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Cancer

mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
edited November 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
I'm 18, in the healthy weight range and male. I have never smoked before. Please no "go to a doctor" posts, I'll be going tomorrow.

Lately I have been getting chest pains. It seems like it's in my lungs, at the top of either side when I breathe in. I also have a slight cough. About a year ago I had a really sharp stabbing pain instantly, but after that, it never came back. I'm not sure if it might be related but I thought I'd mention it.

Initially I thought it was anxiety, as I have convinced myself I have lung cancer even though I don't smoke and have no genetic history of it. But it hasn't gone away. I thought it might have been stressed because of exams, but a few weeks after it is still occurring. I work only one day a week as a casual employee. I usually lift a lot of stuff, but I doubt that's related.

Another problem is when I wake up in the morning I feel extremely nauseous and depressed. Argh, I don't know what's wrong with me.

I'm off to the doctors tomorrow, but I'm really worried about what it could be.

mooshoepork on

Posts

  • CryogenCryogen Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    I think you're pretty well on the money with your guesses as to what it could be, actually.

    It could easily be stress/anxiety. This could also tie in to your feelings of nausia and depression.

    It is also possible that the lifting you do could cause the pain as well, but i agree it seems less likely.

    But you probably just have some kind of basic viral infection, which would explain the slight cough, pain when breathing in, and nausia. And generally you tend to feel less happy when sick :)

    I'd seriously doubt theres anything massively wrong.

    Cryogen on
  • FantasmaFantasma Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Hi,

    In the absence of fever, this could be a case of Bronchitis. It is good idea that you are planning to see a doctor to rule out something more serious.

    There are a myriad of illnesses that could potentially cause the symptoms you describe.

    Fantasma on
    Hear my warnings, unbelievers. We have raised altars in this land so that we may sacrifice you to our gods. There is no hope in opposing the inevitable. Put down your arms, unbelievers, and bow before the forces of Chaos!
  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    zzz

    mooshoepork on
  • FantasmaFantasma Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Many of us have been kicked in the balls, a friend of mine was hit so hard he was put to sleep for more than an hour, he got married and had kids. I am nobody to give you advice, but please, try to stay calm.

    See your doctor and share with him your worries.

    Fantasma on
    Hear my warnings, unbelievers. We have raised altars in this land so that we may sacrifice you to our gods. There is no hope in opposing the inevitable. Put down your arms, unbelievers, and bow before the forces of Chaos!
  • CryogenCryogen Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Totally understandable that you'd worry about that.

    Just make sure that when you do actually go to the docs tomorrow, that you actually tell him your concerns. Yes, its slightly embarrassing, i mean nobody really wants to go in and have some stranger fondle their balls (well...) but its important to your long-term health to be as honest and open as possible with doctors. If he schedules follow up treatment/examination, then go ahead and do it asap. Its clearly causing you mental anguish, so you really want to get on top of it. I had a somewhat similar circumstance with an illness that bugged me for years (over a decade), and caused depression. I put it off for much the same reasons you have - fear that it was something terrible. I dealt with the problem directly and aggressively a couple of years ago and it has been a huge weight off my shoulders. I still get sick occasionally but it doesnt freak me out like it used to.

    I still think you've probably got a chest infection or other basic illness. (or are you saying that you've had these pains and other symptoms for the last 7 years?)

    Cryogen on
  • Grid SystemGrid System Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Lately I have been getting chest pains. It seems like it's in my lungs, at the top of either side when I breathe in. I also have a slight cough. About a year ago I had a really sharp stabbing pain instantly, but after that, it never came back. I'm not sure if it might be related but I thought I'd mention it.
    This could be non-tension pneumothorax.

    Grid System on
  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Haven't had these pains for the last 7 years. Maybe a few months.

    mooshoepork on
  • CryogenCryogen Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    What would she have noticed?

    Cryogen on
  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    zzz

    mooshoepork on
  • CryogenCryogen Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Maybe they dont look as bad as you think? We always notice our own flaws far more than those in other people. Also, if she hasnt examined many balls in her time, she may not really know any different.

    Either way, just wait till you get a professional opinion. Dont google it - you'll just end up with a bunch of symptoms for random illnesses and you'll worry you have some/all of them. Try not to dwell on what you didnt do, it cant be changed. Take the right actions this time, and deal with it from there.

    Cryogen on
  • WonderMinkWonderMink Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    This is me yelling.

    YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER!

    Other than some random pains in a couple places, why would you think you have cancer?

    Now, you probably have somthing, so going to the doctor is prudent. But it mre likely than not isn't cancer.

    edit: more advice: see a therapist for anxiety because normal people don't automatically think cancer when somthing hurts.

    WonderMink on
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  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    JebusUD wrote: »
    This is me yelling.

    YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER!

    Other than some random pains in a couple places, why would you think you have cancer?

    Now, you probably have somthing, so going to the doctor is prudent. But it mre likely than not isn't cancer.

    edit: more advice: see a therapist for anxiety because normal people don't automatically think cancer when somthing hurts.

    Read a few posts up. That's why I'm connecting this to cancer.

    mooshoepork on
  • noir_bloodnoir_blood Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    JebusUD wrote: »
    This is me yelling.

    YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER!

    Other than some random pains in a couple places, why would you think you have cancer?

    Now, you probably have somthing, so going to the doctor is prudent. But it mre likely than not isn't cancer.

    edit: more advice: see a therapist for anxiety because normal people don't automatically think cancer when somthing hurts.

    This.

    noir_blood on
  • GdiguyGdiguy San Diego, CARegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    That my testicles don't look normal? I don't know, something. Fuck I'm an idiot. I can't believe I left it this long. I was too scared to even google it, in case it looked similar and I'd worry more.

    Ok, even if that actually had done long-term damage, and you should've had surgery by now, you would be having sharp massive pains.. in your testicles. Cancer is caused by inappropriate cellular growth, not by untreated physical trauma. They weren't looking for cancer on an ultrasound after getting kicked in the balls, they were probably making sure that nothing was swollen to the point of threatening to cut off blood flow, or you had massive internal bleeding or something.

    I'd get the chest stuff checked out regardless (especially if you have any sort of decent medical insurance, chest pain isn't something I'd screw around with), and if you had a giant lump on your balls then I'd be concerned, but the odds of these being connected are somewhere around zero.

    Gdiguy on
  • ApathyKillsApathyKills __BANNED USERS regular
    edited November 2008
    I think I must be missing something here so just to clarify; you think you have cancer because you got kicked in the balls in 6th grade? I'm honestly just not seeing where you're getting cancer from. from what i've gathered all signs point to anxiety. you probably had it right in the first place, but you're second guessing yourself because of this supposed anxiety.

    ApathyKills on
    deleted courtesy orikae
  • FatsFats Corvallis, ORRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Testicular cancer is in no way connected to trauma. No way. At all. (edit: beaten)

    You need to take a deep breath and chill out. You're only going to make yourself feel worse. You'll go the doctor tomorrow, get a clean bill of (physical) health, and feel much better.

    Fats on
  • ChenChen Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    JebusUD wrote: »
    see a therapist for anxiety because normal people don't automatically think cancer when somthing hurts.
    Unless he has blood relatives who had a tumor before.

    Chen on
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  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited November 2008
    Not Cancer, given all of the things you've said. Physical Trauma to the balls won't progress to cancer years later, either. But bring up your concerns with your doctor when you go. I'm sure he'll say the same thing, but will also be able to give you a physical exam to address your concerns. Testicular cancer is RARE (you are more likely to get into a car accident), and dying from it is even MORE rare (the treatment is almost a 90% cure). At your age, it is the right time to be concerned about it, especially if you have a family history. The trauma you received in your life prior, though, has nothing to do with it.

    As for the rest, it just sounds like a bit of anxiety. Your lungs sound more like a mild upper respiratory infection. The pain you are feeling now is not linked to a sharp pain that you felt one year ago, unless it is identical pain in the same place that you've been having on a recurring basis in short intervals (i.e. Every Day).

    Waking up every day nauseated and depressed is a little concerning. Perhaps you have been ruminating on your health anxiety during your sleep.

    Hahnsoo1 on
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  • SiskaSiska Shorty Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    kicked in the groin

    I fairly sure he didn't mean it was gonna grow into a cancer. Might be an obstruction that could make it hard for you to have children. So you might need to have surgery to remove it. I'm not a doctor but I wouldn't expect there to be a limited time window for you to fix this. Sooner is probably better than later though. In case it's not something you can take care of in one go.

    Again not a doctor, but the pain you are feeling might be due to puberty making your genitals bigger. So if there is an internal scar it might be getting pulled/pushed on. You should go see a doctor. Just take a deep breath, make an appointment and get it over with. Make sure you tell them that you have started feeling pain.

    I knew I guy who was also kicked and injured like that as a child. I had lend him a sympathetic ear when he was going through alot of angst about getting his first girlfriend and having sex for the first time (turned out ok, btw). So I have seen something similar to what you are going through.

    Siska on
  • RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    In almost all cases, if something hurts, IT'S NOT CANCER. Tumors usually do not contain nerve endings. The only way a tumor is going to hurt is if it's so big that it's pressing up against something else.

    RUNN1NGMAN on
  • Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User, Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited November 2008
    Siska wrote: »
    Again not a doctor, but the pain you are feeling might be due to puberty making your genitals bigger. So if there is an internal scar it might be getting pulled/pushed on. You should go see a doctor. Just take a deep breath, make an appointment and get it over with. Make sure you tell them that you have started feeling pain.
    He's way past puberty, if he's as old as he says he is (and there's no reason not to believe him).

    Hahnsoo1 on
    8i1dt37buh2m.png
  • CycloneRangerCycloneRanger Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Regarding your testicles: It sounds like you have a varicocele (Google it) or a hydrocele. Neither of these conditions is threatening by itself, but you should see a doctor to rule out any underlying problems (and also because it could be something else entirely).

    CycloneRanger on
  • Sir Headless VIISir Headless VII Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    You should goto the doctor, I am pretty sure you don't actually have cancer but it will be good to either put your fears to rest or if there is a problem finally find out what it is. I say this because for the longest time (probably about 4 years) I had pains in my lower abdomen of varying intensity. For years worried about it (yes, there were time i thought it might be cancer) but shrugged it off. Finally a couple months ago I went to the doctors, turns out I have Crohns disease. Now it is being treated and my life is MUCH better. Even those first few weeks where it wasn't really being effectively treated my life was better because I knew what it was. So my advice is go to a a doctor and set your mind at ease.

    P.S. Even if it is incurable (like Crohns) it's better to know.

    Sir Headless VII on
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  • CorvusCorvus . VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Thinking this is cancer is extremely premature. If could be all sorts of other things. There are all kinds of things that can happen to your lungs that don't involve cancer. Hell, it could just be a mild chest infection.

    Cancer is scary, I get that. My dad died of it, so I know exactly how scary it can be. But you simply cannot let fear of something you may or may not have drive you crazy like this. A quick google of reputable cancer organizations indicates that trauma is not a cause of testicular cancer. Chest pains could be anything, presuming its cancer is not rational.

    Going to the doctor for your problems is the right thing to do. Whatever condition, if any, you may have, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment is preferable to the ostrich method.

    As others have said, you should consider talking to a therapist or counsellor about these fears you have. They are not normal or healthy.

    Corvus on
    :so_raven:
  • Dark MoonDark Moon Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Regarding your testicles: It sounds like you have a varicocele (Google it) or a hydrocele. Neither of these conditions is threatening by itself, but you should see a doctor to rule out any underlying problems (and also because it could be something else entirely).

    He didn't say he was experiencing pain. He already went to a doctor who took an ultrasound and did not think the damage was significant enough to merit surgery. He does not need to see another doctor for this issue unless he has additional reason to do so beyond "I was kicked in the balls in grade 6 and the doctor never operated." It'd take a hell of blocked tubes in your epididymis to have any major effect on ejaculate sperm levels - you've got a lot of redundancy down there (most likely because they're such exposed structures).

    As for the rest of this, see a doctor for the chest pain but it is extremely unlikely that you have cancer. You might be placebo-effecting yourself into feeling terrible, though, if you're so stressed about your pains.

    Dark Moon on
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  • CycloneRangerCycloneRanger Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Dark Moon wrote: »
    Regarding your testicles: It sounds like you have a varicocele (Google it) or a hydrocele. Neither of these conditions is threatening by itself, but you should see a doctor to rule out any underlying problems (and also because it could be something else entirely).

    He didn't say he was experiencing pain. He already went to a doctor who took an ultrasound and did not think the damage was significant enough to merit surgery.
    Unless I misunderstood the story, that doctor surveyed the damage from the kick years ago, and now the OP has some sort of mass in his scrotum and does not know if it's from the kick or from something else.

    I could be wrong; the description given is pretty disjointed. I would not normally expect a kick to leave any lasting swelling anyway, but I'm no expert on that.

    CycloneRanger on
  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Thank you. I really appreciate it.

    mooshoepork on
  • ToldoToldo But actually, WeegianRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    I have a friend in college who is ~20 years old, and she's been fighting lung cancer for a year now. Not saying this is what you've got, but it does happen.

    Toldo on
  • noir_bloodnoir_blood Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Holy shit, I've never been so relieved in all my life. Testicular cancer is not related to trauma? You can't possibly understand how much better that makes me feel.

    It does seem to look like Varicocele. I'll be going to a doctor to make sure though. I hope after all this good news I don't get the "you have cancer" thing tomorrow.

    7 years of worrying. Thank you. I really REALLY appreciate it.

    I'm honestly speechless you actually believed trauma could create cancer.

    Google is your friend.

    noir_blood on
  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Everyone just told me that. I'm not sure where I got it from...I always heard of people getting hit there and getting cancer. I even thought I saw it on RPA (medical show). I'm honestly speechless you CAN'T.

    mooshoepork on
  • CorvusCorvus . VancouverRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    noir_blood wrote: »
    Holy shit, I've never been so relieved in all my life. Testicular cancer is not related to trauma? You can't possibly understand how much better that makes me feel.

    It does seem to look like Varicocele. I'll be going to a doctor to make sure though. I hope after all this good news I don't get the "you have cancer" thing tomorrow.

    7 years of worrying. Thank you. I really REALLY appreciate it.

    I'm honestly speechless you actually believed trauma could create cancer.

    Google is your friend.

    Everyone just told me that. I'm not sure where I got it from...I always heard of people getting hit there and getting cancer. I even thought I saw it on RPA (medical show). I'm honestly speechless you CAN'T.

    I was too scared to google. I didn't want to find something I didn't want to see. Dumb thing to do, but maybe someone understands. I was just so paralyzed by the fear of what "could".

    This is really not a good approach to your health. If you really had cancer, early detection and treatment can quite literally save your life.

    Corvus on
    :so_raven:
  • takyristakyris Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Maybe if you were kicked in the nuts by a radioactive soccer player or something, you'd get either cancer or superpowers related to soccer players. Like, proportional strength and such.

    On the lung side of things, which seems to be the original point of the original post, another thought: have you made any changes to your environment lately? Discounting the one-time stabbing pain, which could have been something completely different, you could be getting either asthma or allergies, or allergy-based asthma.

    I had undiagnosed asthma for years. Thought it was just allergies, had trouble breathing at night but dealt with it by coughing a whole bunch, and that kind of thing. Not inhaling deeply enough kills your energy, which can result in depression and fatigue.

    Going to the doctor is the right idea, as others have said. Don't jump right to cancer, though. There are lots of things more likely that can screw you up. Fortunately, most of them have treatments.

    takyris on
  • mooshoeporkmooshoepork Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    I WAS asthmatic. Which might relate to the pain. I went off my medication a while ago. I stopped myself for a bit to see if it was okay, and I was fine. I went and asked my doctor though and he said if I was okay without it, I may have grown out of it.

    mooshoepork on
  • ProtoProto Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    What can trauma do? It doesn't hurt or anything really, so I'm assuming it isn't torsion or something. Hopefully it's okay. I couldn't get into a doctor's today, and I'd rather see my actual doctor than someone else. Should be able to get in really soon though which is good.

    Trauma could do any number of things, but it's usually immediate damage. After this long of a time you are probably fine. Just so we are clear here, it swelled up when you got kicked and never returned to normal?

    If it was torsion, you'd know because you'd already be at the ER demanding painkillers by the handful.

    Proto on
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  • NatanekoNataneko Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    You should probably go to a doctor of course because of the chest pain but really I think what's really hurting you right now is your anxiety. Stressing the way you do over thing is not a normal reaction. Feeling depressed in the morning and various pain are also symptoms of anxiety trouble. Anyway, I understand the fear of doctors and all that, I'm the same, but go! take someone with you if you have to. and talk about the stress and the depression too.

    Nataneko on
  • shutzshutz Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    The worst thing you can do when you're worried or scared you have cancer is to think "I'm fucked" (which is something you said somewhere in the beginning of this thread.)

    Cancer doesn't mean death anymore. I'm not saying it's a picnic, and lots of people still die of cancer, but the minute you're the least bit worried about cancer, go see a doctor, get examined, and make sure. Many cancers, if caught early, are treatable to the point where you might then lead a perfectly normal life afterwards.

    Actually, same thing goes for your swollen testicle. It was stupid of you to not get it taken care of as soon as it was clear that the swelling was not going to go down. Swelling is a sign that something's wrong. Get it looked at, and get the necessary operation, if need be.

    From all your posts, the main thing you seem to suffer from is acute hypochondria (as in, believing you have the worst diseases based on extremely minor symptoms) and your anxiety seems so intense that you're practically paranoid. (This is just from reading your posts.)

    After you see the doctor (and, hopefully, are completely honest about everything) you should try and make an appointment with a psychiatrist, as your current psychological problems could turn into physical problems if you don't take care of them. If you're lucky, the doctor will be good enough that he or she will actually recommend (or even prescribe) that you go see a therapist.

    All that said, I'm no doctor, nor am I qualified in the field of psychology. But anyone can see from your posts that there's something wrong with you psychologically. All your physical symptoms (except for the swollen testicle) might actually stem entirely from those psychological imbalances.

    Get the help you need, and stop being afraid of learning the worst: it's always better to know whether you're sick or not than to live in uncertainty and anxiety.

    shutz on
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