Lung cancer

Hello..I have stage 3a lung cancer ..primary tumour 6 to 7 CMS..size of peach the doc said in centre of chest..it then spread to lymph nodes..started having breathing problems October then diagnosed  February...deemed too unfit for surgery so given chemo and radiotherapy...sat in one session of chemo..didn't feel different in any way except the slightest bump turned bruises black and so five days after at one session I spent five days in hospital as they discovered neutropenia...treated for that..at the same time during those days after few days of radiotherapy discovered partial lung collapse. given advice about that.. eventually fixed itself rather quickly ..then home after initial five days in hospital my tickly chesty cough got worse .. extremely thick green sputum like elastic or chewing gum..still smoking..so 5 days after first stay in hospital I got discharged and then due to this cough 5 days later rang ambulance as couldn't breath..sputum so thick it blocked airway.. in triage sats were awful..put on oxygen straight away....then x-ray ..results are pneumonia in both lungs..hospital for 2.5 weeks...been home six months now..I think the tumours have shrunk a huge amount..maybe even completely gone..but although my cough eventually went away Ive had a huge increase in sputum all day and night constantly coughing just to get it all out of chest..not coughing because of the lung cancer itself..oh I forgot the same lung had partial lung collapse twice during all this..anyway as I said..the only thing I have wrong at the minute is this bloody deep deep ache in behind my breastbone..and the constant huge amount of sputum production 24/7...based on all this can a nurse tell me if by experience and instinct do they think I'm getting better or worse

  • Hello, and thank you for your post,

    I am sorry to learn of everything you have been through recently. This must not be easy.

    As cancer information nurses not involved in your care, we cannot say what your situation is.

    From what you have said, it sounds like you have had a good response to the treatment, but only your team, who are treating you, know your situation, can clarify things for you.

    It can take some time to recover after treatment, months possibly longer, and often things can feel worse before they feel better. Unfortunately, one of the long-term effects of lung cancer chemoradiotherapy can be a cough and breathlessness with sputum. I wondered if your cancer team is aware of the symptoms you are still experiencing. If you have a specialist nurse (CNS), it is worth having a chat with them and talking through any concerns you have.

    In the meantime, you are welcome to get back to us. If you would like to talk things through with one of our helpline nurses, we are available Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, freephone 0808 800 4040.

    Jemma