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Cancer is often associated with unexplained weight loss, persistent fatigue and severe pain, but the signs can sometimes be far more than what we know already. We must always be cautious about certain changes that occur in our bodies, so that experts can identify the problem and treat it properly, but we often overlook them. In one such case, a 25-year-old man, Dilan, was diagnosed with cancer to which he described as an "embarrassing symptom."
In an Instagram post shared on September 3, Dilan detailed his journey of finding out about his cancer. He wrote, "You won't believe it... I was 25 years old, living my life like any other young adult, working hard, working out, hanging with friends, and trying to figure out my future. Life felt normal. I had no reason to think anything was wrong."
He added, "But then something strange started happening. I'd wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. I mean SOAKED. My clothes, my bed, everything would be wet. It happened two to three times every single night."
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At first, the 25-year-old ignored the symptoms. He said, "I just thought, 'Maybe I'm getting too hot under the covers?' So I brushed it off. Weeks turned into months, and the night sweats didn't stop. Looking back now, there were other signs too. I was exhausted all the time, but I assumed it was because I was working long hours. My skin was unbelievably itchy, so much so that I carried lotion around everywhere, convinced it was just dry skin.
"I even noticed lumps on my neck, but I thought they were muscles growing from all my workouts at the gym. Everything had an explanation, or so I thought. But eventually, I started feeling worse and went to the doctor. Nothing could have prepared me for what they told me. At just 25 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Five tumours. It had even spread to my lungs."
Reflecting on his journey of finding out about his Stage 4B Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis, Dilan wrote, "I couldn't believe it. I'd spent so long brushing off my symptoms, convincing myself they weren't a big deal. But my body had been screaming at me for almost two years. If there's one thing I've learned from this experience, it's to pay attention to your body. Those little signs and symptoms? They're there for a reason."
Lymphomas are a type of cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes. There are 2 main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL).
In the case of Dilan, Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is the most advanced stage for this type of cancer, diagnosed by stages and categories. Cancer Centre explains, "There are four stages of Hodgkin lymphoma 1, 2, 3 and 4 each determined by how much the disease has spread from a single lymph node region to the rest of the body. The categories A, B, E, S and X measure the presence of certain symptoms and where in the body the disease may have spread."