While she had cancer of the cervix, responsible for worrying symptoms, the doctors did not detect anything. This mother had to wait a year to be correctly diagnosed.
His distrust of doctors is now justified. Victim of cervical cancer, a mother named Crystal Manuel fought for a year to obtain a diagnosis, even though she had developed worrying symptoms from the start. A tragic story relayed by the Mirror.
It all started when she had abnormal vaginal bleeding. She explained that she noticed more abundant and more painful periods, bleeding following intercourse, but also pain in the lower back and in her legs. Worried by these strange phenomena, she therefore went several times to doctors who wanted to be reassuring. “They didn’t detect anything”she said, adding that her symptoms had persisted.
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Determined to understand what she had, the 30-year-old, who lives in Chandler’s Ford in Hampshire, therefore insisted on further analysis, and it was finally a year later that the diagnosis was made: she was suffering from cancer of the cervix, just like her mother, now deceased. “My mum was bleeding and the doctors just thought she had fibroids,” she said, explaining that they had detected her cancer much too late.
A positive mindset
Scared by this devastating news, however, Crystal reminded herself of the importance of staying strong for her husband and two children. Today, she believes her positive mindset was fundamental in getting her through her heavy treatment which included a radical hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus), five rounds of chemotherapy, five weeks of radiotherapy daily followed by two weeks of brachytherapy. On the road to recovery, Crystal can now look to the future more calmly.
On the strength of this experience, she now urges women to consult if in doubt. “Just listen to your body because, luckily for me, that’s how I detected it. I knew something was wrong but I had to push to be heard.” she concluded.
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