what is a stinging burning sensation in my right lung?

Question

I do cardiovascular daily. I do smoke about five cigarettes per day. I have smoked a marijuana cigarette daily for a few years. I got a chest exray last july which showed no disease. I have no chronic cough, no shortness of breath, sometimes wheezing when i sleep. i am 42 years old. the stinging comes and goes, i know i need to quit smoking- is this a sign of a serious problem

Answer 1

sounds like it. you should see a doctor who specializes in that subject. hope youre not sick though.

Answer 2

You should definitely schedule a visit with a pulmonologist. She or he will ask the right questions and schedule the right tests to determine whether there is something wrong with your lung.

Expect the tests to include another chest xray, of course. Bring a copy of the one from last July so that the specialist can look at it and compare the new one for changes. They will probably have you go for pulmonary function testing, which will take about an hour and is noninvasive. It's likely that, with your smoking history (and please - be honest with the doc about the marijuana), they will run blood tests for various things including cancer and blood clot indicators. They may even perform a bronchoscopy, for which you will be awake while the doctor puts a scope down your throat into your airways to take a look. These are usually done on an outpatient basis.

In answer to your last question: Yes, it could be a sign of a serious problem. "Stinging" is not a normal condition of the lungs. If the sensation really does stem from something pulmonary, it's probably in the airways - not in the actual lung tissue. It could be due to inflammation and irritation, in which case there are medications that the doc may prescribe that can reduce the inflammation. It's possible that you have little abrasions on the linings of your airways; this can happen from inhaling toxic substances - such as chemical fumes, sand, asbestos, and contaminates found in cigarettes.

Just because it *could* mean something serious doesn't mean that it *is* something serious. You don't say how long you've had this symptom, but it could be something left over from an old infection or something that's not really in the lung at all. Or maybe your tissues are just hypersensitive due to smoking and lots of heavy breathing (cardio!), without actually having a serious condition.

Whatever the problem is, I wish you luck - expecially with quitting smoking. That includes the daily joint. You don't smoke those with a filter, so you are inhaling tiny pieces of burning paper and plant fibers every time you take a puff. Think your lungs like that? Probably not.

Answer 3

I would definitely get it checked out with a doctor. Not being a doctor I don't know how serious it is. But you really do need to stop smoking.

Answer 4

If it happened just one time, I would've forgotten about it. If it happened twice in 10 years, same. Everybody has small muscle spasms, twitches, minor nerve pulses, etc. and they can occur anywhere in your body. No problem. Your living body is constantly trying to work normally as it was designed to do, depending on what it is exposed to. If exposed to poisons briefly, your body will react accordingly. You will smell or sense something immediately, then you will decide what to do based upon the collection of messages that your brain has received from this external stimulus. For example, you pump gas into your car, and you suddenly smell strong fumes. What is your first reaction? I think your brain immediately receives a message from internal pulmonary sensors to seek fresh air. Cigarettes are man-made and mass-produced using tobacco as its base ingredient. Most smokers cannot tell you what has been added to their brand of cigarettes. Neither do the cigarette-makers advertise it. When they were required by law to place health warnings (and primarily pregnancy warnings) on each pack some years back, they wanted in return to remove the tar and nicotine level notices that up until then were required by law. They got their way. And the tar and/or nicotine levels have steadily increased for most major-brands every year for the past 8 or more years. Making smokers more addicted, making it even harder to quit, making more money for makers of quitting-smoking products, making more money for doctors, making it easier for teenagers to get hooked. Everytime you spend money on cigarettes you support all these things. Do your lungs really care about the history of tobacco commerce from 1920-1990? No. They just continually work for you as designed. Now try holding your breath for one minute. You should be able to clock-in at least 30-45 seconds before feeling uncomfortable, maybe even a whole minute with no urgent messages being sent to your brain. Your right lung is sending messages to your brain. It is saying, "Attention to this area." So now you must exercise your free will. You and only you decide what you need to do. So far, you have sent a message to us out here in cyberland. I used to smoke and felt poisoned and quit before I tried to figure it all out. I just quit. It was only temporarily uncomfortable while going thru the quitting stages. Even 4-5 months after completely quitting, my lungs were still sore and sending me messages as such. But after about 6-7 months, those messages from my lungs were replaced with good deep clean messages - there were days when it was almost like a rush because I realized what it meant! So..... quit smoking cigarettes daily, listen to your body, don't try to convince yourself that working-out fixes everything, swim, walk or jog outdoors away from city streets, walk instead of drive, do breathing exercises, open your mind to new habits, consider the idea of healing yourself without a doctor, be good to yourself, smile at everybody, care about children and elderly people, eat as organically as possible, take vitamins, enjoy life. Try to enlongate your life, not shorten it. Keep an open mind but be careful so as to protect yourself. Practice moderation. I don't have all the answers and don't know you but I would say the same things to a good friend. I hope this gives you some inspiration. I am a 47 year old male from Kentucky, by the way. Good Luck.

Answer 5

I was a smoker and had chronic bronchitis. This was usually one of the first signs that it was flaring up. GO see a doctor ASAP.

Answer 6

Don't listen to these goofises. Only your doctor can tell after examining you.

Answer 7

Only your Dr. can diagnose that. What I am imagining is not good. Book an appointment with your Dr. ASAP.

Answer 8

yea..you should get that checked out again.

Answer 9

lung cancer

Answer 10

cancer