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Greetings and welcome to my blog. I am hopeful that my journey will help others listen to their gut when they know something is wrong...and not stop searching until they have the answers. I invite anyone who has had a similar experience to share their story. Let's band together to help save lives!
In 2003 my husband and I moved to a new home about 25 miles from our previous home. Within a few months I felt "not right" I was tired, had a general sense of being "not well"...My symptoms were vague and my husband chalked it up to "you're getting old...welcome to the club". I knew that was not it. I suspected a "sick house". Or perhaps the agriculture (our new home was in an area with more farming and open fields). Another bizarre symptom: I had itchy arms...not a little itchy...UNBEARABLE, wake-up-from-a-dead-sleep itchy. I tried everything including steroid creams (out of desperation as I try to use as few presciption drugs as possible). By 2005 I was certain I had cancer. Just knew it in my soul. I told several doctors (2 gp's, 3 dermatolgists). While none of them were completely dismissive they also did not take it very seriously. They ran extra blood-work, did pelvic ultra-sounds, asked me if I had annual mamograms (I did...and ultrasounds every other year). I visited many medical web sites and plugged in my symptoms...pick an illness...I fit into so many! I found an article about a plus-sized model who had itchy skin and was diagnosed with lymphoma...ran those tests...didn't have that! In 2008 my mamogram and ultrasound came back bad. I had a biopsy the next week and there it was: BREAST CANCER...had been growing fo 5-7 years...had gone undiagnosed for 5-7 years! Except I knew. I didn't know it was breast cancer but I knew. My first response was relief ...now I knew where it was. That was followed very quickly by the typical fear, shock and all the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis. So, my goal here is to help others. I invite anyone who has had an experience like mine to share their story...If one person gets an earlier diagnosis we have done our job!
4 comments:
That's weird. I knew I had cancer, deep inside I knew it, for at least two years before I was disagnosed. Not that I had symptoms, other than small petechiae on my belly and legs sometimes. I never said anything to anyone because there was absolutely no reason for me to have this conviction, and I didn't want people to think I was crazy. My daughter also somehow knew... a year before my diagnosis she had a dream of me changing clothes in front of her, and seeing "drops" of flesh-colored nodules hanging from my breasts and belly. I had a mastectomy with reconstruction, but I think it's back, now in my other breast and elsewhere. But I doubt the doctors will believe my convictions.
aliaHi there anonymous!
I think many doctors may not believe you...and some will. Most important is that you pursue what you need to do for your health and you peace of mind. Do you still see an oncologist? Do they test you on a regular basis? And, do you trust him/her?
I can tell you that I often have fear that my cancer is back...and I do not trust my intuition as much as I used to..but this is normal for survivors...How long has it been since your surgery/treatment?
I want to share my situation with you and get your advice. A few years ago, I began feeling ill. More and more frequently, I was staying home complaining of stomach aches, colds and headaches. It seemed like something was almost always wrong. My parents took me to doctor after doctor and had almost every test in the book ran, but nothing could explain the symptoms (in other words, nothing was ever diagnosed.) By my senior year of high school, I had a strong feeling in my gut that I had cancer. I cannot explain it, but I just know that it is there. Since then, my symptoms have only worsened. I am almost constantly sick, exhausted, and out of it. When I explain my symptoms to doctors, family or friends, they write it off as being "normal," but believe me, there is nothing normal about how I feel. I am only 20, so standing up to a doctor and demanding that he/she trust me when I say that I am very, very sick is not something I am comfortable with. Especially after they have run tests and found nothing to explain me symptoms. At this point, I am sad to admit that I would be relieved to be told that I have cancer. It would be like solving a puzzle that has been driving me nuts for years. My family does not listen to me anymore when I say that I do not feel well, because I "never feel well." I think that they believe I exaggerate or make up symptoms. I considered that for a while until realizing that it is simply not true. My symptoms are real, present every single day, and unexplainable. I know I have cancer. How can I find it?!
Katelyn...I wish I could answer that for you! I got lucky that a "routine" test finally caught it...Try to find a "Functional" doctor or a Naturopath (neither will be covered by insurance but if you are sure there is something wrong this could be a path to follow)...or Look for an MD who is a "DO"...they often are more systemic and are usually covered by insurance...Lastly, I was sick A LOT when I was your age (strep throat all the times...). Maybe it is not anything life threatening but DO trust your gut!! Wish I could offer more help...keep me posted!
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