By discussing the symptoms she tried to ignore, content producer Georgie Swallow of London, UK, is bringing attention to Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that affects the lymphatic system, a component of the immune system.
Georgie was just 28 years old when she was diagnosed, and regrettably, the medication caused her to go through early menopause before she could conceive.
Georgie felt that seeing a doctor was “wasting everyone’s time” when she first began to experience the symptoms, which she attributed to stress.
She claims that despite noticing a lump on the side of her neck, she was foolish enough to believe that nothing bad could happen to her.
Georgie, now 32, claims that the sickness had an impact on both her physical and mental health.
Before being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, her three main symptoms were overall weariness, nocturnal sweats, and itchy legs.
“I would be up all night itching until I broke the skin.” When I visited the doctor, they suggested that it might be urticaria, stress, or allergies, but no cream or change in lifestyle would help it go away, she added.
“I thought I was over-active and exhausting myself during this time, even though I was losing weight, experiencing night sweats, and getting colds and flus all the time.”
Georgie emphasized that while these symptoms can be quite minor and dismissed as unrelated, cancer is frequently detected late.
Georgie likened the early stages of menopause to “being hit by a bus.”
“Cancer may take a lot away from you, but it was hard for me to lose my fertility before I had an opportunity to start a family.
Menopause can be challenging at any age, but I had no one my own age to talk to about it when I was 28.
“Despite their support, none of my friends were able to relate to or comfort me because they didn’t understand what I was going through.”
This courageous young woman is now sharing her story in an effort to increase awareness of the detrimental impact early menopause can have on mental health as well as the significance of timely doctor’s appointments.