Man diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after ignoring symptom he thought was just 'itchy skin'
If there's one thing we should all do, it's listen to our bodies.
Our bodies are the first thing to tell us if something's wrong, whether that be a cold coming on or something more serious.
Many people who have gone on to be diagnosed with a serious illness admit that they wished that they'd taken their symptoms more seriously when they first began.
People will often dismiss potential cancerous symptoms, for example, for something else, something which Marly Garnreiter's doctors allegedly did when they told her that she was feeling unwell because of stress. However, it turned out that Marly had Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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And someone else who did similar is Dilan Patel, who was also been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
One of his initial symptoms was night sweats – something he admitted that he found to be 'embarrassing'.
"I’d wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat," he said in a TikTok video.
"I mean SOAKED. My clothes, my bed - everything would be wet. It happened 2-3 times every single night. At first, 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 just thought it was because I was working long hours."
Elsewhere, Dilan found himself carrying around a pot of moisturizer with him whereever he went because his skin was dry and itchy.
"I had really itchy skin," Dilan recalled. "I remember my legs especially used to itch really bad until the point where I'd scratch them until they bled."
He continued: "I used to carry a little tub of body lotion around with me. I just thought I was getting dry skin because of the weather changes."
But it wasn't because of the weather, and it turned out to be a symptom of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
It wasn't until Dilan noticed a lump in his armpit that he went and sought out medical attention though.
The doctor who saw him was straight away concerned that it was something cancerous, and Dilan had to undergo several tests to pinpoint his illness.
One month after that first trip to the doctor, he was told he was stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma.
"Five tumours. It had even spread to my lung. I couldn’t believe it. I’d spent so long brushing off my symptoms, convincing myself they weren’t a big deal", he shared.
"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. Don’t wait until it’s too late."
Dilan has since had chemotherapy and, as per a recent TikTok video of his, he's currently a 'nine-year cancer survivor'.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a relatively aggressive cancer, and can quickly spread. It mostly affects people between the age of 20 and 40 and those over 75, and men are slightly more likely to be diagnosed with it.
However, it is also one of the most easily treated forms of cancer - provided you get the right care.
Symptoms include night sweats, unintentional weight loss, a fever, a persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness, and persistent itching of the skin.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Niamh Shackleton