Fifty-two years old Kerie Ivory suffers from neuroendocrine tumors of the small intestinewhich spread to the lymph nodes, liver, spine and ribs. However, according to her, the doctors told her that he has to wait until the tumors get bigger for further treatment. Neuroendocrine tumors are often slow-growing and difficult to detect, meaning patients can live with them for years before a diagnosis is made, the journal reported.
“It’s hard to live with slow-moving, creeping cancer,” said Kerie from Buckinghamshire. “I am constantly waiting for the tumors to grow to the point where I can get the treatment that is right for me. It is devastating to know that I have cancer and we are not treating it. With many other types of cancer, everything will be done. I am forced to live with this disease instead of removing it.” the woman confided. She adds that her children find it difficult to bear the knowledge that the disease will never completely disappear and that it may worsen at certain times and require intervention.
Doctors believe she may have lived with the cancer for four to four and a half years before it was discovered in 2012. The first symptom was a persistent coughwhich was repeatedly misdiagnosed as a cold, asthma, reflux or mucus flow. According to her, despite repeated visits to the doctor, they assured her that it was not cancer. Blood tests later showed anemia, and as the condition worsened, serious intestinal problems appeared, which doctors attributed to irritable bowel syndrome, she said.
“I kept going back to my doctor, who downplayed my symptoms. I was so exhausted I had to choose between eating and showering,” he mentions. When she was diagnosed with anemia, she wasn’t convinced that was the only problem. “I thought to myself, I’m a healthy young woman, that can’t be all.” Her stomach was flat in the morning, but during the day it swelled up so much that by evening she looked like she was five months pregnant.
Finally, she was sent for a colonoscopy. During the examination, the device was unable to get further because the tumor on the ileocecal valve was causing intestinal obstruction. “It was a relief to finally find something,” she said. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed enlarged lymph nodes. Since the diagnosis, she has undergone several extensive operations, including the removal of lymph nodes, parts of the small and large intestine, ileocecal valve and cecum, part of the liver and gall bladder.
However, recent examinations have shown new deposits in the liver, spine and ribs. For now, he has to undergo regular check-ups and hope that the cancer does not suddenly accelerate. In 2022, she had to leave work due to the exhausting fatigue caused by the disease. “I have to get ready for more tests and wait to see if these lesions get bigger. I can’t relax when I know new tumors are forming. Every day I have to limit my activities, sometimes I can only do one thing.” he says.
She adds that the disease often catches her by surprise in ordinary situations. “I recently went to a spa with a group of friends. We all went to the pool, but I didn’t get my head wet because I would have to wash my hair afterwards and that would have exhausted me. It’s the little things that people take for granted.” concludes.
