Fighting for a Proper Diagnosis
- Beautician Paris Wells, 28, discovered a “moveable” lump in her neck and was told it was just due to a cold she had a week prior, causing enlarged lymph nodes.
- Not satisfied with the doctor’s assessment, she scheduled an appointment with another doctor through a family member, got a proper scan on the area, and then discovered one month later she had stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common, while people usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age, like Paris.
Not happy with the diagnosis, or lack thereof, she scheduled another appointment through a family member, got a proper scan on the area, and it was then discovered she actually had stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.
Read MoreIn the meantime, Paris is already raising mass awareness. The London-born budding social media star just hit over 3 million views on her first TikTok video, captioned: "How I found out I have cancer."
@pariswells24 How I found out I have cancer. #hogkinslymphoma #cancer #foryoupage #stage2cancer ♬ Surrender – Natalie Taylor
As Paris preps for her fight, the young beauty and her close friends walked the bridges of London to support Lymphoma Action in her name, raising thousands of dollars so far.
When people get misdiagnosed like Paris, it’s so important to share the story far and wide to help encourage others to advocate for their own health. Luckily she was still diagnosed at an early stage, but she still has a long road ahead. She could have been well into chemotherapy treatment if her first doctor had taken the concern seriously and at least ordered a scan. Granted, perhaps the lump was not as big in size as it was when she finally did get in to get it properly assessed, but the doctor should have at least scheduled a follow-up visit to monitor the situation.
Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate … Don't Settle
Getting a second or third opinion can often be a matter of life or death. If you are not comfortable taking control of your own health and getting on the phone with doctors and hospitals, find someone who can helplike a parent, sibling, or close friend. You have the number one say in your health and if something doesn’t feel right, often times it isn’t.
Understanding Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.
"Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories," Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet
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"The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma," she adds, "and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma."
Hodgkin lymphomathe type Paris was diagnosed withhas distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.
There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you're more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age, like Paris.
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It should be noted that another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.
These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it's important for you to know which type you have.
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