Hemoptysis

[Guest]

i'm a 36 yr. old male who coughed up blood last night for the first time. It was dark red and probably about a tablespoon or 2. I had some chest pains also, mainly a dull, tightness in the chest. I went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with Bronchialitis and told to stop smoking NOW. The xrays showed no sign of cancer according to the doctor. I have been smoking for 15 years now and the smoking has been the heaviest in the past 5 years. I also smoke marijuana regularly. I've made up my mind to stop smoking NOW. My question is: should I get a second oppinion? Have I already done irreversable damage....is it inevitable that I'm going to get lung cancer now because of my smoking history? What about the smoking of marijuana? If i completely stop smoking cigarrettes can I safely smoke marijuana occasionally?

[Guest]

I agree with the ER that you should stop smoking now. To answer your questions, yes you can get a second opinion and may benefit from seeing a pulmonologist. They can do tests to see what kind of damage has been done already by smoking. Although once the damage is done ,you can't reverse it, you can stop further damage from happening by no longer smoking. That includes marijuana. It is not inevitable that you will get cancer because you smoked and your risk of lung cancer will go down every year after you stop smoking. So you have everything to gain by stopping. Good luck!
[quote] i'm a 36 yr. old male who coughed up blood last night for the first time... [/quote]