Cancer Patients Reveal The Symptom That Made Them Think Something Might Be Wrong

2. "I was chewing crystal a lot! This was caller for me. My MD said it could beryllium due to the fact that of anemia, truthful helium gave maine a humor test. Yup, I had anemia. He wanted to cognize wherever my humor was going, truthful helium suggested a colonoscopy. I was not thrilled, but said, 'OK.' It came backmost affirmative for rectal cancer. I had radiation, chemotherapy, and 3 surgeries implicit the adjacent 18 months. Permanent colostomy now. But I'm alive! It's been 4+ years now. ALWAYS accidental 'yes' to tests your MD wants to run, particularly the dreaded colonoscopy (which, by the way, isn't that atrocious due to the fact that you're unconscious for it)!"

—Renee, Quora

6. "I had swollen glands successful my cervix that wounded severely to the touch, but otherwise, I did not consciousness sick. I assumed I conscionable had a seasonal bug, but it was thing similar I had ever experienced. One twelvemonth later, aft my diagnosis of uterine cancer, it was explained to maine that the lymph nodes tin swell up arsenic an aboriginal absorption to abnormal compartment activity, adjacent if elsewhere successful the body. About 3 months earlier my diagnosis, I started moving a low-grade fever, which was rather antithetic for me. I was unaware of it until I got my yearly flu shot, and my doc told maine to instrumentality successful a week erstwhile my fever was gone. The fever didn't spell away. Later, it was explained arsenic a 'cancer fever,' which immoderate radical get — different earthy defence mechanics of the body."

"Then, astir 2 months earlier my diagnosis, I started experiencing terrible little backmost symptom and pelvic cramps. That is what yet led maine to my ob-gyn. It was a tricky diagnosis. Even a biopsy did not bespeak cancer, but the doc decided to execute a D&C arsenic an other measure, and that is however the crab was found. Surgery and radiation were the attraction plans. That was 3 years ago. I conscionable had a PET SCAN, which showed I americium present cancer-free, but I stay nether surveillance for 2 much years."

—Jill Andrea Lambert, Quora

7. "My person Cathy was astir apt precocious 40s oregon aboriginal 50s. She and her hubby wanted to unrecorded disconnected the grid and enactment successful the satellite lone connected their terms. One day, she and her hubby came down the upland to visit; they lived 2 hours north. She mentioned that they were astir acceptable for her hubby to discontinue his job, and past they'd merchantability everything and commencement implicit successful different state."

"'Before I archer him to quit, I'd similar to get your opinion,' she said. 'Let’s spell into the bathroom. I privation to amusement you something.'

This wasn't thing I expected oregon anticipated. She lowered her pants and had maine look conscionable supra her buttocks. There was a three-inch maturation that resembled a worm. It was large, thick, and angry-looking.

'Don't fto him discontinue his occupation yet,' I said. 'You request a doc first. Do it portion you inactive person insurance.'

'What bash you deliberation it is?'

'That's mode supra my wage grade,' I said. I'm not aesculapian successful immoderate way, shape, oregon form.'

The adjacent week, she saw her superior attraction doctor, who turned her implicit to a specialist, which kind, I don't know.

'Thanks for telling maine to spot the doctor,' she said. 'He’s going to bent successful until we get to the bottommost of this.'

My person had anal cancer. Because she wanted to grip her healing herself, she went with a earthy attack and ate lone things with nary mothers and nary faces and watched lone aged screwball comedies connected TV. In 3 years, she went from an 85% endurance complaint to terminal. By the clip she went backmost to a 'normal’ doctor, she was inoperable and successful tremendous pain. Hospice wouldn't supply her with capable symptom medicine to power her pain. It was a horrible death.

In a nutshell, noticing thing antithetic needs to beryllium investigated. Only you truly cognize your body; support looking for answers."

—Lisa Dooley Fisk, Quora

9. "It was 2016. I started a walking program—10,000 steps daily. After six weeks, I noticed a nagging ache successful my little back. It persisted for astir 3 weeks, and I thought I'd pulled a muscle. I was besides an avid popcorn addict. One Saturday evening, I ate a container of microwave popcorn. By midnight, I was successful agony. I told my big girl (an RN) I was going to the ER to beryllium treated for diverticulitis — it runs successful my family. She told maine not to archer the ER my 'self-diagnosis,' and I said, 'Of people not. I’m going to archer him my symptoms, and he's going to archer maine I person diverticulitis.' I inactive retrieve the daze erstwhile the ER doc came successful and said, 'Well, I person immoderate atrocious news. It’s not diverticulitis (I had not mentioned the information to him). I’m definite it’s ovarian cancer, and we person a specializer coming successful to spot you. She'll beryllium present wrong a fewer hours. It was a Sunday morning. She was determination earlier 8 a.m."

"Today, I'm a six-year ovarian crab subsister due to the fact that it was detected early, assertive attraction was started immediately, and I had the enactment of my household and an unthinkable aesculapian team. (My oncologist is Dr. Hope! Isn't that the champion imaginable name?)"

—Laura Jones, Quora

10. "At 33, I did a self-exam aft taking a ablution and recovered a lump. It didn't look truly big, but capable successful size that I knew it was unusual. I was successful furniture with my then-husband and asked him if helium felt it. He did and said helium would telephone the doc the adjacent time and acceptable up an appointment. We had 3 tiny children successful simple school, truthful I got them up and disconnected to school. After they left, I did a double-check to marque definite I wasn't imagining things and recovered a overmuch larger lump connected the baseline of my breast. Breast crab runs successful my family, truthful I was beauteous definite what I recovered was bosom cancer. I tried to enactment upbeat until I got the authoritative diagnosis, but heavy down, I knew I was successful for a unsmooth road. I was close it was signifier 3 cancer. That was 22 years ago, and I'm inactive here."

"Five years later, I had different diagnosis of cancer, but it was caught early, and it was signifier one. I didn't consciousness that 1 — it was recovered connected a mammogram. But months before, I felt highly bushed and had occupation staying awake during the day. I ever wondered if that was a motion that thing wasn't close with my body. The tiredness got amended erstwhile my treatments were finished. Who knows. I americium blessed to beryllium present still, though!"

—Vicki Stevens, Quora

13. "I had a fungal corruption nether my thumbnail. It was nary large deal, but it was annoying due to the fact that it was unsightly and did not respond to immoderate medication, adjacent precise costly ones. I treated it for 8 months without results. During a regular exam, my PSA levels were high; upon retesting, they were normal, past a period later, they were precocious again. The suspicion was that I had prostate cancer, but an ultrasound revealed that I had bladder crab and a abstracted kidney cancer. Stage 3 for both. The removal of my kidney, 3 procedures to pain distant the bladder cancer, six rounds of chemotherapy, and heaps of MRIs and cystoscopies took a year. I person been cancer-free present for 10 years."

"The unusual portion was that contempt not being treated for the duration of my crab treatment, the fungus corruption healed up each by itself. That fungal corruption was the lone denotation that I had a superior problem."

—John Fenn, Quora

15. "During the past 4-5 years, I person had a adust cough a fewer times a year. I would cough for a fewer days, and past the cough would spell away. Finally, successful October 2022, I went to a doc to sermon my cough. She did an x-ray of my thorax and recovered a maturation betwixt my bosom and lung. Further probe (a fewer biopsies later) showed that I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The cardiovascular surgeon, pulmonologist, and oncologist each said that the coughing was astir apt caused by the tumor pressing against a nervus (I deliberation it's called the vagus nerve). Since starting chemotherapy, I nary longer person the cough."

"December 2023 UPDATE: One twelvemonth has passed. I had six months (12 infusions) of hard chemotherapy, and arsenic of the extremity of September 2023, I was told that the crab was successful remission."

—Richard, Quora

19. "On the time of my assemblage farewell party, I (20 then, present 22) distinctly retrieve asking my roommate, 'Do I look fat? I deliberation my belly is getting bigger; It feels tight.' After a month, I started facing problems with breathing; I thought my asthma was backmost (I had a past of puerility asthma). I (with my mom) went to a doctor, saying I felt uncomfortable and my tummy looked big. He told my mother, 'You cognize today's generation, they slumber late, aftermath up late, don't devour connected time. It's conscionable acidity, madam.' Boom, 1 week later, I was diagnosed with 3rd signifier ovarian cancer. It was a kilogram of tumor. My periods were precise regular and I had nary aboriginal symptoms. I counsel you to get yourself checked for cancer. It truly is precocious erstwhile you're diagnosed."

—Dyk, Quora

20. "I honestly didn't announcement the ones that should person been obvious: fatigue and nighttime sweats. To beryllium honest, adjacent if I had seen those symptoms listed somewhere, I wouldn't person expected that astatine property 22, non-Hodgkins lymphoma would beryllium the cause. Then, 1 Saturday morning, arsenic I attempted to determination my bowels, the tumor perforated my intestine, releasing half-digested nutrient into my gut. This is called peritonitis and is equivalent to a burst appendix. The symptom was immediate, intense, and capable to get maine to an exigency room. Thirteen weeks later, I had completed chemotherapy AND my bachelor's degree. I'm 58 now."

—Curt Wiederhoeft, Quora

21. "I was exceptionally tired. The tiredness was similar thing I had ever felt successful my 42 years; it made maine consciousness sick to my stomach. I was besides pale, though I didn't recognize it until idiosyncratic asked maine if I was ill. The astir evident motion was bleeding erstwhile I utilized the bathroom. It had started arsenic an occasional spot/drop successful my underwear (Had I scratched myself? Was it vaginal spotting?). Later, determination was a humor spatter successful the toilet. I yet had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with colon crab (I assumed I was excessively young — not astatine all, it turns out). Had country and chemo. That was 21 years ago."

"But, 4 years aft that cancer, I was diagnosed with precise aboriginal ovarian cancer. It turns retired colon/ovarian/ bosom are related successful immoderate people. That crab had nary symptoms. It was recovered due to the fact that I knew the transportation betwixt the 3 cancers and did assertive follow-up. The doc spotted an ovarian tumor truthful tiny that it couldn't beryllium felt if helium were to analyse the ovary. Turns retired my peritoneum was loaded with tiny tumors. Lesson: colon crab w/symptoms saved my life. I ne'er would person recovered the ovarian if I hadn't been doing superior follow-up. That crab was 17 years ago."

—Kris Webb, Quora