A lung cancer patient had no respiratory symptoms before his diagnosis — just an odd swelling in his fingertips.
Brian Gemmell, a fitness instructor from Scotland, went to see his doctor after noticing his fingertips had swollen — a phenomenon called finger clubbing. That trip allowed medical professionals to get to the root of the issue: lung cancer. Now, Gemmell is urging others to err on the side of caution when it comes to their health.
“Go and see your doctor if you’ve got anything that you’re concerned about – that’s what a [doctor] is for,” he told The Mirror UK. “Go as soon as you can.”
Finger clubbing, or nail clubbing, itself isn’t a problem, per Cleveland Clinic. It’s not painful and on occasion, it can occur without an underlying cause. However, clubbing is most often associated with lung cancer and infections, so it is worthwhile to be examined by a doctor, the clinic’s post reads.
To determine if you have nail clubbing, you can conduct what’s called the Schamroth window test, per Medscape. Press two fingernails on opposite hands together and hold them up in front of you. If you can’t see a sliver (usually a diamond shape) of empty space between your two fingers, there may be cause for concern.
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Stock image of nail
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Gemmell shared his lung cancer journey in a testimonial for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, an organization for which he’s a staunch advocate. He noted that he had no “common” signs of lung cancer, like breathlessness or restricted breathing.
“I googled it — as you do — and a respiratory problem flagged up,” he wrote. “I went to my [doctor] and he sent me for a chest x-ray that same day.”
The x-ray technician then sought help from a radiographer, who sent Gemmell for a CT scan — which showed an “advanced tumour in my right lung,” he wrote. The medical professionals surrounding Gemmell had differing opinions, but a surgeon insisted on removing his right lung completely.
Gemmell praised his doctor for his quick recognition of the symptom’s cause, writing that his expertise coupled with his decisiveness “ultimately saved my life.” However, awareness is just as crucial, Gemmell wrote, as doctors can only diagnose a problem if it’s brought before them.
“People think lung cancer is a death sentence. That’s not surprising with the current survival statistics,” Gemmell wrote. “But it doesn’t have to be. I’m proof that it doesn’t have to be. But it’s not going to just happen. The right people have to make it happen. They have to make it a priority.”
Read the original article on People