I quit smoking a month ago and I'm coughing up blood, do I have lung cancer?

It is not uncommon for smokers to have an increase in coughing for several weeks after they quit. Smoking inhibits the work of the cilia in the lungs whose job it is to "sweep out" debris that in inhaled. They are damaged and/or paralyzed from the tar and other harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Once you quit, they work over time to rid your lungs of the accumulation of the gunk in your lungs. What you cough up can be a variety of colors, including mucus that is red-tinged but is not actually blood.

I would suggest that you speak with your doctor. Coughing up actual blood (not just red-looking mucus) and unexplained weight loss can be signs of lung cancer. Your doctor may order tests to see what is going on.

One test your doctor may order is a low-dose CT scan. While in your case it would be ordered as a diagnostic test, it can also be ordered for smokers with no symptoms of lung cancer as a screening test. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid just approved  this test as a covered screening test in February, 2015. If you meet the following criteria, you doctor can discuss the risks and benefits of having this done:

• No symptoms of lung cancer 
• Be between the ages of 55 and 77
• Be a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years
• Be a "30 - pack smoker":

one pack a day = a 1 pack year. 1 pack a day x 30 = 30 pack smoker

2 packs a day x 15 years = 30 pack smoker

1/2 pack per day x 60 years = 30 pack smoker

For more information on low-dose CT scans click here. These are the guidelines for Medicare and Medicaid but not all health insurance polices will cover this, however there may be resources in your area. Contact the office of your local American Cancer Society or American Lung Association who may have a list of local resources for you. 

"Calling it Quits" on Frankly Speaking About Cancer

It was like being in the dark ages the first time I had cancer when it came to emotional support-there was none. People I knew asked me to not say the "C" word around them, no one seemed to understand the physical, emotional and financial devastation I was going through with being diagnosed with a life threatening disease at age 32.

When I had a recurrence in 2010, I knew that emotional support would help me through my journey with cancer this second time and I joined Gilda's Club immediately. This free resource, part of the Cancer Support Community, seems to have a magically effect on it's members. Cancer is a horrible disease that not only eats away at your body, it can eat away at your soul if you let it. While being a member of Gilda's may not heal your body, it does heal your soul.  It is a place to talk to others on the same journey who know exactly how it feels to be dealing with cancer. Yes there are tears but there is also a lot of joy, deep friendships develop and life is so very real and in the moment at Gildas. Facades drop away, cancer  doesn't discriminate, it strikes everyone, At Gildas you are accepted regardless of race, color, religion, political preference, sexual affiliation, everyone is welcomed.

While I no longer attend support meetings, I still volunteer to help Gilda's whenever I have a chance. It is important for me to give back to a place that was so important in my emotional healing from cancer. So when I was asked to speak on the Cancer Support Community's weekly radio talk show, I was happy to share my knowledge about how to become smoke-free. You can listen it it here: Calling It Quits.

The best way to treat cancer is prevention and I'm doing my part by helping smokers quit tobacco; smoking is the cause of 30% of all cancers, it's not just lung cancer. Instead of thinking of it as "just a bad habit", it is a time bomb that kills 50 to 75% of it's long-term users. There is no other substance as deadly as tobacco that is allowed to exist simply to satisfy the greed of corporate interests. We could make a huge dent in our "War" against Cancer, if smoking cessation and prevention were actually a priority in our society.

I hope you never get cancer but if you do, please reach out to the Cancer Support Community, they can help. If you want to prevent getting it - stop smoking now.

Link Between Lung Cancer and Smoking

For years the tobacco companies said that smoking did not cause lung cancer. We now know that smokers are at a much higher risk of developing lung cancer and about 10% of all smokers will develop the disease. About 90% of all lung cancers are in smokers. This article tells of several genetic studies that are showing certain genetic traits that may make a person more likely to become addicted to smoking and also more likely to develop lung cancer. So reality might be that lung cancer is a relationship between heredity and environment. Lung cancer has been so fatal because it is usually found late after it has already spread but a new type of CAT scan, a spiral CAT Scan can find tumors that are small enough to be treatable. This test is not covered by insurance because it hasn't been proved that the survival rate of finding a lung cancer tumor when it is smaller increases life expectancy but it only makes sense to find it as early as you can.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/576699?src=mp&spon=17&uac=103794FK