About to get my first chest X-ray..

Hey everyone..
I recently developed viral bronchitis while i was back home staying with my parents, so my overly worried father wanted me to get a chest x-ray just to make sure everything is alright. I'm coughing quite a bit, and hes not from North America, so hes not familiar with the virus, so it is concerning him quite a bit. Anyways, I'm just wondering if anyone has ever gotten one of these, and if so, what does it actually show? I'm just worried that the past few years of marijuana smoking will correlate through the x-ray, and show to my father that i have some lung damage done through smoking. He knows i don't smoke cigarettes, but he has SORT OF caught me smoking green before, but the power of denial has blinded him from making the connection i guess haha. He knows i have friends that smoke green (the time i was caught, he thought it was just my buddy) so i'm just worried that the x-ray will confirm that i am a smoker. Now, i am 21 years old and live in a different city during the school year, but marijuana smoking is a VERY touchy subject in the Asian culture. As far as i know, my parents think weed is a drug, along the lines of cocaine, ecstasy, etc. so although i am somewhat independent now, id still like to keep that side of my life shielded away from them, as i dont want them to think i am a crackhead or something..

Anyways, sorry for the long post, but if anyone has any experience with getting chest x-rays, please let me know how it went! :)

not that i know of it should show fluid build up an inflammation due to the virus
i've smoked chronic for over 15 years and had caught pneumonia real bad and had inflammatory bronchitis at the same time it was real bad i told my doctor
i don't smoke anything and i also do not smoke cigs either nothing was mentioned by doctor or any staff member

on the other hand your an adult now time to let your nuts drop explain it to him and give the reason why and assure your family that you'll quit if and when you feel the tie is right i highly doubt they'll disown you for your adult decision
emphasize that alcohol i way more dangerous and highly addictive and it makes you smell and fat and cigs cause cancer the very disease that cannabis helps fight

Eh, for viral infections, a chest X-ray is usually not necessary; for bacterial TB and SOME pneumonia, it's needed, but viral? I'd steer clear if I were you.

Cannabis doesn't have any known links to lung cancer; its effects seem to be almost protective for the lungs. There might be a minor bit of barely perceptible difference (I don't want to say damage because at the rate you're smoking, there isn't likely to be any perceivable damage) but if anything does show up, the radiologist's report won't mention anything about smoking (cigarettes or weed). It's up to your own doctor to look at your patient history (what you have told him-or not told him- about your smoking habits) and decide what it looks like. I work in healthcare- you've really got nothing to worry about as far as your dad finding out.

Feel better!

You're 21 so you have doctor-patient confidentiality on your side. You can tell your doctor pretty much anything and they cannot disclose without your consent... Nothing to worry about :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Micsog

on the other hand your an adult now time to let your nuts drop explain it to him and give the reason why and assure your family that you'll quit if and when you feel the tie is right i highly doubt they'll disown you for your adult decision
emphasize that alcohol i way more dangerous and highly addictive and it makes you smell and fat and cigs cause cancer the very disease that cannabis helps fight

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If we're talking about Westerners, I'm with you. But generally speaking, Asian cultures are not individualistic, and disapprove of family members making choices that aren't in agreement with everyone, so I'd say that's a bad idea. :jointsmile:

thanks for the replies everybody..it has helped ease my mind a bit. N micsog, bigtopsfinn has it right haha. As much as id LIKE to tell my parents that i smoke weed, the difference in culture from the east to west is RIDICULOUS. Its basically all about face, and it wouldnt surprise me at all (actually, kind of expecting it..) if they kind of disowned me if they found out that i smoke green..especially if they knew i was a daily toker.

I totally feel ya...I have some family members that will always view MJ as a drug even though they have never even tried it!

But I wouldn't worry about the dr. Bigtopfinn was right about dr/patient confidentiality. Also, just smoking MJ is not going to show damage on your lungs especially at being 21. I've been smoking for about 15 years now and my dr. actually suggests it (obviously medical patient)....it's the nasty cigs that kill ya!

Good luck man! :jointsmile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Micsog

on the other hand your an adult now time to let your nuts drop explain it to him and give the reason why and assure your family that you'll quit if and when you feel the tie is right i highly doubt they'll disown you for your adult decision

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Good point. If you don't want an Xray you don't have to have one. Maybe you don't need to stress him out telling him about your recreation tho, Dad's kinda freak at that shit. Best wait for the right time, but you can let those gonads have a little more strength.

That time will come, so you best off prepare yourself how you will discuss this with your family. I am 57 and my Dad thinks I am full of shit using it and that it is bad for me. So we just avoid the topic. Kinda like my 23 year old who is still living at home. We avoid the issue topics unless I can use the ole "This is my house" shit.:D;)

EDIT: The tar in cannabis is the bad stuff for your lungs, you could not have smoked enough for it to show on xray in your short life.

I SEE I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS LIKE THAT I WOULD THINK ANY FATHER WOULD RATHER FIGHT THE WORLD THEN GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ANY REASON

^^
Yeah, well..i mean if it REALLY came down to it, I'm sure he'd still have my back sort of thing..

I was trying to figure out a good analogy for the situation that you could relate to, and i think i got one haha..I'm not American, so it MIGHT not be as i thought, but basically you could compare my parents' view on weed the same way a HARDCORE republican would. That kinda works..i think? haha..

You really can't tell much from a chest xray unless its really bad and you have emphysema. And it would take decades to show up. I'm considering doing the same thing. I'ver never smoked tobacco products but have smoked herb off and on for over 40 years. Most reports I've read about so far they haven't found any signs in the lungs of people that smoke herb.

I am 3rd generation American and my family came from primarily European countries. So I can't really sit in your shoes, in that regard. My family doesn't like that I am using marijuana for my pain, but all of the fentanyl and methadone the pain clinics are loading me up on don't work, but I can understand you that your parents probably couldn't understand that marijuana is a safer medicine than what is out there.

My recommendation to you (granted it's basically up to you to make your own decision for your life) is to definitely not disclose this to your parents while you are on a visit to them. Maybe you can mail them some information while you get home to your school. As for your appointment and x-ray, if there is no way to go in without your father, then I would advise not saying you smoke. I know that could lead to further problems. But you could follow up on stuff when you get home or you could call the doctor when you are alone and tell them the truth so they know confidentially. Make sure to tell them you don't want it discussed in front of anyone else.

I hope anything I've said helps. Most importantly I just wanted to let you know that I hear what you are saying about not being able to tell your parents that it's what you need and believe in. I understand it doesn't mean you believe it's right for you any less. And I know the cultures are very different so I wouldn't advise you to let them know.

Good luck and take it easy!

"Small acts of kindness can seem like huge acts of mercy to a person in pain." - Author Unknown