27 Year-old woman died one day after cancer diagnosis, symptoms dismissed as 'hormonal'

[Ms. Toad]

17. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago with a very aggressive cancer.

Last edited Fri Jan 7, 2022, 09:12 PM - Edit history (1)

It was diagnosed at kidney-bean size. 90% of this type of cancer is diagnosed at golf-ball sized or larger -because that is the criteria for screening for it. Most are removed at anywhere from tennis ball to volleyball size - at which time they have nearly all metastasized, which accounts for a mortality in the range of 50% at 5 years.

Even after diagnosis and surgery to remove it, when I had to make an appointment because of an apparent regrowth (of this cancer which regrows more often than not), they did not want to make an appointment because the potential regrowth was not yet bigger than a golf ball.

That's on the tail end of the crappy, "let's not listen to the patient" end of my tale.

Back at the beginning

I've been watching this thing since 2014.

The first doctor told me I was being ridiculous, and rather than doing a biopsy he require me to make a second appointment for a punch biopsy (a trivial procedure that most dermatologists do immediately with suspicious skin lesions).

When the pathology report came back, I researched the skimpy report and found some troubling characteristics.

That same doctor refused to get answers to my questions from the pathologist, forcing me to make an appointment with the pathologist to get the answers I needed.

The pathologist confirmed the troubling characteristics - and added two to the list (4 out of the 5 bad signs, IIRC, which suggest that the tumor I have should be treated as pre-cancerous.)

Back to my regular dermatologist (I only saw the insta-doc because the lesion was growing too rapidly to wait for my regular dermatologist). She excised regrowths in the same area 3 more times between 2014 and 2020.

In November 2020 - she excised another regrowth (humoring me, but certain it was nothing). On December 4, 2020 (to her surprise, but not mine) I was diagnosed with myxofibrosarcoma.

It is ONLY because I demanded an excision, and ONLY because I repeatedly demanded excisions of any regrowth, that I was diagnosed at a stage where my prognosis is probably closer to 90% at 5 years than 50%.


The icing on the cake - my BIL was just diagnosed with a related, very aggressive cancer, after his doctor twice refused to excise the spot he was concerned about. She finally agreed because he kept picking at it. His prognosis is far worse than mine because his doctor didn't pay attention to his concerns, and he didn't demand it. While I was typing this out, I got the call that his has metastasized. Damn. The location plus metastasis dramatically decreases his chances of survival. He will now be seen by my current doctors, rather than the incompetent boobs who refused to take him seriously..

Doctors who do not take patients seriously can dramatically shorten the lives of their patients. The problem is dramatically worse with "female problems" . . . I have a story about that too. But dismissing concerns runs across the board. It also killed my FIL (bladder cancer which was ignored by his doctors for more than a year).

Don't EVER let a doctor tell you there is nothing wrong with you, when you know there is. Find another doctor, and another, and another until someone listens.

And on that note, I'm heading home to see how my spouse is doing - and to wait for a call from her sister (who will have more medical specific advice about my BIL). 2022 is off to a rip-roaring start.