Dear all,

I know that this is a question which has been asked in this group
before but individuals' circumstances and symptoms vary. I also know
that the best advice is to see a medical professional.

I do want to see a professional but am in two minds: on the one hand,
if I do have cancer, I want to know in the hope of catching it early
enough for treatment to be effective. Conversely, I simply don't want
to know: I don't want my family to have to go through the grieving and
worry.

I have a wife and we have a 15-month-old son, who will never know his
daddy if I were to die in the next couple of years. I've read so much
about cancer and am convinced that I have it and that I don't,
depending on what I read.

I'm 35 and I know that lung cancer is rare in men of my age. I also
know though that it can affect men of my age: Andy Kaufman died of lung
cancer at 35.

I've had what can best be described as chest discomfort (not what I
would describe as pain) for a couple of years. The discomfort is a dull
ache in my chest, mainly behind the bottom of my rib cage. It's not
always there and is most obvious after I've smoked heavily.

I've smoked for the past 20 years and nowadays average 10-15
cigarrettes a day. Sometimes I'll smoke a few cigarettes in short
succession if I'm stressed or bored and this is when the discomfort is
most noticeable.

I have a cough which is best described as a "smoker's cough": a fleghmy
chest in the morning and maybe half a dozen or so "good" coughs
throughout the day. I frequently have to clear my throat. I had a nasty
cold about three months ago and immediately following that, I developed
a really bad cough: once, I coughed so much that I found it hard to
draw breath. Although I sometimes cough and wheeze a little when
breathing back in, this is now much better.

About a month ago, I woke up one morning with a stabbing pain in my
chest when I breathed in. I went to an NHS (UK National Health Service)
walk-in centre and they diagnosed a pulled muscle. Sure enough, after a
couple of days it had cleared up. I saw a doctor there and expressed my
concerns about lung cancer. He listened to my chest with a stethoscope
and said that he could hear nothing abnormal, although a stethascope is
relatively primitive.

Reading the common symptoms of lung cancer, I can respond as follows:

Shortness of breath: no; except sometimes when coughing (this is rare:
see above).
Weight loss: no. I've known lung cancer sufferers who have died and I
don't remember them losing weight.
Blood in sputum: no; although sometimes my sputum will contain brownish
flecks and be greeny yellow in colour. As with the cough, I have put
this down to smoking.
Loss of appetite: no.
Change in voice: I've had a sore throat a few times in the last couple
of months and my voice sounds a bit "dryer" than normal but I could be
imagining this.
Chest pain: as described above.
Constant tiredness: no more than you would expect in someone who's up
at 5.30am most mornings because of a 15-month-old boy.

I know that lung cancer can be present without symptoms and that there
are many conditions which would fit mine. I know therefore that no-one
will be able to give a definitive answer and I will see a professional.
But should I prepare for the worst?

I can't help thinking that maybe I'm worrying unnecessarily and that my
symptoms are simply those of a smoker with tar and poisons in their
lungs. I would be interested to hear opinions though.