedman | @worriedman | Jul 22, 2023

I did also friday a blood test and all the results are fine

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jul 22, 2023

Hi @worriedman, when we get unexpected symptoms, it's so easy to let worry get a hold of us and immediately think it's cancer. It sounds like you've done all the right things in seeking medical care for testing and to rule out cancer.

For most viral infections, treatments can help with symptoms while you wait for your immune system to fight off the virus. There are antiviral medicines to treat some viral infections.

What did you doctor suggest as next steps?

worriedman | @worriedman | Jul 23, 2023

Normally i m never hoarseness..
She said to 3 week.. and if the hoarseness voice is not over, i need to go back to the doctor

The problem is that we always search on the internet and when we look on chest pain and specially hoarseness, i always see lungcancer.

I even find on this forum a person who said that he/she got lungcancer en the only symptom he got was a hoarseness voice..

I hate my hoarseness voice.. 🙁

worriedman | @worriedman | Jul 23, 2023

Hi Colleen Young.

You wrote this :
'It sounds like you've done all the right things in seeking medical care for testing and to rule out cancer.'
The only things i did was a stool test (for my diarrhea
which lasted 4 months, now no diarrhea anymore ) and last week i did a blood test, which was normal. I think you can t see on a blood test that someone get lung cancer?
I felt my chest pain for 3 days and today i dont feel anything ... 1 months ago i also felt chest pain for 10 days.

The doctor said because she thinks that it is viral, i can t take any medicine.

One question; if you got a hoarseness voice from lung cancer , is the throat a little bit red? I got a hoarseness voice + a little red throat. The doctor (not a specialist) said because i got a a little red throat that i got a viral infection.

otter2154 | @otter2154 | Jul 23, 2023

I had similar symptoms a few years ago, and as a former light smoker of 15 years (who had quit 20 years prior), lung cancer came top-of-mind. It also ran in my family. Turns out I had Covid that turned into asthma. 2+ years later I feel great. You should ask for a CT scan.

harrynsc | @harrynsc | Jul 23, 2023

Definitely get a chest xray. They are cheaper than a CT.

sonshine161 | @sonshine161 | Jul 24, 2023

I agree about getting a chest x ray. Why worry about it when you can find out for sure if you have lung cancer. Insist on getting a chest x ray

jwkelly72 | @jwkelly72 | Jul 24, 2023

I have esophagus cancer and it spread to my lungs, I had the hoarse (cancer voice )for weeks. As I battled back it went away. My lungs are better from my diet, spitting out congestion and such. Question do you smoke or vape , do you have eating, drinking, heart issues?

Lisa, Volunteer Mentor | @lls8000 | Jul 24, 2023

Hi @worriedman, I agree with the others. Worry about illnesses can eat away at us and can have a significant impact on our lives. I do like the suggestion of asking your doctor for a basic chest x-ray. The x-ray may show if there are any lung issues that may be related to a virus or the chest pain.
Generally, a hoarse voice caused by lung cancer will not present with redness in the throat. A lung cancer hoarse voice can be caused by the cancer or lymph nodes placing pressure on one of many areas.
It has been a couple of days since your initial post. Are you feeling any better or worse? Are your symptoms continuing?