Why am I short of breath? Is it a tumor? Posted: 06-07-06 19:25pm
Hi I went to the doctor about 3 months ago
for shortness of breath. She did a chest
xray which was normal, ecg normal, blood
pressure high. She said the shortness of
breath was due to anxiety. She put me on
meds for that and blood pressure. Well
still 3 months later I still have the
shortness of breath. With no exerise, I
can just be sitting down, does that still
sound like anxiety. I asked her about lung
cancer cause I used to smoke for 13 years.
I am now 29. She said no it would of
showed up in the xray and blood work. Does
anyone know if this true?
Yes, it is true. An X-ray can detect lung
tumor. When a lung tumor is detected, the
next procedure in medical protocol is an
endoscopy (bronchoscopy) to identify the
nature of the tumor (benign or malignant).
Standard blood work usually shows high
sedimentation. You might focus your
attention now on functional lung tests
such as the pick-flow-metry and measuring
the vital capacity of the lungs. If these
tests are also negative, than the
remaining possible cause for “shortness
of breath” is anxiety.
DISCLAIMER: "Ask a Doctor" Questions are answered by Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov, General Practitioner. Dr. Gjuzelov practices medicine for the general public and is affiliated with the Republic of Macedonia Public Health Institution. For more information about Dr. Gjuzelov or other eHealthForum.com medical experts, please visit our About Us page. You may also visit our Diagnostic Techniques, Treatments Forum, for moderated patient to patient support and information.
The material presented in the eHealth Forum Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified licensed medical professional. eHealth Forum and eHealth Forum's Ask A Doctor advises all users with health problems and concerns to consult their personal doctors. Furthermore, if you have any questions or concerns about your condition, you must consult your qualified licenseced medical professional before starting any treatment.
The materials in the eHealth Forum Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. To the fullest extent possible, eHealth Forum and eHealth Forum's Ask A Doctor expressly excludes all liability in respect of the information and opinions contained in the Discussion Forums and Ask A Doctor, this Web site, or any sites linked to this Web site.