I've Had A Chronic Cough , Off And On, For

Posted on Fri, 21 Dec 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I've had a chronic cough, off and on, for over a year now.

Last yeat, I went in for a chest xray, and they didn't find anything.

Lately, the cough has come back. Its worse at night and it feels like there is something stuck in my lungs.

Ive also had a harder time exercising lately. Other than that, no other symptoms.

I have a chest xray scheduled soon, but I'm terrified it could be lung cancer.

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Lung cancer will have drastic symptoms

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Ask A Doctor service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

Lung cancer will usually have drastic symptoms like extreme fatigue, weight loss, cough with sputum etc. Your symptoms are pointing more towards chronic obstructive lung disease.
While you are waiting for your X ray and appropriate treatment, you can do some breathing exercise like alternate nostril breathing. Continue with your exercise as per your capacity.

Hope this helps.
Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar