Chest pain / Lung pain

So, I’ve been stuck in this depressive funk for about a week now... I'm 17... I've been smoking Marlboro Blues for two years, but a few days ago I tried some heavier stuff and now my right lung has started hurting. It really freaked me out—I basically assumed the worst and quit cold turkey. I haven't touched a cigarette in five days, but I need some advice: every single time I even just inhale some smoke, that spot in my lung starts aching again. Is there any chance it could be cancer?

My mom is a nurse, and I can't tell if she's trying to scare me or not, but she mentioned she's already had three 19-year-olds come in with lung cancer... is that even possible?

I guess the truth is that you don't really realize how much life actually matters until something like this hits you...

Anyway.... I've stayed clean for five days, haven't touched a cigarette, but then I took one single drag... and that lung pain came right back. Could it seriously be cancer, or am I just overthinking things?

Please, I just need some real advice. And please, skip the "you're just a reckless kid" comments; I really don't need that right now. I don't want to have to break the news to my mom like this, and she's already on edge as it is...

hiddenraven5 said:Look, I'm dealing with this mess and I've been depressed for a week... I'm 17... I smoked Marlboro Reds for two years, and then a few days ago I inhaled way too much and my right lung started killing me... I totally freaked out, thinking the worst, and quit smoking entirely. It's been 5 days since my last cigarette... but please, give me some advice: every single time I even catch a whiff of smoke, that part of my lung starts hurting again... could it actually be cancer??

My mom is a nurse, and I don't know if she's just trying to scare me, but she told me she's already seen three 19-year-olds come in with lung cancer... is that even possible?

I guess it's true that you don't realize how much life matters until something like this hits you....

Anyway.... I haven't smoked for 5 days, hasn't even touched a cigarette... but I just caught a bit of smoke and now that spot hurts again... is it seriously cancer or am I just overthinking this?

Please, I need advice, and spare me the "you're just a bratty kid" comments. I really don't need that right now... I don't want to have to tell my mom something like that when she's already stressed enough as it is...

Hey! So, pain in the chest or lungs can be caused by all sorts of things, like pleurisy, asthma, or even lung cancer. Like I said, pain is a symptom of cancer, but honestly, I doubt it's cancer here—if it were, the pain would be intense and there'd be tightness, and since you aren't smoking, you shouldn't panic unless you're super stressed or depressed about it. Just go get checked out: get a full blood panel, an X-ray, or maybe a bronchoscopy, and just look at the results! Don't sweat it too much because if it were cancer, that area would hurt even when you aren't smoking!

In that case, thanks a million. I guess I was just worrying over nothing after all. 😁

So, just a general practitioner who handles both primary care and pulmonology... and you don't even need a specialist?

You can actually have lung cancer without feeling any pain in your chest at all... I’m definitely not a doctor, but honestly, it seems pretty unlikely that that's what we're looking at here... (And hey, what your mom told you might be true, but she probably just said it to freak you out enough to make you quit smoking).

That pain could be from anything—maybe some heavy lifting, stress, or even just a nasty flu or a cold... It’s exactly what your GP suggested. You should get a blood test and a chest X-ray done, probably both on the same day. Go see your regular family doctor (not the one mentioned here 😁) and ask for referrals for blood work and an X-ray. While you're at the lab getting blood drawn, you might as well grab a urine test too since you're already there. If you go through a private clinic like CityMD or something similar, you'll likely have results the same day. It could end up being nothing at all, but it could also be something else. Either way, just go get checked out so you can stop worrying about it.

Got it, thanks 😁D

Back when I was smoking, my chest felt tight and heavy, even though everything was supposedly fine. Once I quit, those symptoms vanished.

My advice? Just stop smoking. You don't need it.
And definitely go see a doctor.

analogrider13 said:As I mentioned before—cancer can present with various symptoms, including lung cancer...

Oh, give me a break! You've got to be kidding me. 🤦

You shouldn't worry too much because if it actually were cancer, you'd feel pain in that part of your lung even when you aren't smoking!

Pain isn't necessarily a requirement for a diagnosis—especially in those early stages. It’s perfectly reasonable to say there's no need to panic if nothing is felt, but if there is even the slightest shred of doubt regarding anything at all, one would likely end up going for a checkup regardless.

I dealt with similar issues back when I was younger, and I wasn't even a smoker then. My doctor told me it was just a byproduct of a sudden growth spurt, so that’s definitely a possibility for you too. Plus, it's highly likely someone already pointed out that you might be overexerting yourself or lifting heavy weights, which would explain the pain.