Emma Herring (22) suffered from chest pains since April of last year and so repeatedly sought medical help. However, she claims that her experts have given her the wrong diagnosis several times, because her symptoms did not seem that serious considering her young age and attributed them to anxiety states, writes a diary.
However, it turned out that Emma was suffering from stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while she was told the devastating news by phone while she was at work. Further examinations revealed 7 cm tumor in the chest, 4 cm tumor in the throat and the fact that the blood cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes.
“I have been suffering from chest pains since April. I made an appointment with my GP where they told me it was probably anxiety. When my condition did not improve after some time, I called the medical advice number, where they told me to go to the emergency room for an EKG. However, they didn’t do an EKG and concluded that I probably pulled a muscle during a panic attack. I have a history of anxiety, but I didn’t even mention that I had a panic attack, so I don’t know where it came from,” she explained.
“They did an x-ray in August and they saw a mass. They prescribed antibiotics for suspected pneumonia, because given my age they ruled out cancer. About 6 weeks in, my blood tests were completely out of whack and stuff this time they mentioned arthritis. I was a little confused as to why they mentioned arthritis when I complained of chest pains at the age of 22. After another X-ray and CT examination in November they called me at work and told me it was cancer,” zoomed in.
The doctors explained to Emma that this was the most advanced stage it could be, so she immediately started intensive chemotherapy. However, due to the aggressive nature of her diagnosis, treatment was prolonged and Emma, who is a natural redhead, lost her vibrant mane within three weeks. “My hair was my identity and I wasn’t prepared for how quickly it happened. I also did not have the option to freeze my eggs and there is a chance that I could end up infertile. Due to the aggressiveness of my cancer, we had to start chemotherapy right away, so they didn’t have time to do it for me,” she revealed.
“This whole experience affected me not only mentally, but also physically. My mother has to help me out of the shower, and I’m only 22 years old. I never expected to get cancer, especially not at this age. I finally got to the happy stage of my life, I had my own apartment and now I lost everything. I live with my parents, I spend whole weeks in the hospital. I used to like going out with my friends, but now my life is on hold,” she admitted.
“I take each day as it comes – there are good days and bad days and I try to approach the bad days positively. I realized that fear, worry or sadness won’t change anything, so I try to be positive. I just want others to be aware of the signs and if something doesn’t seem right to them, not to be afraid to bother like I did,” she concluded.
