My wife had her first chemotherapy for stage 4 lung cancer 2.5 weeks ago. Over the last 24 hours hercough mucus had contained small amounts of blood. Should I be concerned? As she is playing it down and we are aware that blood in mucus is not an uncommon effect post-chemotherapy.
Hi PTSDhubby,
My name is Jamie, I’m one of the nurses on the support line.
Unfortunately, on this platform we are not able to determine the cause or potential seriousness of symptoms. Only someone that is able to properly assess your wife would be able to do this. As she has recently had chemotherapy her first option should be to contact her treatment team on the 24 hour chemotherapy helpline that she should have been given at the start of treatment. Failing this, NHS 111 would be able to triage her over the phone and arrange review or care if needed.
We understand that many people are reluctant to contact their treatment teams to report new symptoms. However, teams would always rather be informed of any change in an individual’s condition or symptom as this gives them the chance to arrange help and support early if needed.
For this reason, we would strongly urge your wife to contact her hospital’s 24 hour chemotherapy telephone line tonight to be assessed.
