RedMan1972

First I want to thank everyone who has listend to my whining for the past few monhts on this board. I know all of your problems are so much bigger than mine but I feel you guys are knowledgable in this area and can help me.

First off, I'm 34 and I quit smoking 9 weeks ago. I am very excited. I do not even want a cigarette anymore. In fact, the smell makes me nauseous.

Well the reason why I quit is, in case some don't remember my crazy ramblings, I had developed sinusitis than bronchitis and saw the symtpoms for lung cancer and convinced myself that is what I had.

Since then I have been to four different doctors, all who have done x-rays and said the same thing: everything's normal, no lung cancer. In the process of quitting smoking I developed allergies (or had them all along because there is a theory smoking masks symptoms, pain, etc.

Once day I started having strange chest pains when I was out in the cool weather and shortness of breath. I went to another doctor who went through everything and said it sounded like I had asthma.

I went to a pulmonologist and he put me through all the breathing tests and chest x-ray, etc. I told him of my fear and he said I have nothing to worry about. The x-ray was normal and I had all the indications of asthma. He said it could have developed because of my bronchitis.

So now, a couple weeks later of being on asthma medication and feeling great, I had a supposed asthma attack where my chest hurt in the center and seemed to radiate to the back. For a day or so after I had shortness of breath. I was told it lasted so long because i didn't use me albuterol inhaler at the onset of the attack (no one told me to).

I digress. This week, I did my morning cough (don't feel like I have to but I do it anyway, to check for blood). Had a lot of phlegm come up and the first cough was a strange color. I was going to the pulmonologist that day anyway, so I sealed it in a baggie and carried it to him. When I showed it to him he said it looked like it may have had some blood in it. He thought is was a lung infection like bronchitis (I did spend the weekend with someone in a hotel room where they sounded like they were hacking up a lung). Anyway, he gave me antibiotics.

Today is my second day of anotibiotics. I woke up with a real stuffy nose and congestion. I blew my nose and went about my business as I am trying to kick the obsessive habit of making myself cough in the morning. About an hour later I did cough to clear my throat and I spit up some phlegm that had a very tiny streak of blood. Of course I panicked and coughed again and sure enough my second one had one as well, a little smaller. Third time, nothing. The phlegm was yellow but during the day has progressed to light yellow/clear.

I called my pulmonologist all freaked out and he reassured me that it was simply an infection. He told me that I had no indications of cancer and that I was too young to worry about it anyway.

I know people my age can get it. When do I deamnd a CT scan? I've had 6 Chest X-rays and that scares me enough as far as radiation goes.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks again for all your help and my continued prayers!