Dealing with abdominal pulsations, chest pain, and fatigue... anyone else?

Hello.

I'm 22. This might sound ridiculous, but I’m hyper-fixated on my health. For the last five months, I've been smoking a pack a day; before that, it was sporadic—a few cigarettes every couple of weeks, sometimes going months without touching one. Recently, I started feeling this pulsing sensation in my abdomen, which spooked me. I looked up early lung cancer symptoms, and while I only have chest pain and occasional stomach aches, I've also started feeling fatigue in my legs. I doubt it’s anything serious, but I need certainty. If it weren't for my family history, I wouldn't be asking, but my grandfather had throat cancer. Is there any actual possibility of lung cancer here, or am I just overthinking it?

vividotter7 said:Respectful greetings.

I’m 22 years old, and I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but I’m an incredibly cautious person when it comes to health issues. To be honest, I’ve been smoking a pack a day for about five months now. Before that, it was more sporadic—maybe a few cigarettes every two or three weeks. There were even stretches where I wouldn't touch a cigarette for a month or two, followed by another brief binge. Recently, I started feeling this pulsing sensation in my abdomen, which really spooked me. Today, I went down a rabbit hole reading up on early lung cancer symptoms, and I realized I’m experiencing chest pain, occasional stomach aches, and I just started noticing some fatigue in my legs. I’m pretty sure it’s nothing, but I’m the type of person who needs absolute certainty to feel at peace. If it weren't for my family history, I wouldn't even be questioning this, but my grandfather did have throat cancer. So, is there any actual chance this could be lung cancer, or am I just overthinking things?

Look, you generally need a much longer period of poisoning yourself and self-destructing with cigarettes before you develop lung cancer, but if you keep up this current pace, you're looking at roughly a 25% chance of developing various illnesses, including cancer. At the end of the day, if you enjoy gambling with your life and you're making a conscious choice to take that risk, then keep smoking. Personally, if I were in your shoes, I would quit right now before the habit truly takes hold; five months is still a short enough window that you haven't fully spiraled into an addiction that's impossible to break.

Angela Wright said:It takes a longer stretch of poisoning yourself to completely destroy your lungs, but if you keep this up, you've got about a 25% chance of developing cancer along with everything else. If you’re into gambling and want to take that risk consciously, go ahead and keep smoking. Personally, I’d quit now before I get hooked; five months isn't long enough to be fully addicted yet.

Once I felt this, panic set in and I tossed my cigarettes immediately. I thought I was just imagining things, but how else do you explain these intermittent chest pains? Is it possible my body is reacting poorly to nicotine or something else entirely?

vividotter7 said:When I first felt this, I honestly panicked and quit smoking on the spot. I kept telling myself I was just overthinking it, but then how do you explain these random chest pains? Is it possible my body is just reacting badly to nicotine, or is it something else entirely?

Look, don't take my word as gospel since I'm definitely not a doctor... but in my experience, chest pain usually isn't lung issues—those tend to feel more like they're hitting you "in the back."☕div>

Morgan Cook10 said:Don't take my word for it since I'm no doctor, but I doubt chest pain is coming from your lungs; that usually feels more like something deep in your back.☕

I read that the initial symptoms include chest pain, shoulder and back aches, along with abdominal discomfort.

vividotter7 said:I was reading that early signs can be chest pain, shoulder or back aches, and even stomach issues...

Look, honestly, you seem a bit young to be dealing with lung cancer. That said, there's really no harm in heading to the doctor just to get checked out and have some peace of mind.🤷

On another note, my dad passed away from lung cancer, and for him, the very first symptom was just a headache.

vividotter7 said:Once I felt this hit me, pure panic set in and I tossed my cigarettes immediately. At first, I figured I was just getting inside my own head, but then how else do you explain these random chest pains? Is it possible my body is just having a violent reaction to nicotine or something else entirely?

It’s entirely possible you're dealing with acid reflux, specifically GERD. The smoke, the tar, the nicotine, and all the other crap in a cigarette can trigger exactly that kind of reaction. The symptoms line up perfectly.

vividotter7 said:The second I felt this, pure panic set in—I dropped my cigarettes immediately. At first, I tried to convince myself I was just imagining things, but then how else do you explain these random chest pains? Could my body be having some kind of violent reaction to nicotine, or is it something else entirely?

You’ve only been smoking for five months and you’re already acting like you’re terminal... He claims he smokes, yet he’s being "super careful" about his health... what does that even mean? What kind of logic is that?

If you realize right now that you don't have cancer, you'll just go right back to lighting up—and then you'll just toss the pack again the next time your chest starts hurting...

And then people like this turn around and complain when we try to implement actual health education programs in our public schools.