Signs and Symptoms of Cancer: My Personal Experience

When I was 13, I was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, a form of cancer that causes the production of faulty white blood cells in the bone marrow. It is a disease that is most common for elderly gentleman, and was fairly rare for people of my age group. Because of time, and the age I was when these events occurred, my memory for specific events is somewhat hazy, though the symptoms I felt are something that I will never be able to forget.

The first time I felt like something was wrong, was when i started to feel fatigued when climbing stairs. I was a fairly athletic and healthy kid, having been playing on and off in various soccer leagues throughout my childhood, gradually i started feeling dizzy and lightheaded when trying to walk up the single flight of stairs in my house. As my condition progressed, it even became difficult to use the three steps to get into my house, and I had to resort to crawling to avoid passing out.

Next came a mild case of anemia that persisted throughout my illness. My skin would gradually lose its color until I was practically pale white. I was always cold, even under the sun, yet would still break out in sweats for no apparent reason; these sweats were often followed by mild to moderate chills. In the mornings I would crawl out of bed and discover fresh bruises all over my body, the origins of which i could not explain.

Also, the glands underneath my armpits and in my throat began to swell almost to the point where there was a visible bulge underneath my skin. This is a fairly common symptom of most cancers, especially for ones similar to leukemia.

To make matters even worse, I began to suffer from exhaustion. Once summer started, I began sleeping for long periods of time; it eventually got to the point where I essentially would only wake up to use the restroom and eat. When my family was able to force me out of bed for family outings or activities, I would still find away to fall asleep ever time I could lay my head down.

Finally, my mother made me see the doctor, and after several fun filled hours in various emergency rooms, and various needles in various veins, I was diagnosed with AML, and spent the next six months of my life in and out of the hospital, and on and off chemotherapy.

According to the American Cancer Society, my symptoms were not all that different from most other forms of cancer. As mine involved the blood and bone marrow, I suffered from fatigue, exhaustion, anemia, and swelling of the lymph nodes. Other common symptoms of most cancers are unexplainable, and often sudden weight loss, fevers, pain, persistent headaches, changes in the color of your skin and sometimes even changes in skin texture. While these are among the most common symptoms, they are in no way the only known symptoms. Signs of cancer can vary widely according to the type of cancer you have. For more information, please visit the American Cancer Society's website. Remember, if you think you have cancer, it doesn't hurt to visit your physician and discuss your concerns with him, be thorough when explaining your symptoms, even if they are a little embarrassing. Doctors bills can be costly, but well worth the peace of mind.

Sources:

"http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp?level=0" American Cancer Society.