MESOTHELIOMA SYMPTOMS

20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos the symptoms might decide to show up and make your life harsh and unsustainable.


You might wake up one day to:

• Shortness of breath
• Coughing
• Pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid
• Difficulty breathing and whistling sounds


These symptoms do not necessarily guarantee it is mesothelioma, but if there exists contact with asbestos, or the exposure to it is believed to have happened at some point, chances are high it could be cancer of the mesothelium.

Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs in the peritoneal cavity( near the appendix) and the symptoms are:


• Weight loss and abdominal swelling and pain due to fluid accumulation
• Deposits of fluid in the abdominal cavity
• Bowel obstruction,
• Unusual blood clotting
• Anemia
• Fever

If the cancer has spread, symptoms might be:


• Pain
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling of the face and neck and deformity


These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.
Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:


• chest wall pain
• fluid surrounding the lung
• shortness of breath
• fatigue or anemia
• wheezing, hoarseness, or rough cough
• blood coughed or spat out


In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.


Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:


• abdominal pain
• ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
• a mass in the abdomen
• problems with bowel function
• weight loss


In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:


• blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
• disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs


• jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• low blood sugar level
• pleural effusion
• pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
• severe ascites


A mesothelioma does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.