An illustration of lung cancer.Photo/MTC
When it comes to health, one of the best ways we protect ourselves is by always going for check ups oftenly. After all, only a doctor can diagnose any condition, but no one knows your body better than you. You will be the first to know when something is wrong, even before visible symptoms emerge.
Lung cancer, in particular, kills more women a year than any other form of cancer, but few women are aware of all the symptoms, particularly those specific to their gender. We all know what it feels like to be short of breath, but most of us experience the sensation after exerting ourselves.
If just getting out of bed in the morning is causing you to lose your breath, that can be a serious sign of respiratory issues. Shortness of breath is one of the early symptoms of just about every form of lung cancer. Overwhelming fatigue is a symptom of a lot of different illnesses, from the flu to lupus.
If you’re feeling exhausted in a way that goes past the irritability of a sleepless night, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor right away. Fatigue can be your body’s way of telling you that it’s using up the spare energy to try to heal you. If you have a cough that just will not go away, and seems to be getting worse, it’s time to go in for a checkup.
Coughing is your body’s natural reaction to an irritation in your respiratory system, but if it doesn’t go away, that might indicate that the irritation hasn’t left either.
Coughing constantly is a prominent early warning sign of just about every form of lung cancer, and it can help you detect the problem and seek treatment quickly. You probably don’t associate back pain with your lungs, but for women, sharp aches and pain around the shoulder blades can indicate that something is amiss.
That’s because women are more prone to a form of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma.
The tumors from this form of cancer growth in the outer layers of the lungs, so they might put pressure on your ribs and spine.