To ask wtf do I do now?!

[Anxiousally]

Been coughing up blood since a chest infection before Christmas. Had a pain in my back too. I now have clear phlegm with streaks of blood occasionally when I cough. I'm 20 weeks pregnant.
Went to GP this afternoon and told him my symptoms and he said we'll do an xray to rule out lung cancer and a blood clot on the lung. DH came with me and said to the Dr could it be to do with the asprin she's taking (he's been trying to help my anxiety for the past month saying it's probably to do with the asprin) the Dr then checked my records and said he hadn't realised I was pregnant and that he won't send me for xray as it was only to reassure me and that lung cancer is very unlikely at my age and to go back if my symptoms get worse.

Now my anxiety is in overdrive I feel like I'm worse off than when I went in 😣

Have you given your local maternity unit a call? They should be of more help to you than your GP

I would personally complain about the fact your GP hadn't checked your notes and seen you were pregnant.

I would also go and see a different doctor for a different opinion

I'll give the midwifery team a call tomorrow but they usually just say see your gp so it's difficult!

I would see another GP. Coughing up blood should never be ignored, and you have been doing so for a month now. It could be pleurisy or something, that can cause pain like you describe.

But yes, see another GP and call your midwife as well

I had this last winter. I had recovered from the flu but had been left with a nasty cough and coughed up blood. I wasn’t pregnant so was obviously ok to have a chest X-ray. All was ok, turned out I had probably torn delicate tissue whilst coughing.

I think my anxiety is making things worse I was just so relieved when he said about having an xray I didn't realise they could be dangerous when pregnant.

I'm not sure there is much I can do. X rays increase the chances of childhood cancers etc I wouldnt want to do that.

A chest X-ray is very minimal radiation tbh and would outweigh the risk if it's going to be useful diagnostically. However it will not show up a clot - that would require a ct or vq scan. I don't know what other signs and symptoms you have so I would suggest another visit to the gp (or a different one) to discuss this.

It's common to have a bit of blood when you've been coughing a lot. I wouldn't worry too much. Once the cough has gone I'm sure you'll be fine

I had to have a chest x-ray whilst pregnant and they used a very heavy wrap type thing to cover my bump. I can’t remember all the info they gave me but it wouldn’t have affected baby as they used the wrap.

You say you were coughing up blood (when you were more poorly) and now it is clear phlegm with a few streaks of blood.
Sounds like you're on the mend. Go back if you cough up blood like you did before.

Please get this investigated properly. Coughing up blood during pregnancy is a big indicator for pulmonary embolism. If the blood is lessening it might mean you're on the mend, but it might not.

A PP mentioned that you'll need a CT or VQ scan which is correct, however if your Trust follows the same guidelines as mine you must have a chest X-Ray first to rule out a chest infection.

The risk of childhood cancer from radiology investigations in pregnancy is tiny compared to the risk of doing nothing when there might be a blood clot in your lung. And there are ways to minimise the dose to the baby and make it as safe as possible so please don't ignore this. Good luck and hope you get better soon.

I didn't realise the pain in upper back was also a symptom of the blood clot. It's not alot of blood at all but I'm panicking now. Do you think it's ok to leave while tomorrow or should I call tonight.
I seriously wonder why when people post about their symptoms online they don't just see a GP but now I'm doing it myself!!!

I had the same last year. Ended up having 4 x-rays and a CT scan, along with 4 courses of antibiotics from end of September to ensnare of December.

I was convinced it was lung cancer. Nope just a persistent chest infection. So please don't worry, I was told there would be other symptoms if it was.

The good news is that both a chest infection and a PE are totally treatable. But only if you get the right diagnosis! Get in touch with your local pregnancy assessment unit as soon as you can. If you can't get any useful information from them call 111.