It’s so important to listen to your body when it tells you something is wrong.
Being diagnosed with cancer is one of the scariest things imaginable.
But a cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
There is hope for recovery, especially with early detection.
That’s why it’s so important to listen to your body when it tells you something is wrong.
“I noticed that every time I ate, I had to poo.
I really didn’t think anything about it until I did some hard drinking one weekend.
On Tuesday, I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a swollen pancreas and esophageal bleeding.
I was admitted to the hospital and then found I had Stage III pancreatic cancer.
It took me four years and 119 lbs, but I’ve been cancer-free for 3 1/2 years.”
HCKrod314, Quora
2.
“I was chewing ice a lot!
This was new for me.
My MD said it could be because of anemia, so he gave me a blood test.
Yup, I had anemia.
He wanted to know where my blood was going, so he suggested a colonoscopy.
I was not thrilled, but said, ‘OK.’
It came back positive for rectal cancer.
I had radiation, chemotherapy, and three surgeries over the next 18 months.
But I’m alive!
It’s been 4+ years now.
Renee, Quora
3.
“My Mom gave me a shirt as a gift.
I’d noticed it weeks before and was ignoring it.
She said, ‘You make an appointment with my dermatologist right now!’
You don’t argue with my Mom.
The doctor cut it out immediately, and the pathologist’s report came back: malignant melanoma.
Luckily, it was in situ (editor’s note: meaning it hadn’t spread).
My mother gave me life, again.”
Winter, Quora
4.
“I had a throbbing sensation at the back of my head.
It began happening more and more frequently, so I went to see my nurse practitioner.
The MRI revealed an almost 4cm brain tumor in my cerebellum.
I had my third tumor removed on 10/2023.
So far, so good!
The Lord has blessed me time after time!”
Keri Marlar, Quora
5.
At first, they tested for diabetes, but that wasn’t it.
Daniel Singer, Quora
6.
I assumed I just had a seasonal bug, but it was nothing like I had ever experienced.
The fever didn’t go away.
That is what ultimately led me to my ob-gyn.
It was a tricky diagnosis.
Surgery and radiation were the treatment plans.
That was three years ago.
Jill Andrea Lambert, Quora
7.
“My friend Cathy was probably late 40s or early 50s.
She and her husband wanted to live off the grid and participate in the world only on their terms.
One day, she and her husband came down the mountain to visit; they lived two hours north.
“‘Before I tell him to quit, I’d like to get your opinion,’ she said.
‘Lets go into the bathroom.
I want to show you something.’
This wasn’t something I expected or anticipated.
She lowered her pants and had me look just above her buttocks.
There was a three-inch growth that resembled a worm.
It was large, thick, and angry-looking.
‘Don’t let him quit his job yet,’ I said.
‘You need a doctor first.
Do it while you still have insurance.’
‘What do you think it is?’
‘That’s way above my pay grade,’ I said.
I’m not medical in any way, shape, or form.'
‘Thanks for telling me to see the doctor,’ she said.
‘Hes going to hang in until we get to the bottom of this.’
My friend had anal cancer.
In three years, she went from an 85% survival rate to terminal.
By the time she went back to a ‘normal doctor, she was inoperable and in tremendous pain.
Hospice wouldn’t provide her with enough pain medication to control her pain.
It was a horrible death.
In a nutshell, noticing something unusual needs to be investigated.
Only you really know your body; keep looking for answers.”
Lisa Dooley Fisk, Quora
8.
“I had a sharp pain in my left breast throughout one day last summer.
I never had this before or since.
But this pain made me think I should check my breasts as I never do.
Surgery, chemo, radiotherapy, and injections…and I’m back at work nine months later.
Hoping all will be well.”
Nicolette Loftus, Quora
9.
“It was 2016.
I started a walking program10,000 steps daily.
After six weeks, I noticed a nagging ache in my lower back.
It persisted for about three weeks, and I thought I’d pulled a muscle.
I was also an avid popcorn addict.
One Saturday evening, I ate a bag of microwave popcorn.
By midnight, I was in agony.
She told me not to tell the ER my ‘self-diagnosis,’ and I said, ‘Of course not.
Im going to tell him my symptoms, and he’s going to tell me I have diverticulitis.’
Its not diverticulitis (I had not mentioned the condition to him).
Im certain its ovarian cancer, and we have a specialist coming in to see you.
She’ll be here within a few hours.
It was a Sunday morning.
(My oncologist is Dr. Hope!
Isn’t that the best possible name?)”
Laura Jones, Quora
10.
“At 33, I did a self-exam after taking a shower and found a lump.
It didn’t seem really big, but enough in size that I knew it was unusual.
I was in bed with my then-husband and asked him if he felt it.
He did and said he would call the doctor the next day and set up an appointment.
We had three small children in elementary school, so I got them up and off to school.
Breast cancer runs in my family, so I was pretty sure what I found was breast cancer.
I was correct it was stage 3 cancer.
That was 22 years ago, and I’m still here.”
I didn’t feel that one it was found on a mammogram.
But months before, I felt extremely tired and had trouble staying awake during the day.
I always wondered if that was a sign that something wasn’t right with my body.
The tiredness got better once my treatments were finished.
I am blessed to be here still, though!”
Vicki Stevens, Quora
11.
“All I had was a mouth ulcer.
I went to see my GP and three weeks later was diagnosed with carcinoma.
Sadly, my cancer had been growing for months inside the muscle of my tongue.
I’ve heard stories about animals sensing cancer and other illnesses but never really believed it until now!”
Lyndsey Chapman, Quora
12.
“For five years, I had occasional bright red blood in my poop.
Dr. Google said I had hemorrhoids, so I never thought much about it after that.
It was only when I developed uterine cancer that the CT scan showed a 4cm tumor in my colon.
Never, EVER trust Dr. Google and get any bleeding checked, no matter how small.”
Shelley Heich, Quora
13.
“I had a fungal infection under my thumbnail.
I treated it for eight months without results.
Stage 3 for both.
I have been cancer-free now for ten years.”
That fungal infection was the only indication that I had a serious problem.”
John Fenn, Quora
14.
“Not me, but my husband.
I noticed that his breath had become unpleasant.
The problem increased until his breath was foul.
I insisted he see a dentist, and the dentist found no problem with his mouth.
The doctor sent him for some tests that are routine for a man of his age.
When the test results came back, she sent him for a biopsy on his prostate.
The test results could have indicated cancer or only an infection.
The biopsy proved that he had prostate cancer.
After the surgery, his breath returned to normal.”
Pam Johnson, Quora
15.
“During the last 4-5 years, I have had a dry cough a few times a year.
I would cough for a few days, and then the cough would go away.
Finally, in October 2022, I went to a doctor to discuss my cough.
She did an x-ray of my chest and found a growth between my heart and lung.
Further investigation (a few biopsies later) showed that I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Since starting chemotherapy, I no longer have the cough.”
“December 2023 UPDATE: One year has passed.
Richard, Quora
16.
“The very first symptom was pain in my lower abdomen.
It came and went, and I convinced myself it wasn’t serious.
On some level, though, I knew something was wrong.
This went on for a couple of years.
I began to lose weight uncontrollably.
I blamed it on how much exercise I was doing.
I started eating more.
I stopped being very active and still became scarily skinny.
I thought it was weird that my pants felt so snug around my waist.
It was because of the skinniness that I saw it.
I went to the ER because it freaked me out.
They referred me to an oncologist.
It was a huge (20x10cm) tumor on my right ovary (mucinous adenocarcinoma).
That is how I first noticed my ovarian cancer.
Tiger Lily, Quora
17.
I asked his doctor about it and only got a strange look.
After three years of this, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The odor disappeared after surgery cured him of cancer.”
Ann Ette, Quora
18.
I got it sampled, and it was breast cancer.
Patricia Marshall, Quora
19.
I think my belly is getting bigger; It feels tight.’
It’s just acidity, madam.'
Boom, one week later, I was diagnosed with third stage ovarian cancer.
It was a kilogram of tumor.
My periods were very regular and I had no early symptoms.
I advise you to get yourself checked for cancer.
It really is late when you’re diagnosed.”
Dyk, Quora
20.
“I honestly didn’t notice the ones that should have been obvious: fatigue and night sweats.
This is called peritonitis and is equivalent to a burst appendix.
The pain was immediate, intense, and enough to get me to an emergency 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.
I was also pale, although I didn’t realize it until someone asked me if I was ill.
The most obvious sign was bleeding when I used the bathroom.
It had started as an occasional spot/drop in my underwear (Had I scratched myself?
Was it vaginal spotting?).
Later, there was a blood spatter in the toilet.
Had surgery and chemo.
That was 21 years ago.”
“But, four years after that cancer, I was diagnosed with very early ovarian cancer.
It turns out colon/ovarian/ breast are related in some people.
That cancer had no symptoms.
It was found because I knew the connection between the three cancers and did aggressive follow-up.
Turns out my peritoneum was loaded with tiny tumors.
Lesson: colon cancer w/symptoms saved my life.
I never would have found the ovarian if I hadn’t been doing serious follow-up.
That cancer was 17 years ago.”
Kris Webb, Quora
Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.
