Niamh Shackleton
A woman who was dismissed by doctors for months and ended up having to diagnose herself with cancer has hit out at their 'lack of empathy'.
Last month, 26-year-old Sumbul Ari was diagnosed with Stage 2-3 Hodgkin lymphoma after experiencing symptoms for almost a year.
The first, dehibilitating symptom Sumbul experienced was excessive itching. At one stage it was so bad that she struggled to get a full night of sleep because she'd constantly wake up to itch herself.
When she went to the doctors to raise concerns about this, one medical professional simply told her to moisturize. Meanwhile another said that 'it's just one of those things'.
Advert
As well as itching, Sumbul was getting night sweats, had a loss of appetite and energy, and constant infections. All of these paired together are common signs of Hodgkin lymphoma.
Despite this, the five doctors she saw 'never mentioned [cancer] or even considered it', said Sumbul.
When Sumbul eventually developed a lump in her neck, she knew she had cancer and diagnosed herself after reading up about it online.
"As soon as I Googled 'lump on neck', all my symptoms came up, and I instantly knew I had cancer," she told UNILAD.
When she got her official diagnosis, Sumbul said she was 'relieved' as she 'finally had an answer'.
In the wake of her experiences and the length of time it took to be told she had cancer, Sumbul has issued a stern and heartbreaking message to those who dismissed her.
"I would tell them how disappointed I am in them for not listening to me and taking me seriously enough, and now I have to deal with the consequences," Sumbul said when asked by UNILAD what she'd say to the doctors who didn't listen to her.
"I could had been diagnosed 11 months earlier, and the entire time, the cancer was spreading," she continued. "I would tell them to educate themselves further on the symptoms of cancer, and to never assume that young people don’t get cancer because they look fit and healthy. Not one of the doctors did a lump check even when presenting them with all my symptoms."
Sumbul went on to share: "There is a lack of empathy and lack of knowledge. I would tell them to 'do better'. One doctor even had a sign in her room that said 'don’t get your Google search confused with my years of education'. I would tell her what a joke that is.
"This is the very doctor that said 'it’s just one of those things', recommended I see another doctor, and then I had to diagnose myself with cancer. What a joke."
Sumbul is now undergoing cancer treatment and, since starting, her symptoms have disappeared.
"Ever since starting treatment, my symptoms have gone and I honestly feel great physically, I haven’t had any reactions, nausea, or side effects to treatment, so I am doing very well physically — I am just currently dealing with the emotional affects of everything happening," the 26-year-old shared.
"I know I’ll be okay, and I try my best to stay positive, but I won’t lie when I say it is very, very hard. I worked so hard to get to where I was in my career and life and suddenly it’s on pause and being taken away. It’s very hard."
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.