Convinced ive got lung cancer.. Please help :( so scared

[Stacey1991]

Ok years ago before I began suffering with anxiety I took up smoking (stupid I know!!) and now I'm an extremely heavy smoker. Don't want to blame my anxiety but I find it helps in a way? I panic more so have a cigarette it seems to calm me down for a few minutes.

I'm only 21 but for about 5 months I've had horrendous pains in my left shoulder blade, radiating to my chest. Rushed to A&E thinking it was a heart attack and they assured me it was just muscle spasm.

I went to my doctor and he prescribed me muscle relaxants and I know get physiotherapy. However the pain has not improved, if anything it's worse.

My chest is very tight and sore and the pressure pains in my shoulder are unbearable. Obviously googled the symptoms and lung cancer early stages has come up and now I'm terrified.

Can anyone think of anything else it could be?? I'm so scared right now

[student8913]

first of quit smoking and after a while im sure some of the lung cancer anxiety will ago away. you are so young if you quit now your lungs will 100% repair themselves! So just quit now that way you don't continue to be anxious about it. if you started smoking because your anxiety and now its causing u anxiety then might as well just stop.
second. i get really bad chest pains near my sternum that go up to my shoulder arm neck. it could be a few things, my TMJ from stress, muscle tension also have something to do with esophagus spasms when i get stressed out it hurts to swallow anything. if youve seen a doc and theves ruleld out your heart you are fine and too young to get lung cancer. I find that if i quit worrying about my symptoms usually within a week they go away.

aslo take note to whether they come and go. my symptoms come and go so i tell myself, if its something serious it would steadily get way worse then go away for a while then come back. just stop worrying i know its easier said than done but you are fine. chest pain is a VERY common anxiety symptom. ive never had a panic attack but chest pain 24/7 for about 2 months and im 24 female with no prior anxiety symptoms before. I still get muscle spasms in my arm and legs. also i know when i get anxiety i dont eat and drink right so it could be you are dehydrated or low in electrolytes causeing muscle tension. hope this helps

[Stacey1991]

I also have no appetite and have lost nearly 3 quarters of a stone in weight in the last 6 weeks. I feel as though something is caught under my left ribcage

[Stacey1991]

Thank you for your reply! I know the likelihood and chances of it being lung cancer are very low but as soon as I get an idea in my head I cannot get rid of it.

I've tried on several occasions to quit but I find it very hard. Especially when I'm on a downer because I literally do not leave my house I will sit indoors, turn my phone off and chain smoke. I know this is bad but its almost like a release for me if that makes sense?

[KP33]

I was exactly feeling the same way as yourself. Ive got Generalised Anxiety Disorder and had smoked for a good 10-15 years as it was my way of coping. Worried about lung cancer and went to the doctors so many times with varying complaints. I had and still have a pain under my left shoulder blade which as it didn't go away for months meant that I must have something nasty. My throat spasms and swallows funny so I thought smoking had given me something nasty there and I kept getting little spots in my mouth that came and went in the same place every few days. Truth is that I think Im ok- the doctors haven't been alarmed by anything I've said. What has helped though is being four months smoke free( bar 3 I had at a boozy works do). And you will quit Im sure- it's just got to be when your ready.

[Stacey1991]

It's so horrible I live in a constant fear I'm dying. These chest pains are chronic now and I'm starting to really worry.

It's like no matter what anyone says I can't get it out of my head. I want to quit smoking but with everything else going wrong all the time it feels like smoking is keeping me going lol lame excuse I know.

With anxiety this severe though I really need to quit! Congrats on stopping :) how did you do it??

[KP33]

Thanks- It's hard to quit- I tried on and off for a long time. I think when your ready you will- it's all very well trying with nicotine replacement, etc- but you have to get to a point where what u get out of it isn't worth the added anxiety. My mouth tasted so awful all the time. Anyway what the doctor said since you went to A and E. With my anxiety I have constant rock hard knotted neck and shoulders and I have had chest pains as well but not all the time. Thing is to keep talking about it with your support network and doctor. You may not believe what others say if they think you are ok but it's got to help more than keeping it to yourself.

[student8913]

It's so horrible I live in a constant fear I'm dying. These chest pains are chronic now and I'm starting to really worry.

It's like no matter what anyone says I can't get it out of my head. I want to quit smoking but with everything else going wrong all the time it feels like smoking is keeping me going lol lame excuse I know.

With anxiety this severe though I really need to quit! Congrats on stopping :) how did you do it??


I had such sever chest pain (im 24yr old femaile) went to ER twice for it, at one point i couldnt even swallow water it was so bad. They kept doing so many test it gave me really bad anxiety. Well one day i went to the doc for the 8th time and he told me when you have anxiety in some people their muscles tense up , in my case my chest and esophagus muscles did. For some reason him telling me i had anxiety and this was the symptom of it made me feel a little better and after suffering a mnth and 1/2 of sever chest pain it went away in a week just like that lol i had a scope done xrays bloodwork CT scan ultra sound none of it made me feel any better about anything until he explain "globus hysteria" which is anxiety muscle tension in the throat and esopagus and then bam, it went away.. i felt crazy

[Ahlstrom]

Swap out tobacco with weed.

[student8913]

Swap out tobacco with weed.

i do agree with this. I smoked for the past 6 or 7 years and im 24 but unfortunately anxiety is new for me and weed now makes it worse so ive quit for a while :(

[Ahlstrom]

i do agree with this. I smoked for the past 6 or 7 years and im 24 but unfortunately anxiety is new for me and weed now makes it worse so ive quit for a while :(

Haha I understand, I was semi-kidding, I got my first anxiety attack after smoking weed and miss it a ton. It was hard for me to accept giving it it up, even touching my lips to my favorite pipe gave me a full blown panic attack but after a year my mind has healed a bit and I find I can smoke tobacco from it without any problem... If only weed helped my anxiety that would be just fantastic.

[Ritch]

in my opinion it is the anxiety which is causing you pain in your chest and making you tense up to the point of feeling pain. This is not unusual, the thought of lung cancer is causing these symptoms..... then the symptoms are making you believe it is lung cancer and feeding the constant cycle. I'd advise you get some help to quit smoking, if you quit you will have no reason to believe your lungs are being damaged. I have heard of people having success with a drug called bupropion for quitting smoking but you would have to consult your doctor about this.

As for the weed suggestion that may offer some short term relief but potentially a lot more issues in the long term..... bad idea

[JenXO]

You don't get lung cancer for smoking for a short period of time,i used to think the same just drink ice cold water when you get those pains.