Mesothelioma Patients

About Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer where the malignant cells form in areas within the human bodies like in the pleura (sac lining the chest), the peritoneum (lining of abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (lining around the heart). Prolonged exposure to asbestos either due to working in an asbestos factory or living in the vicinity of asbestos manufacturing facilities thereby becoming vulnerable to inhaling asbestos particles are said to be the cause of the disease.

Symptoms
Diagnosis often gets delayed due to the early symptoms being not very specific. The symptoms seen in the pleural mesothelioma patients are persistent cough accompanied with short breathing and chest pain- symptoms which are more akin to pneumonia. X-ray of the chest reveals accumulation of pleural fluid. Usually the patient’s right lung is affected. When mesothelioma occurs in peritoneum, the patient suffers from swollen abdomen due to accumulation of fluid accompanied with nausea, obstruction in the bowel, etc. With increased volume of fluid either in the lungs or in the abdomen, the mesothelioma patients feel increasing shortness of breath and mild to intense pain.

Suffering
One of the early symptoms most mesothelioma patients suffer from is pain which increases with progress of the disease. Mesothelioma patients also experience delirium towards the end stages of the disease. In pleural mesothelioma as the pleural fluids start building up, it causes in the mesothelioma patients pelvic or abdominal pain. Peritoneal mesothelioma also brings about similar pains. As the cancer spreads to adjoining areas like the ribs, muscles and chest walls, the pain becomes more severe. Bowel obstructions that occur in peritoneal mesothelioma patients also cause pain. Mesothelioma patients also suffer from fatigue due to various reasons like stress, loss of sleep and appetite or as a result of chemotherapy. Mesothelioma patients have to learn to live with this exhaustion. Irregular sleep is another reason for this fatigue.