I had been coughing for weeks... maybe months.
After I took antibiotics, the cough persisted.
So Dear Hubby (DH) asked me to go to the hospital for an x-ray to check it out. I was reluctant, as I had plenty of work that week. I had just come back from Shanghai on a work trip, there was lots of stuff to catch up on, and there was another trip next week which I had to prepare slides for. Also, it could be Shanghai's polluted air, or the haze here in Singapore that was causing the cough.
Still, on Wednesday, my work schedule cleared up, and I did find time that afternoon to go for an x-ray. The x-ray showed that my lungs were patchy, with white spots. The respiratory specialist wanted to give me an MC and stronger antibiotics, with an appointment for another check up the following week.
After collecting the medicine, I was in the car park when DH called again. He said he wasn't comfortable and asked me to go back for a scan. Grumbling a little, I did. The scan meant that I would get home late, and I missed my 2 babies (my boy Cutie, aged 8 and my girl Sweetie, aged 5).
The scan showed signs of tumours.
At that time, I still hadn't grasped the severity of the whole situation. "It could be tubercolosis" they told me.
DH was pretty depressed that evening.
The next day, we went to see a thoracic surgeon and a respiratory specialist. We did a biopsy and it was confirmed. The tumours were malignant. I had stage 4 lung cancer.
