Ulcer, Lung Cancer, What?!

Updated on April 03, 2014
M.H. asks from Lima, OH
19 answers

Hello all! I have had this pain right below my chest for a few months now and it isn't there all the time but when it does show up, it's AWFUL and I've researched it and all I can really come up with is an ulcer but it's a burning pain that hurts so bad to where I don't want to move. Sometimes, it's away for weeks at a time. I also have this pressure/pain in my back but I can only feel it when I'm taking a deep breath and of course I researched it as well and saw something about lung cancer and of course freaked myself out. I'm 26 and I am a smoker, but I just want to know if anyone else has had a similar experience??

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So What Happened?

I went to my doctor & told her that after much research, I really thought it was my gallbladder....she insisted that it wasn't and it was just indigestion. I am going for a second opinion because I had another attack 2 days ago and it was AGONIZING!!! Worst pain I've ever felt.

Featured Answers

J.S.

answers from Chicago on

I know this is crazy, but there are these people out there that can actually diagnose what is wrong with you! They are called doctors and some of them are actually specialists. Wild, right?

/sarcasm

Make an appointment today.

13 moms found this helpful

S.A.

answers from Chicago on

At first guess, I would say Acid Reflux.

But, yeah, it's time to go see a doctor. And to quit smoking.

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

M.,

Okay...first off - STOP using the internet to try and diagnose you and your symptoms.

Next, schedule an appointment to see a doctor and get a full physical.

do you REALLY expect people here to tell you YES!! You have lung cancer! Or YES!! You have an ulcer??? ummm no. None of us are doctors and if we were??? Giving advice or diagnosis without a consultation would be a SEVERE malpractice suit waiting to happen.

What do I think is wrong?

1. I think you need to see a doctor. Seriously.
2. I think you need to drink more water and exercise more...
3. You need to change your diet. It could be GERD or Acid Reflux. When my girlfriend had her first GERD attack, she thought she was having a heart attack...
4. Ulcers? they HURT. You'll need to see a doctor to make sure it's an ulcer so you do NOT try to self-medicate...
5. I don't care if you smoke - my husband does. If you are scared of lung cancer - then maybe you need to quit smoking. You're an adult, right? You know what they do to your body. I'm not gonna tell you to quit. That's YOUR choice.

GO TO A DOCTOR!! Get OFF the internet for medical advice. ONCE you get a diagnosis - THEN research on alternative care, etc. but DO NOT self-diagnose!

8 moms found this helpful

X.O.

answers from Chicago on

Dr. Google has terrible bedside manner and is not a great diagnostician. Please make an appointment with your Primary Care Physician asap to check this out. Do not self-diagnose or ask the Internet for medical advice.

6 moms found this helpful

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

Well - first, quit smoking. It's doable. I'm now two months without. It sucks, but it's getting better, and I hope I'm done. I smoked for 17 years.

And, like everyone says, we're not doctors.

But considering your age - probably not lung cancer. Pneumonia? Bronchitis? Very possible. Both things that should be evaluated by a doctor. Heartburn? Who knows, really. You shouldn't do research on non-specific symptoms, or you turn heartburn into lung cancer. ;)

Seriously, see a doctor.

6 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Portland on

You asked about this condition in January thinking it was an ulcer. You intimated you would see a doctor. Why haven't you? You've asked several health related questions. Your posts sound like you're a worrier and are quick to think the worst. What an uncomfortable way to be.

I wonder if you don't go to the doctor because you've felt brushed off and/or felt you were not taken seriously. Perhaps writing to us is a way to get reassurance. I suggest that what you really need is to get help for your serious anxiety issues. Wouldn't you like to feel less stress and worry?

As to these symptons they could be serious or not. Why are you not seeing the doctor? Do you have a family doctor or just a pediatrician. Do you not have insurance? Perhaps, unconsciously, you like the drama of not knowing? There are remedies for all of these.

BTW what was that brown piece in your baby's ear? We on mamapedia do care about you and would like a follow up on your questions. Yes, some posts are worded in such a way that you feel misunderstood or attacked. Focusing on those makes it seem you are defensive. To me it indicates that possibly they've hit on a truth you don't want to see. I hope that you will consider the possibility that with professional help you can let go of your fears and enjoy life more.

5 moms found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

We are not doctors. We cannot diagnose the source of your problem.
WebMD is not a doctor, despite having MD in its name. It cannot diagnose the source of your problem.
If you are having chest pains, whether constant or intermittent, you should see a doctor.

5 moms found this helpful
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L.R.

answers from Washington DC on

Please don't do any more "research." Make an appointment tomorrow to be seen ASAP by your doctor and be assertive--ask for testing, ask for cancer screening, etc. Better to go ahead and see the doctor than panic over what may be nothing. If it IS nothing you have zero reason to be ashamed for seeing the doctor anyway. Better to get the facts than freak out.

We can't diagnose online but I can guarantee one thing the doctor is going to tell you: Please stop smoking.

4 moms found this helpful

Y.M.

answers from Iowa City on

It could be your gallbladder but you won't know until you see a doctor. Make the appointment.

4 moms found this helpful

D.D.

answers from New York on

What did your doctor say? Researching on the internet doesn't diagnosis a condition or give you treatment options. It only makes you panic since every possible condition could be cancer. Make an appointment (which you should have done months ago) and see a doctor. If it's an ulcer it can be treated. If it's cancer the longer you wait the worse it'll get. See a doctor now.

4 moms found this helpful

V.B.

answers from Jacksonville on

YEah.. so not a doctor here...
Go see a doctor and ask them about your symptoms. You are getting so worked up about this (an ongoing issue, that you haven't consulted a doctor about yet)... so do yourself a favor and get seen. And while you are waiting for your appointment, keep in mind that it could be something simple like heartburn. Yeah... heartburn can feel like that.. pressure in the back and all.
But you won't know WHAT it is, until you see a doctor. So do that, so that you can treat whatever it is and get some relief (both physical and mental).

3 moms found this helpful
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S.F.

answers from Phoenix on

Go to a dr.
Quit smoking.

3 moms found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Austin on

Go see the doctor... most likely it isn't cancer, but if it is an ulcer, it could get really bad.

It could also be something very mild and easily treatable....

None of us are diagnosticians, and we can't diagnose over the internet anyway, so you really need to see a doctor.

3 moms found this helpful
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K.G.

answers from San Diego on

Sounds like gallbladder. You need to get to the doctor asap. By the time I went in for my gallbladder it was starting to explode.

2 moms found this helpful
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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

We're not doctors.
Even those with some medical knowledge would be foolish to guess a diagnosis from a 200 word paragraph.
Could be stress, a hiatal hernia, ulcer...who knows?
Don't stress! Get to a doc!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.N.

answers from Bloomington on

Don't ever look up any symptoms on the internet trying to find a diagnosis. Seriously!! Symptom "I have a slight tickle in my throat". Google "you are dying". Fact: "you probably have a cold".

Go to the Dr. We are NOT Dr.'s and cannot tell you what is wrong with you. Even if there is a Dr. on here they are not going to give you medical advice without seeing you.

GO TO THE DOCTOR!!! If you don't have insurance or can't afford it then go to the free clinic.

Also curious as to what the brown in your daughter's ear was and if you are still checking that daily.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Boise on

You have other organs in there too! The liver, which if inflammed could probably be felt in the front all the way to the back, the kidneys, which would cause more low back pain, and you have a spleen tucked in just under your ribs, on your left side I think. If the spleen is imflammed there is a possibility of pain when breathing in. Cancer ...well.. usually comes with SOME kind of symptoms, the most notable would be loss of appetite and nausea. Since you say it hurts when you breathe in, I might ask for a sonogram on the liver/ spleen just to make sure nothing is swollen. Do you have other health symptoms , that you think are not related? sometimes, all kinds of weird symptoms can be related to one thing, so don't overlook telling your doc about all symptoms. You can do a gallbladder cleanse,. I would do that, especially before I would let anyone remove a gallbladder. Most people are LOW in stomach acid, and Bentaine HCL, 2-4 tabs before eating, can help some people. Talk to your doc about it.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

I agree with Kelly G it does sound like gallbladder. Have it checked out before it gets worse. I didn't take it seriously and when it get really bad I thought I was having a heart attack. I have my gallbladder removed about 3 weeks later. Don't wait to see your doctor. Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Get off the internet and go to the doctor!

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