Published Aug 11, 2021

25-Year-Old Woman Told By Doctor That Jaundiced Eyes Were Just a Reflection From Ikea Uniform; It Turned Out To Be Terminal Cancer

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Cancer Symptoms Dismissed

Chelsey La Frentz, 25, visited her doctor when she started noticing concerning health problems such as serious itching, consistent nausea and yellowing eyes. Her doctor said her eyes weren’t yellow, and it was just the reflection from her yellow Ikea uniform.
After her health got worse, she was rushed to the emergency room where they performed a number of tests and an MRI. She was diagnosed with late stage bile duct cancer.
It’s extremely important for women to speak up about their health and push their doctors for answers if they feel like something is wrong.

Chelsey La Frentz, 25, visited her doctor when she noticed her eyes were slightly yellow. The physician dismissed her concerns and told her the yellow in her eyes was simply the reflection off of her Ikea jacket uniform. However, her health took a turn for the worse. It turns out, she was diagnosed with advanced bile duct cancer.

According to La Frentz, she visited her doctor one day when she started noticing concerning health problems such as serious itching, consistent nausea and yellowing eyes. While all of these could point to certain cancers, La Frentz’s doctor dismissed her eye problems since she was wearing a yellow Ikea uniform.

“She didn’t think [the eyes] were yellow, because I was wearing my uniform,” La Frentz told 9News. “She thought it was just my uniform. She said ‘this is not going to be cancer – at your age it just doesn’t add up’.”

La Frentz’s health started to worsen and she was eventually rushed to the emergency room. Once admitted to the ER, doctors performed a number of tests where they found a problem with her liver. The problem had progressed so much that her entire body was covered in rashes and and her skin was yellowing slightly due to her liver not flushing out toxins correctly. After an MRI, La Frentz was diagnosed with late stage bile duct cancer. She immediately went through chemotherapy and surgery, and entered a brief remission. However, the disease returned and was declared terminal.

La Frentz is continuing to stay positive and hoping to push through. The experience has inspired her to encourage all women to speak up for themselves when they feel like something is wrong, and be vigilant about possible cancer symptoms when they appear.

Ovarian cancer survivor Lisa Mitchell urges all women to speak up about their health

What is Bile Duct Cancer?

"Bile duct cancer," also called cholangiocarcinoma, is an extremely rare type of cancer. Approximately 8,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). This disease has a higher incidence in Southeast Asia, due to an infection that can lead to bile duct cancer.

While it can occur in younger people, bile duct cancer is typically found in older adults, above the age of 70. This type of cancer may be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. We know that Rhodes had chemo to treat her disease; side effects of this kind of treatment may include nausea, hair loss, fatigue, and nerve pain. Thankfully, some of these side effects can now be mitigated.

Speaking Up About Symptoms

One of the most important things that every individual should know is that when it comes to taking control and prioritizing your health, being your own advocate can be a life-saving decision. This is especially important for women, who may experience their doctors brushing off possible cancer symptoms and reassuring them that there's nothing to worry about.

This was the case for April Knowles, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at 39-years-old. During a routine visit to her gynecologist, they found a lump in her breast but initially dismissed it and blamed it on her period. However, the lump remained, and Knowles pushed to go through a PET scan and biopsy. Turns out, it was the best decision she could have made, because the tests revealed that she had breast cancer in her spine and hip. This experience taught her the importance of speaking up for yourself and always pushing for answers if you feel like something is wrong.

"I think women, especially young women, are really used to being dismissed by their doctors," Knowles previously told SurvivorNet. "Or 'you're too young for this,' or 'here's some Prozac, go home and cook dinner for your children.' I think a lot of patients don't want to hurt their doctor's feelings either. We really do want our doctors to like us. But you have to take charge. You have to learn about your disease. You have to ask questions."

April Knowles shares her experience about her doctor dismissing her breast cancer symptoms

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