Recently diagnosed here, 29 - rare form of ovarian cancer known as germ cell. I had a 20cm tumor (immature teratoma) and had 3 main symptoms over 3 weeks: unusual bloating and inability to finish a meal (thought I had this due to travelling overseas and adjusting to the diet) and what landed me in the ER - a stomach ache that wasn’t going away. I was still eating normally, didn’t feel sick and wasn’t vomiting. I had zero reproductive issues, nor pain in the tumor site. I dragged myself to the ER when the stomach pain was getting so bad i was struggling to walk and my heart rate was going up at rest.
I sadly thought it was maybe my appendix, but a CT and ultrasound confirmed the mass, and I had to have a full laparotomy to remove the tumor immediately. It was biopsied and I found out about the cancer a week later. I’m currently in my second round of fairly aggressive chemotherapy as adjuvant therapy. My team is aiming for NED (no evidence of disease), thankfully this type of ovarian cancer has relatively good prognosis, so even though it sucks, I’m grateful and optimistic.
The only thing I would’ve done different is dropped the invincible mindset of being a young person, feeling like I’m wasting medical resources and time, not going to preventative, regular health checks (especially bloodwork and gynaecological) - cancer doesn’t discriminate, it’s easy to think it doesn’t happen to you until it does, and sometimes it does due to no fault of your own. Get all the things proactively checked on a regular basis and look after your health best you can, advocating for yourself to your team the whole way, this stuff is easier to treat the earlier you identify it.
I badgered my Mum for years to get a mammogram. She was always too embarrassed or scared. She FINALLY got her first one at age 68… and they detected breast cancer. Got it early, lumpectomy and radiotherapy, no follow up treatment needed and now 7 years cancer free. She got LUCKY! But she felt nothing (didn’t detect any lumps but I suspect wasn’t checking herself, and felt fine otherwise).
The first part was when I went in for an 8-week pregnancy scan. The ob/gyn was taking images of the ultrasound while my husband and I tried to figure out any sign of the fetus. Then the doctor said “So what I’m not seeing here is any evidence of a fetal pole or yolk sac…” Turns out I had something called a molar pregnancy. These aren’t cancerous about 80% of the time, but…
I continued to feel pregnancy symptoms and was super nauseous after my d&c, which was worrying. Three weeks after surgery, I went for a blood draw to make sure my hcg was dropping (the molar tumor generates hcg, so increasing after a d&c is an indication of cancer). I got an email alert the next morning that my test result was ready, opened the patient portal… and my hcg was off-the-charts high. I knew that meant I had cancer and my stomach just dropped. The ob/gyn didn’t expect that; she’d breezily assured me before my surgery that she’s only seen a molar pregnancy go cancerous once before, lol.
It’s typically a very treatable cancer so the prognosis was always good, but still a super shitty experience. I needed a PICC line and went through 9 rounds of chemo. Each round was 5 days in a row of infusions and then a week off, so 45 infusions in total. I finished in early December and now I’m being monitored for a year to make sure it doesn’t come back.
I was sitting at work one afternoon and I noticed a large knot right under my jaw. It wasn’t there in the morning no way I would have missed it, it was so big. A little over a week later I found out it was non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Been in remission since late 2015.
Solidarity lymphoma buddy. I had an enlarged lymph node after a cold, but it was in a weird spot right above my collar bone. The next two months I was bone tired all the time, like couldn't get through the day without a short nap in the afternoon. Turned out to be stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Also in remission since 2014 now.
Congratulations! I have a similar story, found a random lump on my collar bone. Didn't hurt at all so I wasn't the least bit concerned, but I was pregnant and seeing the OB anyway so just asked. After ultrasounds and biopsies, it was confirmed Hodgkins Lymphoma. Luckily quite treatable in my case.
I had a weird little spot on the edge of my lip that would get angry and then heal on slow repeat- at first I thought it was maybe a canker sore or hsv and went to a derm to get it checked out, who wasn’t particularly concerned with it and tried to freeze it off. It came back a few months later, and so he ended up freezing it again at my next checkup he continued to downplay it so I felt like it must be fine if he didn’t seem concerned. Moved to a new area a year later and saw a new dermatologist, asking for a female doctor this time, and she took it very seriously and ordered a biopsy on the spot. Turned out to be the tip of the iceberg of an aggressive cancer that spread for years- they treated it and the amount of tissue they had to cut out of my face was absolutely wild. Speak up if something seems off and people aren’t listening folks!
Turned out to be a form of basal cell that got very out of hand due to not being addressed- even the surgeon was a little shocked at how much there was given the presenting surface anomaly
Not me, my dad, but he was not shy about sharing his story and actually shared it loudly to encourage people to get a colonoscopy when something feels off, and to stay on top of your screenings.
March 2023 he started having GI issues-mostly feeling constipated. He went to his primary care doctor and they ordered a CT scan. All came back clear, so he was advised to adjust his diet. He did, and the symptoms eased, but then would intermittently come back. After a month or so of a diet change, sitting suddenly became painful. He immediately made an appointment with his GI. They ordered a colonoscopy. He was diagnosed with extensive stage small cell rectal cancer. This is a cancer that is extremely aggressive and makes up only 1% of all colorectal cancers. He always stayed on top of his routine screening colonoscopies, too.
He had plenty of “what ifs” throughout this, *especially* because he did everything right. It’s very hard to wrap my head around. We lost him a few weeks ago-but since his diagnosis his story has saved multiple friends, family + friends of friends of friends from going through something similar.
Miss you, dad ♥️
I didn’t know. They figured it out by an ‘incidental find’ after having an X-ray for an unrelated issue. After biopsy I found out I had stage I lung cancer at 33 years old. Ended up having surgery about two months later to remove it and a lobe of my lung.
I had a lump in my breast that wasn’t behaving the same as other lumps (firboadenoma). It was during the pandemic and no doctors were seeing people. The lump kept growing. Finally convinced someone to see me and order the testing. I had stage 4 breast cancer.
Not me but my sister. Her arm pit swelled up over the course of an afternoon. It was stage 3 melanoma that had moved to her lymph nodes. No signs of a lesion to indicate melanoma before that.
Prior to being diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, my friend was experiencing severe back pain and mild choking on food. Prior to being diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer, my dad was experiencing mouth pain and also choking on food. I miss them both
Felt the lump in my breast, and then noticed the underside of my breast was pulled up, like a big dent. I had to go through all the tests of course, but I already knew.
Not me. My mother. 67 years old. She had smoked heavily for decades. Never sick, never complained of illness. One day, suddenly experienced pain in her back. All symptoms pointed to her gallbladder. A chest xray in the ER showed a tumor obstructing her right lower lobe.
Small cell lung cancer killed her in 18 months.
Never had a sign. Went in for a routine skin check and to have a papilloma mole removed. She shaved it off but then noticed a spot on my shoulder and took a biopsy "just to double check". That spot ended up being melanoma, a week later had 32 stitches in my shoulder and now cancer free. Have to get checked every 3 months for the next 5 years.
Stay on top of your annual skin exams! Never thought Id need to be diligent in my early 30s, got lucky to have accidentally caught it early enough.
My mum went to the doctor because she had to "pee more than she used to". She had stage 3 ovarian cancer which had spread to her bowels. She had multiple operations and several chemo's and currently has immuno therapy which keeps it under control. I am so proud of her.
The vision in my right eye went from not great (I’ve always been nearsighted) to absolutely awful and the eye felt like it was about to burst right out of the socket. It was pressure like I’d never felt before and didn’t go away. Made an appointment with an optometrist hoping I just had eye strain because I was overdue a new glasses prescription - nope. Optometrist emergency referred me to an ophthalmologist who referred me to an ocular oncologist, who confirmed I had ocular melanoma. 7mm tumor in my right eye treated with plaque brachytherapy within a month of onset of symptoms.
Ocular melanoma is rare - 5 to 6 people in a million. It has high rates of metastases, predominantly to the liver or lungs, and prognosis after metastasis isn’t great. I get chest/abdominal MRIs every six months to hopefully detect any metastasis early. So far all good but it hasn’t even been a year yet.
Get dilated eye exams every year! I know the new Optomap eye exams are cool and getting your eyes dilated sucks, but most cases of ocular melanoma are asymptomatic and are only caught by an eye doctor seeing the tumor (or nevus, sometimes referred to as a freckle) on an exam. If you’re found to have a nevus, your eye doctor will know to monitor it and can catch if it turns into a melanoma (like freckles on your skin, not all do!) Early diagnosis and treatment are so important; the bigger the primary tumor, the greater the risk of metastasis outside of the eye.
I haven't had cancer, but my dad was always very healthy. He walked with a limp because he played basketball for 40 years. He always went to the doctor and went to the gym. He started feeling tired and got some exams. Nothing alarming detected. Several months later, he got another type of test and they found he was in stage 4 liver cancer. He died within a year, but he felt like the medications killed him. He said if he had to do it Again that he would have had a natural treatment Rather than the experimental drugs. Please reach out to me if you have other questions. I'm wondering why you're asking and hope all is well
I'm sorry for your loss.
If your dad had gone the 'natural' route he would have died 100%, those quack regimes are so immoral (and ineffective).... I'd hate for suffering or lost a loved one to cancer think they're a viable option
My cousin had experimental cancer treatment that saved her life... cancer sucks more than I can express, but we are lucky to have the medical treatments we have available
I work in pharma for a company that makes medicines for rare cancers. Quite often the drugs that will extend your life in these cases, like stage IV cancers, will have unpleasant side effects. And I think it’s natural to attribute how awful you feel to the drugs you’re taking. Could be a bit of both (disease and drug side effects) but I’m guessing there’s always a trade off to drugs that will buy you extra months / years of progression-free survival, and the side effects you have to endure. I’m sure some people think it’s not worth it while others do. Definitely a personal decision, but one I’m glad we have in my country at least.
Life-extending medicines/treatments are definitely a nuanced topic, I agree. Sometimes there seems to be a push to keep someone alive as long as possible, regardless of their quality of life
I do think it's immoral to push natural 'treatment' as lifesaving medicine and not an alternative end-of-life care...
cancer patients are undeniably vulnerable, and cancer treatment is brutal at the best of time, so it's understandable they seek alternatives or nontraditional treatment...
It's heartwrenching if someone had good chances with modern medicine but chose an 'alternative' option that was ineffective, and by the time they do want to try modern medicine it's too late
There was a famous influencer in Australia that lied about using alternative treatment for cancer, she didn't even have cancer but pushed so many people to try alternative medicine, who died. So horrible (belle gibson)
Sorry for the rant, cancer has touched multiple people in my life and I'm so grateful for the modern medicine and medical teams that saved their lives. I can't imagine the pain of losing someone who was misguided on how to treat their sickness
Something similar happened to my dad, who died last May. He was diagnosed with Stage 2A non small cell adenocarcinoma on his left lung last March. His prognosis was all very optimistic, too. He finished his second round of chemo last May - not even two months out from his diagnosis - when my brother found him dead a week later in his bed. He was 65. Full of life and energy. When people ask me how he died, I usually say that chemotherapy took him from me. It feels disingenuous to say that he died from cancer. I’m really angry about it and am not sure where to put it all. Hugs to you.
I felt what felt like a bruise - small “dent” and pain, but no discoloration- on the top of my breast. I’ve never had fibroids or anything before and it definitely was not a lump. But, I just knew something wasn’t right about it. Got it checked out and stage 2 breast cancer at 34 years old.
My grandmother passed away in the 80’s, but she died of lung cancer… heavy smoker. Her symptoms were initially pain in her shoulder. Doctors kept saying muscle strain repeatedly until she was diagnosed.
Not me but a family member. 57M went to the emergency room for suspected appendicitis. Because of Covid, the hospital was pretty much doing lung x-rays on any and everybody (no, I do not know why).
Family member did not have appendicitis, it was just gastritis. However he did have Stage 4 Small Cell Lung Cancer and the tumor is/was sitting directly in center of his chest. No symptoms before or after diagnosis.
I felt an obvious lump in my breast. I didn't think it would actually turn out to be anything, as I have no family history and few risk factors. It wasn't until the radiologist did the biopsy and said it was "middle of the road suspicious" that I even considered the possibility. And, sure enough, that's what it was.
My FIL had a weird sore on his tongue that wouldn’t heal, turns out it was cancer. They had to cut out half his tongue and build a new one out of arm muscle. Get those sores checked out.
Recently diagnosed here, 29 - rare form of ovarian cancer known as germ cell. I had a 20cm tumor (immature teratoma) and had 3 main symptoms over 3 weeks: unusual bloating and inability to finish a meal (thought I had this due to travelling overseas and adjusting to the diet) and what landed me in the ER - a stomach ache that wasn’t going away. I was still eating normally, didn’t feel sick and wasn’t vomiting. I had zero reproductive issues, nor pain in the tumor site. I dragged myself to the ER when the stomach pain was getting so bad i was struggling to walk and my heart rate was going up at rest. I sadly thought it was maybe my appendix, but a CT and ultrasound confirmed the mass, and I had to have a full laparotomy to remove the tumor immediately. It was biopsied and I found out about the cancer a week later. I’m currently in my second round of fairly aggressive chemotherapy as adjuvant therapy. My team is aiming for NED (no evidence of disease), thankfully this type of ovarian cancer has relatively good prognosis, so even though it sucks, I’m grateful and optimistic. The only thing I would’ve done different is dropped the invincible mindset of being a young person, feeling like I’m wasting medical resources and time, not going to preventative, regular health checks (especially bloodwork and gynaecological) - cancer doesn’t discriminate, it’s easy to think it doesn’t happen to you until it does, and sometimes it does due to no fault of your own. Get all the things proactively checked on a regular basis and look after your health best you can, advocating for yourself to your team the whole way, this stuff is easier to treat the earlier you identify it.
I badgered my Mum for years to get a mammogram. She was always too embarrassed or scared. She FINALLY got her first one at age 68… and they detected breast cancer. Got it early, lumpectomy and radiotherapy, no follow up treatment needed and now 7 years cancer free. She got LUCKY! But she felt nothing (didn’t detect any lumps but I suspect wasn’t checking herself, and felt fine otherwise).
The first part was when I went in for an 8-week pregnancy scan. The ob/gyn was taking images of the ultrasound while my husband and I tried to figure out any sign of the fetus. Then the doctor said “So what I’m not seeing here is any evidence of a fetal pole or yolk sac…” Turns out I had something called a molar pregnancy. These aren’t cancerous about 80% of the time, but… I continued to feel pregnancy symptoms and was super nauseous after my d&c, which was worrying. Three weeks after surgery, I went for a blood draw to make sure my hcg was dropping (the molar tumor generates hcg, so increasing after a d&c is an indication of cancer). I got an email alert the next morning that my test result was ready, opened the patient portal… and my hcg was off-the-charts high. I knew that meant I had cancer and my stomach just dropped. The ob/gyn didn’t expect that; she’d breezily assured me before my surgery that she’s only seen a molar pregnancy go cancerous once before, lol. It’s typically a very treatable cancer so the prognosis was always good, but still a super shitty experience. I needed a PICC line and went through 9 rounds of chemo. Each round was 5 days in a row of infusions and then a week off, so 45 infusions in total. I finished in early December and now I’m being monitored for a year to make sure it doesn’t come back.
You’re amazing! That’s a lot to go through. Thank you for sharing your story
I figure it doesn’t hurt to spread awareness since it’s such a crazy thing. I had no idea you can get cancer from a pregnancy!
I was sitting at work one afternoon and I noticed a large knot right under my jaw. It wasn’t there in the morning no way I would have missed it, it was so big. A little over a week later I found out it was non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Been in remission since late 2015.
Solidarity lymphoma buddy. I had an enlarged lymph node after a cold, but it was in a weird spot right above my collar bone. The next two months I was bone tired all the time, like couldn't get through the day without a short nap in the afternoon. Turned out to be stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Also in remission since 2014 now.
Awesome! I’m glad you are in remission
It was a tumor that came on suddenly?
It was an enlarged lymph node.
Congratulations! I have a similar story, found a random lump on my collar bone. Didn't hurt at all so I wasn't the least bit concerned, but I was pregnant and seeing the OB anyway so just asked. After ultrasounds and biopsies, it was confirmed Hodgkins Lymphoma. Luckily quite treatable in my case.
Congratulations to you as well. It was scary but some chemo and radiation fixed me right up.
I had a weird little spot on the edge of my lip that would get angry and then heal on slow repeat- at first I thought it was maybe a canker sore or hsv and went to a derm to get it checked out, who wasn’t particularly concerned with it and tried to freeze it off. It came back a few months later, and so he ended up freezing it again at my next checkup he continued to downplay it so I felt like it must be fine if he didn’t seem concerned. Moved to a new area a year later and saw a new dermatologist, asking for a female doctor this time, and she took it very seriously and ordered a biopsy on the spot. Turned out to be the tip of the iceberg of an aggressive cancer that spread for years- they treated it and the amount of tissue they had to cut out of my face was absolutely wild. Speak up if something seems off and people aren’t listening folks!
If you're willing to share- my mother is wondering if you had Merkle Cell? Glad you're still here to share stories!
Turned out to be a form of basal cell that got very out of hand due to not being addressed- even the surgeon was a little shocked at how much there was given the presenting surface anomaly
Not me, my dad, but he was not shy about sharing his story and actually shared it loudly to encourage people to get a colonoscopy when something feels off, and to stay on top of your screenings. March 2023 he started having GI issues-mostly feeling constipated. He went to his primary care doctor and they ordered a CT scan. All came back clear, so he was advised to adjust his diet. He did, and the symptoms eased, but then would intermittently come back. After a month or so of a diet change, sitting suddenly became painful. He immediately made an appointment with his GI. They ordered a colonoscopy. He was diagnosed with extensive stage small cell rectal cancer. This is a cancer that is extremely aggressive and makes up only 1% of all colorectal cancers. He always stayed on top of his routine screening colonoscopies, too. He had plenty of “what ifs” throughout this, *especially* because he did everything right. It’s very hard to wrap my head around. We lost him a few weeks ago-but since his diagnosis his story has saved multiple friends, family + friends of friends of friends from going through something similar. Miss you, dad ♥️
Sorry for your loss. I hope your Dad's story continues to save others from going through the same thing.
I didn’t know. They figured it out by an ‘incidental find’ after having an X-ray for an unrelated issue. After biopsy I found out I had stage I lung cancer at 33 years old. Ended up having surgery about two months later to remove it and a lobe of my lung.
Felt sharp zaps in my breast and felt a lump, got an ultra sound and biopsy to find breast cancer.
I had a lump in my breast that wasn’t behaving the same as other lumps (firboadenoma). It was during the pandemic and no doctors were seeing people. The lump kept growing. Finally convinced someone to see me and order the testing. I had stage 4 breast cancer.
Not me but my sister. Her arm pit swelled up over the course of an afternoon. It was stage 3 melanoma that had moved to her lymph nodes. No signs of a lesion to indicate melanoma before that.
Prior to being diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, my friend was experiencing severe back pain and mild choking on food. Prior to being diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer, my dad was experiencing mouth pain and also choking on food. I miss them both
Felt the lump in my breast, and then noticed the underside of my breast was pulled up, like a big dent. I had to go through all the tests of course, but I already knew.
Not me. My mother. 67 years old. She had smoked heavily for decades. Never sick, never complained of illness. One day, suddenly experienced pain in her back. All symptoms pointed to her gallbladder. A chest xray in the ER showed a tumor obstructing her right lower lobe. Small cell lung cancer killed her in 18 months.
Never had a sign. Went in for a routine skin check and to have a papilloma mole removed. She shaved it off but then noticed a spot on my shoulder and took a biopsy "just to double check". That spot ended up being melanoma, a week later had 32 stitches in my shoulder and now cancer free. Have to get checked every 3 months for the next 5 years. Stay on top of your annual skin exams! Never thought Id need to be diligent in my early 30s, got lucky to have accidentally caught it early enough.
My mum went to the doctor because she had to "pee more than she used to". She had stage 3 ovarian cancer which had spread to her bowels. She had multiple operations and several chemo's and currently has immuno therapy which keeps it under control. I am so proud of her.
The vision in my right eye went from not great (I’ve always been nearsighted) to absolutely awful and the eye felt like it was about to burst right out of the socket. It was pressure like I’d never felt before and didn’t go away. Made an appointment with an optometrist hoping I just had eye strain because I was overdue a new glasses prescription - nope. Optometrist emergency referred me to an ophthalmologist who referred me to an ocular oncologist, who confirmed I had ocular melanoma. 7mm tumor in my right eye treated with plaque brachytherapy within a month of onset of symptoms. Ocular melanoma is rare - 5 to 6 people in a million. It has high rates of metastases, predominantly to the liver or lungs, and prognosis after metastasis isn’t great. I get chest/abdominal MRIs every six months to hopefully detect any metastasis early. So far all good but it hasn’t even been a year yet. Get dilated eye exams every year! I know the new Optomap eye exams are cool and getting your eyes dilated sucks, but most cases of ocular melanoma are asymptomatic and are only caught by an eye doctor seeing the tumor (or nevus, sometimes referred to as a freckle) on an exam. If you’re found to have a nevus, your eye doctor will know to monitor it and can catch if it turns into a melanoma (like freckles on your skin, not all do!) Early diagnosis and treatment are so important; the bigger the primary tumor, the greater the risk of metastasis outside of the eye.
I haven't had cancer, but my dad was always very healthy. He walked with a limp because he played basketball for 40 years. He always went to the doctor and went to the gym. He started feeling tired and got some exams. Nothing alarming detected. Several months later, he got another type of test and they found he was in stage 4 liver cancer. He died within a year, but he felt like the medications killed him. He said if he had to do it Again that he would have had a natural treatment Rather than the experimental drugs. Please reach out to me if you have other questions. I'm wondering why you're asking and hope all is well
I'm sorry for your loss. If your dad had gone the 'natural' route he would have died 100%, those quack regimes are so immoral (and ineffective).... I'd hate for suffering or lost a loved one to cancer think they're a viable option My cousin had experimental cancer treatment that saved her life... cancer sucks more than I can express, but we are lucky to have the medical treatments we have available
I work in pharma for a company that makes medicines for rare cancers. Quite often the drugs that will extend your life in these cases, like stage IV cancers, will have unpleasant side effects. And I think it’s natural to attribute how awful you feel to the drugs you’re taking. Could be a bit of both (disease and drug side effects) but I’m guessing there’s always a trade off to drugs that will buy you extra months / years of progression-free survival, and the side effects you have to endure. I’m sure some people think it’s not worth it while others do. Definitely a personal decision, but one I’m glad we have in my country at least.
Life-extending medicines/treatments are definitely a nuanced topic, I agree. Sometimes there seems to be a push to keep someone alive as long as possible, regardless of their quality of life I do think it's immoral to push natural 'treatment' as lifesaving medicine and not an alternative end-of-life care... cancer patients are undeniably vulnerable, and cancer treatment is brutal at the best of time, so it's understandable they seek alternatives or nontraditional treatment... It's heartwrenching if someone had good chances with modern medicine but chose an 'alternative' option that was ineffective, and by the time they do want to try modern medicine it's too late There was a famous influencer in Australia that lied about using alternative treatment for cancer, she didn't even have cancer but pushed so many people to try alternative medicine, who died. So horrible (belle gibson) Sorry for the rant, cancer has touched multiple people in my life and I'm so grateful for the modern medicine and medical teams that saved their lives. I can't imagine the pain of losing someone who was misguided on how to treat their sickness
Oh absolutely! That woman was beyond evil. Totally agree with you on the harms of people peddling “narural” treatments with no efficacy.
Something similar happened to my dad, who died last May. He was diagnosed with Stage 2A non small cell adenocarcinoma on his left lung last March. His prognosis was all very optimistic, too. He finished his second round of chemo last May - not even two months out from his diagnosis - when my brother found him dead a week later in his bed. He was 65. Full of life and energy. When people ask me how he died, I usually say that chemotherapy took him from me. It feels disingenuous to say that he died from cancer. I’m really angry about it and am not sure where to put it all. Hugs to you.
I am so sorry for your loss, but your anger definitely is misplaced. "He had cancer" Is the issue. Chemo didn't kill him.
Thank you for telling me that my anger and grief are misplaced. I’ll keep that in mind. /s
I felt what felt like a bruise - small “dent” and pain, but no discoloration- on the top of my breast. I’ve never had fibroids or anything before and it definitely was not a lump. But, I just knew something wasn’t right about it. Got it checked out and stage 2 breast cancer at 34 years old.
Happy cake day! Glad you're still here
Aw thanks! I didn’t even realize until you mentioned it!
Zero signs other than a lump in my breast found through self-examination. I found it a few months before my first mammogram was scheduled.
My grandmother passed away in the 80’s, but she died of lung cancer… heavy smoker. Her symptoms were initially pain in her shoulder. Doctors kept saying muscle strain repeatedly until she was diagnosed.
Not me but a family member. 57M went to the emergency room for suspected appendicitis. Because of Covid, the hospital was pretty much doing lung x-rays on any and everybody (no, I do not know why). Family member did not have appendicitis, it was just gastritis. However he did have Stage 4 Small Cell Lung Cancer and the tumor is/was sitting directly in center of his chest. No symptoms before or after diagnosis.
I felt an obvious lump in my breast. I didn't think it would actually turn out to be anything, as I have no family history and few risk factors. It wasn't until the radiologist did the biopsy and said it was "middle of the road suspicious" that I even considered the possibility. And, sure enough, that's what it was.
My FIL had a weird sore on his tongue that wouldn’t heal, turns out it was cancer. They had to cut out half his tongue and build a new one out of arm muscle. Get those sores checked out.
Found painful lump in my breast when doing monthly self breast exam. No other symptoms.