Mesothelioma Symptoms: What to Watch For

Mesothelioma symptoms present themselves in the chest and abdominal
cavities, hence the terms "pleural" and "peritoneal" mesothelioma.
Pleural refers to the chest cavity, while peritoneal refers to the
abdominal cavity. Although indications vary with the patient, most
people report the following mesothelioma symptoms discussed below.
Pleural mesothelioma symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea),
pain in the back or either side of the chest, a nagging cough, fever,
upset stomach, problems swallowing, a generalized weakness, and weight
loss. Fluid buildup in the lungs (called "effusion" in medical
terminology) occurs as well as thickening of the lungs' membranes,
which makes it difficult for the lungs to contract and expand when
breathing. Although none of these symptoms are rare, dyspnea and chest
pain are the predominant (ninety percent) presenting mesothelioma
symptoms. With peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms, sufferers report
swelling and pain in the abdominal area, nausea, loss of appetite and
consequent weight loss, diarrhea and/or constipation, vomiting,
swelling of the feet, anemia, and fatigue. These are caused by the
same effusion and thickening of the membranes as in the lungs, except
in peritoneal mesothelioma, the lining of the intestines and the
abdominal cavity – and sometimes the spleen and liver – are affected.
Bowel obstruction can also occur, as the tumor grows larger, in
addition to impaired breathing capacity if the tumor progresses upward
toward the lungs. The most common symptom that brings patients in for
initial treatment is a distended or bloated abdomen. Sixty percent of
patients inflicted with this type of asbestos cancer complain of
abdominal pain, which puts it at the top of leading peritoneal
mesothelioma symptoms. Mesothelioma symptoms may not become evident
until many years – sometimes up to fifty – after the first asbestos
exposure. Many people forget whether or not they've been exposed. This
and the relatively innocuous beginning signs are what make
mesothelioma symptoms so easy to overlook. These are a few of the
following trades in which the possibility exists that you have been
exposed to asbestos and should watch for mesothelioma symptoms:
Aerospace production Automobile manufacturing Building material
production Cement plant production Demolition and wrecking Insulation
manufacturing Packing and gasket manufacturing Protective clothing
manufacturing Refinery work Sheetmetal work and production Warehouse
work These are just a few areas of the labor force affected by people
who have contracted mesothelioma; there are many others, particularly
in the "blue-collar" occupations. It is important to research your
current or former work history to make sure any health problems you
may be experiencing are not mesothelioma symptoms. Because
mesothelioma symptoms mimic many other diseases and disorders, it is
often misdiagnosed by doctors or ignored by the patient. Many people
think they simply have the flu because of the initial symptoms of
stomach pain, nausea and/or vomiting, and maybe fever. Sometimes
mistaken for pneumonia, pleural adenocarcinoma, or malignant fibrous
histiocytoma by even highly trained specialists, it is important to
notify your treating physician if you experience any of the symptoms
and have ever been exposed to asbestos. In the case of peritoneal
mesothelioma, if weight loss is severely advanced at the time of
initial diagnosis due to physician misdiagnosis or from discounting
the symptoms, long-term survival can be questionable, even with newly
developed treatments. Even if you are wrong, it is never wise to
disregard what may, indeed, be mesothelioma symptoms.