I've had a cough for a long time, I'm unfortunately a smoker. Lately, my lung have an over abundance of phlem, and if I lay on my left side, the wheezing and popping are waking me up at night. I've had coughs that are edged with what sometimes looks either brown, or dark red. And lately, on my left side, I get these sharp pains on both my chest and back. It's very weird pain, never had them before. Is it possible to get an answer in my email? >no -- email address removed per site rules< I've looked up symptoms of lung cancer, and I'm very worried. I'm also worried about going to my doctor about this. The wheezing and popping has gotten so loud, my wife can't sleep with me, I wake her up

Well, you can wait and get sicker and sicker and sicker and then be incurable and die, or you can go to the doctor now and find out what is going on.

No one can make you quit smoking, but surely you know by now all the ways it kills. Lungs, heart --- the list goes on. There is no reason to keep waiting to go to a doctor, and there is no point in being diagnosed and treated if you don't quit. Yes, it's going to be difficult. Your choice. Even lungs heavily clogged with tar can recover if it's done in time. You can start with a patch.