Health: have you been coughing for three weeks?

12:51pm Wednesday 9th may 2012 in North of England news

throughout may and June the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Network is supporting the national Be Clear on Cancer campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer across the region.

The key message is that finding lung cancer early makes it more treatable and it encourages people who have symptoms to go to their doctor straight away.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in England. There are some 33,000 new cases every year and it kills more men and women than any other form of cancer. It affects people of all ages but is most common in those who are over 50. One in eight people with lung cancer has never smoked but it is more common in smokers and in those who smoke sheesha through a hookah. Many hookah smokers may consider this practice less harmful than smoking cigarettes; however hookah smoking carries many of the same health risks as cigarettes. The risk of lung cancer gets worse as you get older, but finding it early improves the chances of successful treatment. So if you have had a cough for three weeks or more, it’s worth visiting your doctor to be on the safe side.

You need to see a doctor straight away if you have been coughing for the past three weeks or more. other symptoms of lung cancer include: A cough that has got worse or changes;Repeated chest infections; Coughing up blood; Breathlessness; Feeling more tired than usual for some time; Losing weight for no obvious reason; an ache or pain in your chest or shoulder that has lasted some time.

if you notice any of these symptoms, tell your doctor right away. Detecting lung cancer early makes it easier to treat, so seeing your doctor quickly may save your life. It’s probably nothing serious but it could also be a sign of something else that needs treatment.

Please don’t ignore the symptoms or put off a trip to the doctor. It can make the world of difference and you won’t be wasting anyone’s time. And if you know anyone who has any of these symptoms, insist they see their doctor. Again, it’s probably nothing serious, but they should get it checked out.

Ernie Burton, Aged 62 from Blackburn was diagnosed with lung cancer in June 2010 after he noticed he had been coughing for over three weeks. Following chemotherapy and surgery Ernie has now given up smoking and is living each day to the full. he said ‘I would urge anyone experiencing any of the symptoms of lung cancer to go and see their doctor straight away, do not think you are wasting their time and try not to be scared. I thank my wife for making me go to my doctor when I did as I know I would have probably put it off for a bit longer otherwise’.

Doctor Fawad Zaman Lead Lung Cancer Clinician at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust commented on the campaign: “I thoroughly support the Be Clear on Lung Cancer campaign as it will play a vital role in raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer and will ultimately save lives. I would urge anyone who has been coughing for three weeks or more or is experiencing any of the other symptoms described to speak to their GP straight away. The message is clear – the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. Your symptoms may be nothing serious, but it is better to have them checked out early to be sure.”

if you need to find your doctor’s contact details or need more information on lung cancer please visit: nhs.uk/lungcancer.

For more local support and guidance please visit the Lancashire and South Cumbria website: cancerlancashire.org.uk or cancercumbria.org.uk.

Senior LIVING News…

A number of seniors suffer from rheumatoid arthritis but may be unaware of their condition.Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but it more commonly occurs between the ages of 40 and 60.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that not only affects the joints, but may also attack tissue in the skin, lungs, eyes and blood vessels. People with the disease may feel sick, tired and sometimes feverish.It is classified as an autoimmune disease, which occurs when the immune system turns against parts of the body that it is designed to protect.

According to the National Institute of Health, research suggests that a person's genetic makeup is an important part of the picture, but not the whole story. some evidence shows that infectious agents, such as viruses and bacteria, may trigger rheumatoid arthritis in people with an inherited tendency to develop the disease. however, a specific agent or agents are not yet known.Women are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men - approximately two to three times as many women than men have the disease - and smoking cigarettes increases a person's risk, while quitting smoking reduces the risk.Researchers are exploring why so many more women than men develop rheumatoid arthritis, and they are studying complex relationships between the hormonal, nervous and immune systems in rheumatoid arthritis.a person's family history is important because if a family member has rheumatoid arthritis, there is an increased risk of the disease. Doctors don't believe you can “inherit” the disease, instead they believe you can inherit a predisposition to it.Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include joint pain, joint swelling, joints that are tender to the touch, red and puffy hands, firm bumps of tissue under the skin of the arms (rheumatoid nodules), fatigue, morning stiffness that may last for hours, fever, and weight loss, according to the Mayo Clinic.The smaller joints are affected first - joints in wrists, hands, ankles and feet. As the disease progresses, the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, jaw and neck can become involved. In most cases, symptoms occur symmetrically - in the same joints on both sides of the body.Symptoms may also come and go, or vary in severity. Periods of increased disease activity - called flare-ups or flares - alternate with periods of relative remission, during which the swelling, pain, difficulty sleeping and weakness fade or disappear.The fact that the symptoms come and go and vary in severity, and sufferers have difficulty sleeping can lead people to think they are suffering from something else, since the symptoms may be similar to other illnesses.According to seniorjournal.com, a study has found the treatment of senior citizens with rheumatoid arthritis is unacceptable, and that wide variations were found in Medicare managed care-patients' receipt of recommended drug therapy.According to the Web site, an analysis of data from more than 90,000 Medicare managed care-enrollees who received care for rheumatoid arthritis finds that more than one-third did not receive the recommended treatment with a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, and that receipt varied by demographic factors, socio-economic status, geographic location and health plan, according to a study in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Some say it relaxes the airways.

I doubt that crap!

smokin dope maybe…lol. if you have asthma.. NO NOT smoke …lol

If you can't get your regular medication, you'd be better off with a couple of cups of coffee.

healthcentral.com/peoplesphar…

Cigarette smoking is another trigger that must be avoided. If you smoke, you need to quit. Smoking cigarettes will make your asthma worse, and if you breathe the smoke from someone else's cigarette, you may get an asthma attack.

lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvL…

Someone's looking to validate smoking. Nothing that interferes with normal respiration (such as smoking) can ever *help* ease asthmatic symptoms.

In addition to the obvious problems smoking causes, it only serves to increase the strain on the lungs

it inflames the airways…that is probably the worst thing someone with athsma could do.

i have asthma to and i smoke it does settle the little hairs in your throat but not for long.

Smoking can actually make your asthma worse. the only things I have seen ease "some" symptoms of an asthmatic episode is drinking a warm caffinated beverage… like coffee.

NO! just the opposite! who says this? Your enemies?