Leukemia Survivor Says Symptoms Were First Dismissed as "Teen Hormones" & Now Has Early Menopause from Treatment; "I Kept Getting Told to Change My Lifestyle"

Recalling her early symptoms, Wilde told The Daily Mail, ‘When the fatigue set in I thought maybe I was just losing the passion for…activities, but in reality it was because cancer was starting to develop. I think there’s a view that young people don’t get sick – they’re just depressed, or it’s their hormones. I kept getting told to change my lifestyle, eat healthy.”

Wilde finally received a diagnosis of leukemia, The Daily Mail reported. And her treatments for her acute myeloid leukemia which included chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant led her to go through early menopause. The Manchester-based teenager is thankfully finished with treatment, and her life has changed radically, due to the physical changes brought on by her cancer treatment. Six months after completing treatment, she started experiencing hot sweats and was scared that her cancer returned, but the sweating was a byproduct of menopause.

Early Menopause from Cancer Treatments

Wilde’s experience of early menopause is especially sad if the young woman wanted to have biological children one day. We don’t know whether or not she chose to freeze her eggs, which some women do before going through cancer treatments. Egg freezing, while today commonplace for people who aren’t going through cancer treatment, was initially developed as a way to preserve the fertility of women being treated for cancer.

Related: Managing Sudden Menopause After Ovarian Cancer Surgery

Premature menopause can happen for some people battling cancer. For women like Araceli Rubi, who battled ovarian cancer, this side effect of treatment came as a shock. Rubi was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer, and said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet, “Well, the doctor did tell me that, hey, you’re going to be thrown into early menopause, and you’re young for your age. But we can work through this. I was like, OK.”

Related: Woman with Uterine Cancer, 39, Mistakenly Diagnosed with Gluten Intolerance & Told to Eat More Yogurt

Rubi wasn’t prepared, though, for what would follow. She said, “I didn’t know what I was expecting, right? I would wake up at night and my PJs drenched. I’m like, OK, what’s going on? What’s this? So I would call the nurse, of course, and say, hey, this is going on. Is this normal? They’re like, well, that’s part of menopause. I had to re-learn how to live everything of the way that I eat, what I drink, what– everything. My body had to get adjusted, first of all, and not to have any hormones.”

Due to a possible cancer recurrence, Rubi opted to not have hormones. “And I can’t have any hormones,” she said.  I choose not to because hormones are a part of maybe the cancer coming back. So I was like, OK, I don’t want a part of that.”

Early Menopause Comes as a Shock to Ovarian Cancer Survivor, Araceli Rubi

Advocating for Yourself

It’s hard to speak up for yourself when you’re a young person, especially one who’s taught to defer to and trust adults, especially adults who are trained to help people, like doctors. Whether you’re a teen or an adult, it’s important to speak up for yourself always and advocate for your health.

Related: Doctor Brushed Off 4-Year-Old Boy's Achy Legs Complaints as Growing Pains Only to Have Family Find Out Later He Actually Has Leukemia

In a previous interview, Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, told SurvivorNet that people should educate themselves, go into their doctor appointment with a plan, and be pushy if necessary. He said, “It’s important to know that while we have guidelines– OK– guidelines, especially in this country are meant to take care and do the right thing for the largest number of people, but it’s also with the littlest use of resources. And that’s the truth.”

Related: Young Woman Diagnosed With Leukemia After Being Told She Was Being "Drama Queen" Over Early Symptoms Always Advocate for Your Own Health

Dr. Murrell said it’s important to pay attention to your body and note if anything feels off. “The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic. You are not necessarily going to fit into– well, I don’t have to have a colonoscopy yet because I’m not 50, even though my bowel habits have changed, even though I’m having a lot of blood when I have a bowel movement. That’s why it’s important for you to actually educate yourself and be your own health care advocate. And that’s something that I think is really important. You should lead each doctor’s appointment with a plan.”

Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate… Don't Settle

 

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