BLOOD!...........when COUGHING??

Question

My dad is a heavy smoker..he smokes 2 packs a day!
and his been coughing like DEATH!..for the past 2 years!..and he refuses to see a DOC!!!.....he doesnt like hospitles...or any doc!

today...he woke up coughing abit of BLOOD!!!!!!
Im very worried about him..and want 2 give him a good reason why he should see a doc...
so does any1 know.......????

Answer 1

Firstly tell your father to stop being selfish and to think about how this is affecting you. Secondly here is the info you need. And yes I am an ex-smoker for this very reason. Watched a friend die .


Hemoptysis (pronounced he-MOP-tis-is) is coughing up blood from the respiratory tract. The blood can come from the nose, mouth, throat, the airway passages leading to the lungs, or the lungs. The word "hemoptysis" comes from the Greek "haima," meaning "blood," and "ptysis," which means "a spitting".

Blood-tinged mucus in a healthy nonsmoker usually indicates a mild infection and is generally no cause for concern. Indeed, the most common cause of hemoptysis is the least serious—a ruptured small blood vessel caused by coughing and/or a bronchitic infection. In patients with a history of smoking or who are otherwise at risk for lung disease, however, hemoptysis is often a sign of serious illness, including cancer. Other serious diseases that can cause hemoptysis include bronchiectasis (chronic dilation and infection of the bronchioles and bronchi), pulmonary embolus (a clogged artery in the lungs that can lead to tissue death), pneumonia (a lung infection), and tuberculosis (see Tuberculosis). Hemoptysis can also result from inhaling a foreign body, such as a particle of food that ruptures a blood vessel. Whatever the suspected cause, development of hemoptysis should always be brought to the attention of a physician.

Hemoptysis refers specifically to blood that comes from the respiratory tract. Often when a person spits up blood, however, it has come from somewhere else - the nose, the back of the throat, or part of the gastrointestinal tract. When blood originates outside of the respiratory tract, the spitting is commonly known as "pseudohemoptysis." Vomiting up blood, medically known as hematemesis, is one type of pseudohemoptysis. Differentiating between hemoptysis and hematemesis is an integral part of diagnosis. Since they involve different parts of the body, the prognoses (the prospect of recovery) and treatments are radically different.

Classifying hemoptysis as mild or massive (some practitioners classify it as trivial, moderate, or massive) is somewhat arbitrary, since it is difficult to accurately quantify the amount of blood that a person spits up. It is done to differentiate the life-threatening, "massive" hemoptysis requiring immediate medical attention from less severe cases.

Massive hemoptysis
Hemoptysis is considered massive, or major, when there is so much blood that it interrupts breathing (generally more than about 200-240 mL, or about 1 cup, in 24 hours). Massive hemoptysis is a medical emergency: the mortality rate for patients with massive hemoptysis can be as high as 75%. Most patients who die from hemoptysis suffer from asphyxiation (lack of oxygen) due to too much blood in the airways.

Mild hemoptysis
If there is a small amount of blood or sputum streaked with blood, the spitting is considered mild hemoptysis. In 60% to 70% of mild hemoptysis cases, the underlying disorder is benign and disappears on its own without causing serious problems or permanent damage. But even in cases of mild hemoptysis, a patient may suffer critical breathing problems, depending on the underlying cause of the bleeding. Additionally, hemoptysis tends to occur intermittently and recur sporadically, and there is no way to predict if patients with mild hemoptysis are at risk for massive hemoptysis. Diagnosing mild episodes is important as to prevent situations that could potentially erupt into something more serious.

Answer 2

Blood is not a normal thing to have in the airways of upper gastric tract. Blood when coughing suggests a sinister disease lurking.

Examples include;
1. Pulmonary Blood Clot - leads to hypoxia and tissue death
2. Ruptured blood vessel
3. Whopping Cough - although this is usually accompanied by vomiting

Get ur dad to a doctor or hospital ASAP or he will deteriorate very quickly

Answer 3

Coughing up blood in a heavy smoker is a very bad sign.There is always the possibility of lung cancer and more so in your dad's case.Tell him its only a checkup starting with an x-ray.Or you could lie to him that you are worried he has got Tuberculosis and that he wouldn't want to pass it on to his family members[TB presents with the same symptom].I dont know,just try to convince him somehow.Good luck.

Answer 4

The fact that he is coughing up blood IS the reason he should see a doctor ASAP! The fact that he is a smoker could indicate something very serious. I think he is afraid of what he might find out which is why he doesn't want to see a doctor. Please convince him to do so before it's too late.

Answer 5

He needs to see a doctor cause the fact that he is throwing up blood is a big sign he needs to go. The fact that he is coughing up blood would scare me. He needs to get checked out that he doesn't have lung cancer or something.

Answer 6

I feel very sorry while answering this question ...

I don't even want to say anything that makes any of us sad.

This is serious, and your dad needs to value his life a lot more, thats why he should go see a doctor.

And ... I am not answering this question to win the Best Answer. I just wish your dad well and hope for his betterment.

Answer 7

Try some cough drops!

Answer 8

Tell him that he could be suffering from T.B. and it's a communicable disease, if he don't see a doctor, he could pass the disease to the families. If he love the families, he will go to see a doctor.

Answer 9

Cancer of the lung. If caught early enough can be fully treatable.
Other lung disease that can be treatable. To make sure he isn't contagious and would pass something on to his family.

Answer 10

t.b. or hepitias, maybe even a ruptured blood vessel.