Fluid on the lung and it NOT be cancer?

[Ozgirl75]

My dad is 78, lifelong non smoker, very healthy, no health issues at all apart from asthma which is well managed.
A couple of weeks ago he started feeling breathless, went to Dr and they found his lung was full of fluid. He went on antibiotics and is no longer breathless and feels fine. No other symptoms of cancer apart from a cough which he has had for years with the asthma.
The hospital drained 1200ml of fluid off his lung which was cloudy and straw coloured and have sent it off for examination.
We’re obviously all stressing that it’s cancer so I wondered if anyone had experienced this and it NOT be cancer - maybe pneumonia? His heart apparently is fine.

Hmm my family member has lung cancer and has just had 1200 ml of fluid drained from their lung due to a chest infection (nothing to do with the cancer)

They are also a lifelong non smoker - just fricking unlucky

So could just be a a chest infection?

Thank you - well he had a CT scan yesterday so now we just wait…. He says he’s fine, no breathlessness, minimal cough (and that’s just his normal asthma cough) no pain or weight loss.

My DM had fluid drained off the lungs and it was put down to heart failure, which sounds quite scary but people can live with for many years. Hope it's something more straightforward for your DF.

Thank you @TheKneesOfTheBees - my mum said they had checked his heart and it was ok as my google research tells me that’s the most likely cause of fluid on the lungs.

Fluid on the lungs can mean 2 things. Is it pulmonary oedema or plural effusion. I would imagine it's the 2nd as he had it drained.

Plural effusions can have many causes op. Heart disease, pericarditis, pe, lupus, kidney disease, pneumonia, liver cirrhosis, yes some cancers, multiple conditions that causes the immune system to over react, kidney related disease. I could actually list more.

Until all bloods, scans and tests on the fluid are back, you won't know. I know it easier said than done, but please don't let yourself run away with something really frightening before you have the full picture. So good that he is feeling better with no other symptoms at the moment.