munchkin
My grandfather died of stomach cancer when I was tiny and my mother died of gastric lymphoma. She had the chronic cough for almost twenty years. She was checked for lung cancer, cardiac insufficiency etc, without anyone discovering the cause. It didn't really incapacitate her, but sometimes she lost her most recent meal. Eventually, she had G.I. bleeding and developed shingles. She assumed the bleeding was caused by the shingles. About 9 months later the exploratory surgery revealed the cause. I wish I had known then what I know now.