A woman suffering from devastating incurable lung cancer was given cough syrup by adoctor to cure what appeared to be a simple worm. Did.
Sales of Newbury, Berkshire His manager, Alix Barnard, developed what he believed to be an infection last March.
Unable to shake it off, her 29-year-old woman underwent numerous Covid-19 tests, all of which were negative. She brushed off her symptoms.
However, in April, Alix's condition began to deteriorate and she began to suffer from swelling in her neck and was in severe pain.
She said, ``I thought she was sleeping strangely, so I started seeing her chiropractor, but one side of her was too swollen and I realized there was a more serious problem. It became clear," Alix said.
Image:
Jam Press/Alix Bernard)Images:
Jam Press/Alix Bernard)Alix also had breasts and I noticed that the lymph nodes around my shoulder had started to swell and my collarbone was no longer visible under my chest. swelling.
She was concerned about her own health and knew it was time to contact her primary care physician. Her doctor recommended a battery of tests for her glandular fever and put her on antibiotics, but all to no avail. The covid-19 pandemic left many of her symptoms inadequately identified.
She said:
“By May 2021, I was having trouble breathing and could not speak until I ran out of air.
} Image:
Jam Press Vid/Alix Burnard)"I had a lot of night sweats and really struggled with my weight. My blood pressure was so low that I couldn't wear clothes and I often felt sick with a bad cough.
"I called the doctor again and was told to see a doctor. After receiving it, I went straight to A&E, a local hospital," she told NeedToKnow.
Doctors initially feared that Alix had tuberculosis, but tests ruled this out and she was sent home.
She said: ``As soon as I had a CT scan, the doctors started speaking to me differently.
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Jam Press/Alix Burnard)Images: {1 21} Jam Press Vid /Alix Burnard)
“I spent a week in the cancer ward. I had pneumonia, so I took antibiotics, and then I was diagnosed with cancer.
"They weren't sure where my cancer was coming from. suggested it was likely lymphoma.
"I couldn't believe what was happening to me. I never expected it. I had a chest infection." I thought I had it, but it would get better.I was always really healthy, never smoked, drank very little, didn't exercise, ate plant foods.
"Nothing in my lifestyle made me even think about the possibility of cancer.
I spent the entire hospital alone.
"I went through the hardest, most upsetting days of my life without seeing a single familiar face. It was really hard."
Image:
Jam Press/Alix Barnard)A biopsy later confirmed that Alix was suffering from adenocarcinoma (cancer that forms in glandular tissue).
she said.
"I was heartbroken by the news. I remember telling a friend that one day I might die from this disease."
She spent her two weeks He was sent home and weakened by pneumonia caused by lung cancer.
she said. She had to have her boyfriend go up and down her stairs because she was too difficult for me.
"I had to move my bedroom downstairs to make my day-to-day life easier. I was coughing all day and night, so I could only sleep for a short time."
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It didn't take long before Alix had to return to the cancer ward. There she was informed of the full extent of her diagnosis.
Her oncologist confirmed to me her diagnosis: ALK-positive lung cancer - which had spread to her liver, lymph nodes, shoulders, spine, and pelvis.
She began her targeted oral therapy and was admitted to her ICU, sometimes relying on a ventilator.
Alix had a hard time coming to terms with her new life, but she couldn't even make plans for her more than a few weeks in advance, and had to spend some time to enjoy her own time. did her best.
She said: She starts chemotherapy.
"Over time, I came to understand that I was living with, and will continue to live with, an incurable cancer. was ill, unable to walk, much less a strong bulldog.
``I have to take time off from work. I looked different, I felt different – I felt like I had completely lost my identity because of this diagnosis.
"Again. When I started using the stairs, I had to learn how to find my pace, basically starting from scratch in terms of who I was and how I identified with my physio instructions.
In addition to cancer, several blood clots and DVTs were found, including one in Alix's brain. As a result, Alix will continue to take her blood-thinning medication for the rest of the day.
Alix began a course of treatment, including oral chemotherapy and targeted cancer drugs, to slow the spread of the infection and save valuable time.
She said: “I started crizotinib in June 2022. I had a biopsy that found MET mutations in my cells.
"I can only hope that this will give me more time than the two previous lines of treatment. All I want is to stabilize the cancer and live as well as I can."
"Having regular PET scans to check for cancer activity makes me feel like I have to live my life in very small segments." Bad news."
Alix is optimistic about being diagnosed with an incurable disease, but he never ignores his cough. I am advising people.
She said: "In this situation, as another lung cancer patient said, it's not how long you live that matters, but how well you live, and make the most of it. I have learned that it is very important to take advantage of the life you have – even if it is limited.
“I want to spend time with the people I love most, travel I want to be in nature, I want to be as healthy as possible.
"I think it's pretty clear that anyone who has a lung can get lung cancer. Don't ignore it, seeing your doctor and getting tested can save lives.
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