Case study teaches to keep pushing for answers
(Image source: Instagram/jessie_sand)
“As females, we are very much overlooked because of our reproductive organs,” Jessica Sanders , 21, student of San Diego State University, shares with People magazine after her traumatic personal experience of delayed diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Jessica was 15 when she started experiencing a constant sharp in her abdomen. It made it uncomfortable for her to exercise and even use the bathroom.
As a teenager, Jessica was "intimidated and scared" of going to the OB-GYN, but still, she made an appointment to figure out the cause of her pain.
Years of being dismissed by doctors for her pain
"At first, they would tell me it's just period cramps, it's hormones, you're pregnant. Another time it's a UTI, it's a bladder infection. A doctor also said that my pants are too tight and not to wear thongs because they were causing irritation and pain," Jessica recalls.
"One of the doctors really rubbed me the wrong way when he said I probably wasn't wiping myself the right way. So that was really frustrating and that was kind of all the care that I got until I was 20," Jessica shares.
"My parents have always been super supportive but they didn't know what was wrong with me either. The doctors were saying nothing's wrong with her, she's fine, so I stopped complaining about my pain because I was dismissed. I just started to feel like I was crazy," she adds.
Ultrasound revealed a cyst
During Thanksgiving 2021, Jessica was even struggling just to eat breakfast due to the excruciating pain. She went to the emergency room and an ultrasound revealed that she had a 17-centimeter cyst on her right ovary. Jessica needed surgery to remove it.
In surgery, doctors learned that the cyst had ruptured and the girl had a liter of blood in her body. They also found a tumor wrapped around her right ovary, which had to be removed.
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Rare and aggressive ovarian cancer
After the surgery, Jessica was sent home to recover and she felt her pain was subsiding. However, on 8th December 2021, doctors said that she had small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type — which is a very rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Jessica was devastated after learning about the diagnosis. "I just thought, 'This would happen to me after all this time. I'm gonna die.' I just broke down."
Cancer treatment and recovery
Jessica started cancer treatments immediately. She went through six rounds of chemotherapy, which included three full-day sessions per week for every three weeks.
After an extremely difficult journey filled with loneliness, she was finally declared cancer-free in April 2022. She then had a stem cell transplant, which she called a "terrible time" in her lengthy treatment plan.
"I was throwing up constantly, I couldn't get out of bed and I couldn't eat for two weeks, I couldn't brush my teeth, or bathe. I couldn't do anything," she recalls.
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Frustration behind her delayed diagnosis
Jessica decided to share her story on TikTok and other social media platforms to give support to other similar people who are ill but also had their symptoms dismissed.
"People need to really speak up for themselves and not be afraid to tell doctors when they're wrong and tell them to keep pushing for answers," she urges. "This isn't just happening to me, it's happening to women all over the world."
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