“Go See a Therapist” California Mom, 35, Diagnosed With Lung Cancer Was Ignored by Doctors Who Claimed She Was Stressed– How to Advocate for Yourself

“My throat just felt weird. I wouldn’t say it was a sore throat, but I was drinking or chugging water. My throat felt a little dry. Food felt differently as it went down my throat,” she described on her TikTok channel.

@ashleybreatheforward Here are the symptoms I experienced leading up to my NSC lung cancer diagnosis as an otherwise healthy, young, and active woman. ##nsclc##lungcancer##cancerwarrior##lungcancerstage3##nonsmallcelllungcancer##lungcancerawareness##onelung##cancer##cancerpatient##cancersurvivors##lungcancerstage4##breatheforward ♬ original sound – Ashley • Breathe Forward

Ashley’s unusual disposition went beyond just her throat. She had trouble breathing and noticed weight loss.

“It was affecting me at work. It was affecting conversations. I’m a fast-talking, at this time, I was noticing I had to slow down [and] take breaths in between,” she described.

When she went to the doctor to figure out what was going on, she was told it was stress and pneumonia.

“They said, ‘It’s all stress. You’re going through a divorce, you’re working in healthcare, there’s a pandemic, you have young kids. Maybe go see a therapist,” she said.

She was eventually diagnosed with pneumonia, which is an infection that impacts the lungs. However, her symptoms continued to worsen. She said her body started swelling up which prevented her from picking up her children.

“I could not move at all,” she described.

@ashleybreatheforward Please add in anything that was helpful after your diagnosis 🙏🏼❤️ I hope this helps! For more of my story go to the second video on my page. 🔻 DO NOT COMMENT ABOUT A LOVED ONE WHO DIED OF LUNG CANCER ON MY PAGE🔻 #lungcancer #lungcancerawareness #lungcancersucks #lungcancerstage4 #cancer #cancersucks #youngwithcancer #momwithcancer #nsclc #breatheforward ♬ Au Revoir – Sweet After Tears

She went to the hospital for more answers except this time she was determined to get solid answers. She said her doctors found blood clots in her leg and right lung. At this point, her doctors discovered she had stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.

“I’m really thankful that I had people around me that listened and loved me because my life depended on it…It turns out if I didn’t start treatment when I did,” Ashley said.

Advocating for Your Health

Patients advocating for their health can lead to better patient outcomes. This is especially important when you find your doctor has either dismissed or misdiagnosed your symptoms. Ashley realized her lingering symptoms seemed to be more than pneumonia or stress and fortunately, she pushed for more answers.

A component of advocating for yourself in healthcare includes going back to the doctor multiple times and even getting multiple opinions.

Dr. Steven Rosenberg is the National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery, and he previously told SurvivorNet about the advantages of getting input from multiple doctors.

WATCH: The value of getting a second opinion.

“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care. Because finding a doctor who is up to the latest information is important,” Dr. Rosenberg said.

Understanding Lung Cancer

Lung cancer forms when cancer cells develop in the tissues of the lung. It is the second most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the U.S. SurvivorNet experts say. The reason being, it’s “completely asymptomatic” says thoracic surgeon-in-chief at Temple University Health System Dr. Joseph Friedberg.

“It causes no issues until it has spread somewhere. So if it spreads to the bones, it may cause pain. If it spreads to the brain, it may cause something not subtle, like a seizure,” Dr. Friedberg adds.

WATCH: Detecting lung cancer in the absence of symptoms.

Scans such as X-rays can help doctors determine if a shadow appears which can prompt further testing for lung cancer.

Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has already spread outside the lungs, according to SurvivorNet’s experts.

There are two main types of lung cancer, which doctors group together based on how they act and how they’re treated:

• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type and makes up about 85% of cases.
• Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is less common, but it tends to grow faster than NSCLC and is treated very differently.

Smoking causes most cases of this cancer. Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer, the CDC reports.

If you quit smoking, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing the disease and dying from it.

Some people with lung cancer may experience symptoms, such as:

• A cough that doesn’t go away, that gets worse, or that brings up bloody phlegm
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Hoarse voice
• Appetite loss
• Weight loss

If you are experiencing these kinds of symptoms consistently, contact your doctor for further tests.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you find yourself diagnosed with lung cancer and are concerned about the long-term impacts, here are some questions you can ask your doctor.

• Has my cancer spread to other parts of the body?
• Based on my cancer stage, what are my treatment options?
• What are the side effects of my recommended treatment?
• Are there ways to help minimize the effects of treatment?
• How long will I be unable to work or carry out my daily activities?
• What financial resources are available to get the treatments I need?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---