With November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month, local physician Dr. Patti Wheeler encourages residents to get a screening.
Wheeler said because of where Highlands is located geographically, lung health is important.
“When we live at this altitude, we notice it more than people who live at sea level,” Wheeler said. “We have friends that come up from Florida and Atlanta that may notice a difference even when they are walking to their home or walking up the hill on Main Street.”
The diseases that Wheeler said she sees on a daily basis are asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, COPD and COVID-19.
“One of the main things you can do to prevent these diseases is not to smoke,” Wheeler said. “You can also avoid respiratory irritants like smoke from a wood fire, or when someone works in an environment where there is a lot of foul smelling or irritative airways. Also, trying to stay healthy in general; trying to eat right and exercise.”
Wheeler said she has noticed an uptick in teen vaping.
“In my opinion, vaping is worse than cigarettes because so much of the younger population is doing it,” Wheeler said. “We don’t know what is in vape juice. Younger people may not have been made aware of how serious of an issue this is.”
If there is a family history of lung cancer, Wheeler said it makes the risk worse.
“Even for people who have never been smokers, if there is a family history of lung cancer, they are at risk,” Wheeler said. “There are people who get lung cancer who have never smoked. Being around irritants like petroleum products and working in a place where there are direct irritants can give problems.”
According to Wheeler, certain insurance companies will provide a low dose CAT scan that screens for lung cancer.
“This screen is a low dose radiation exposure, so it is not like having a CT scan,” Wheeler said. “It is just a small screening to make sure there are no nodules that might be in there that you can’t see on a regular chest x-ray. Medicare does that yearly and so does Blue Cross Blue Shield. Most of the other insurance companies pay for that too. It is paid for if you have been a smoker and you have quit within the last 15 years. They have to have a 30-pack year history.”
Highlands-Cashiers Hospital does provide the lung screenings, and Wheeler said it is important to get one because symptoms might not be noticed early enough.
“There aren’t many signs or symptoms of lung cancer until it is too late,” Wheeler said. “This low dose screening is a great way to catch something early on. I think a lot of people think if you have lung cancer that you are coughing up blood or having trouble breathing but normally you don’t have much in the way of symptoms.”
If you have any additional questions about the Low Dose Lung Screening Program, call 828-213-7543.
- By Christopher Smith