If you have experienced any of the following symptoms, not only should you seek medical attention.
Shortness of breath: Your neighbor Al always made fun of himself for being overweight, so when he began to experience shortness of breath, he thought little of it. Only when he started gasping for air as he walked the few feet from his house to his car did he realize that something was amiss.
Shortness of breath (sometimes accompanied by a heavy feeling inside of the chest) is the first symptom typically observed in mesothelioma symptoms. 90% of mesothelioma patients will experience shortness of breath, and many of them will the mistake of not seeking a doctor's advice. If you have been exposed to asbestos and you experience shortness of breath, along with heavy sensation in the chest, you should alert your doctor immediately.
Chest Pain: Aunt Sarah's husband used to work as a steamfitter in the 1950s and died recently of mesothelioma. Sarah missed him terribly, and whenever she thought of what good man he was, she experienced dull aches in her chest. She dismissed them as symptoms of a broken heart, but the aches were actually due to "an accumulation of fluid in the pleura," (National Cancer Institute) the lining around the lungs. It was a common symptom of pleural mesothelioma.
Coughing: After working thirty years as a construction worker,Harry experienced coughing fits which seemed more severe than the common cold. He tried cough syrup, but the relief it provides was only temporary. He coughed and coughed "as a reflex action to try and clear his irritated lungs of the asbestos fibers" (Mesothelioma Symptoms) but to no avail. Soon, he was spitting up saliva with an unmistakably red tint.
Weight loss: When Patrick began to drop weight without dieting or much exercise, he was initially thrilled. Within just a few months, he had dropped several pants sizes, to the pleasant surprise of everyone. No one suspected that Patrick's gradual change in size was "a symptom in about a third of all pleural mesothelioma cases in the United States." (Mesothelioma Center)
Abdominal pain and swelling:
Bowel obstruction: At first, Uncle Enda thought that his frequent visits to the bathroom were part of getting older. Sometimes he was able to have normal bowel movements, other times it was exceedingly difficulty. Two especially unpleasant symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are diarrhea (much like what a patient suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disorder experiences) and constipation.
Anemia: Great- AuntSherry often felt faint. For years, her doctors believed that her fainting was due to a lifetime of low blood pressure, and they suggested that she incorporate iron rich foods into her diet, such as broccoli. But Sherry's health problems were far more serious than a mere lack of iron. After being diagnosed with mesothelioma, she underwent her first round of chemotherapy, which caused her more problems. The chemotherapy drugs "had a temporal effect on her bone marrow, and caused a reduction in red blood cells." (Mesothelioma Cancer Aid) This is a condition known as anemia, which can accompany mesothelioma.
Coughing up blood: Your son's baseball coach loved sports his entire life and wanted to share his passion for baseball with younger generations. As he entered his mid-sixties, people began to question when he would retire, but he had no such intention. One day, after a grueling practice, Aaron began to cough up blood, a process clinically known as hemoptysis. Hemoptysis is "one of the most alarming of the mesothelioma symptoms. It is sometimes accompanied by difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) as well as hoarseness."
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