Cancer in medical school

[Byakkz]

Treatment Done as of 3/10/2023!!!!
Thank you all for reading and those who have reached out and shared their stories. Onward to finish the semester and move onto clinicals <3

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Hello I'm writing this in hope that who ever may be in my situation be inspired to stay strong.

A bit of background for you, I'm a healthy 28 YO with no chronic health issues. So going into medical school I decided to use my home-state medicaid as my insurance which my school had approved (saved $3K/year). This medicaid only covers emergency and urgent care in the state of my medical school. Okay... so given the fact that I was a healthy 28 YO with no issues that all changed September of 2022.

I noticed a mass in my right submandibular area post COVID vaccine maybe about 2 weeks later when I went back home for winter break 2021. No other symptoms, just a mobile mass that felt rubbery which I thought nothing about. For the rest of first year I was perfectly fine until we learned about lymphoma's and salivary gland tumors. Naturally I thought about that mass for a bit, but just kept on my daily life as it never changed or caused any issues.

Come 2 months into 2nd year September 2022 I noticed it grew a bit and was more noticeable. I was slightly panicked but that's the only thing that changed. I convinced myself it was a pleomorphic adenoma of the submandibular gland. "Well-circumscribed, non-tender, mobile" some defining features which make it "benign". Though as the days progressed in September it became more apparent on my mind and I decided to message my PCP back home. She said to do an ultrasound which I unfortunately had to do through the ED because of insurance.... Yeah I felt ashamed because I was an EMT before and I felt like I was wasting resources, but what can I do....

The US came back as a hypoechoic mass 2cm and was actually a lymph node. I was in denial after seeing "lymph node" as it's a chronic lymphadenopathy which despite the "benign features" usually points towards malignancy. So throughout the first semester of second year I was going back and forth flying between my home-state and where medical school is to get a FNA (fine needle biopsy) which was inconclusive, referred to oncology who then referred me to ENT for excisional biopsy and the whole time span from first ultrasound to excision was Sept. 2022-Dec. 2022. Mainly because of insurance with pre-approval and specialist availability.

A week before the start of second year it came back in bold: DIAGNOSIS: CLASSICAL HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA. I was having a lovely brunch with my wife and once I saw it, I immediately dropped my phone and questioned all my life's efforts to get into medical school and so much more. I felt like I became a burden to my wife, my family, and friends. The oncologist back home called and confirmed the sub-type was lymphocyte rich, which i'm assuming you all know is the best one of the best ones to have of this treatable cancer. He said he expects me to do 3-4 cycles (3-4 months) of chemotherapy. By that time I already decided to be treated up where my medical school is thanks to having a new insurance.

It was the most grueling decision I had to make... Stay at home where I can easily be taken care of, be comfortable, BUT have to waste my efforts of completing 1/2 of 2nd year only to repeat the WHOLE second year again regardless of just taking off the Spring semester for MLOA. OR work with the school admin and push through 3-4 months of chemotherapy (given the new oncologist agrees) while in school.

Fast forward 2 weeks when I'm in school and have just met my new oncologist. He said my pathology slides will be double checked by their pathologists to confirm the diagnosis. Thankfully he seemed to have much more experience compared to my previous oncologist with this disease and said given that it was only in 1 lymph node I would need 2 cycles of chemotherapy plus 10 days of radiation. I was actually really happy hearing that. But he mentioned that if it's the "nodular-sclerosis" sub-type that the treatment plan will change and he said it's a 2% chance that the diagnosis with change.

About 1 week later he calls me and opens up with "I have great news" I dropped my anki and listened anxiously. "It's actually nodular-sclerosing which means we can forgo chemotherapy and just do low dose radiation therapy." Now, that was spectacular news! Yes I still have "cancer" but I don't have to suffer through the effects of chemotherapy. And that's where I am today, going for my first radiology consult, to battle this illness, and to finish up second year.

I completely understand the individuals who have to receive such depressing news and on top of added stress of daily life. But I will say that I have such a great support system, my family was going to come up and stay with me through treatment. My closest medical school friends were all going to distribute duties driving me to and from treatment. I am very fortunate with their support, my families support, and the administration that has worked with me to make school doable. I decided to chance school with chemotherapy because if I had to take a MLOA it would've been the same either way. But I'm glad I didn't just quit and stay home and decided to at least try to see if I could manage side-effects with school because look at how my treatment changed.

I know some people won't be as fortunate to have a positive change in diagnosis but a couple things I got out of the stress of going through this.

1) Always ask for a second opinion on your diagnosis. My first pathology was signed off by 1 pathologist and the second time around it was signed off by 2 pathologists. I can't blame the first pathologist because this disease is difficult to diagnose in the first place, even more so properly diagnosing the sub-types is a pain.

2) Rely on friends and family or at least find a strong support system to help you make difficult decisions and deal with your emotions. Talk to a professional therapist if you really need, mental health is significantly important no matter what the circumstance.

3) Don't play the victim card, it's easy to feel bad for yourself, to give up on life and to have people take pity on you. Sure it's fine for maybe about 24 hours but you need to stay strong for yourself. Don't waste your energy on feeling bad about your situation. Take it day by day and adjust your life into a new normal. Put your energy into where it NEEDS to be.

I just want to add that, I feel like I don't fall under an individual with "cancer" even though I am diagnosed with a cancer. Mainly because of my fortunate situation (hopefully it stays that way), and this specific type has a cure rate of >90%. I don't want to feel like I am taking anything away from the people that have something to a greater degree, but just wanted to share my experience as I really searched the internet to help me make my decisions, which I didn't find much honestly except a story about a med student who was in my situation with a more aggressive WBC cancer.

Thank you for reading and I hope that even though you may or may not have a similar situation that you can take some lessons I learned from this experience and use it to help you in some way.

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[Goro]

Good luck and God bless!

 

[Robin-jay]

One of my good friends has (had?) cancer that might have been similar to this. I still talk to her even though she's a resident physician now and I actually never knew her exact diagnosis, but she had cancer during her time as a student and it's definitely possible to get through it.

 

[Byakkz]

One of my good friends has (had?) cancer that might have been similar to this. I still talk to her even though she's a resident physician now and I actually never knew her exact diagnosis, but she had cancer during her time as a student and it's definitely possible to get through it.

Thank you, I appreciate you sharing that. Something as simple as this gives me more strength to overcome this slight bump in the road!

 

[wysdoc]

Thank you, I appreciate you sharing that. Something as simple as this gives me more strength to overcome this slight bump in the road!

I appreciate hearing your story, but keep in good contact with your medical school and ask for a medical leave of absence if you need it.

 

[lal4life]

Thank you for sharing your story. It’s hard to deal with this.

I was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer about 7 months ago, at 34 years old. No family history, no big risk factors (red meats and lunch meats being the only risks). It’s not fun. Surgery, 7 rounds of chemo going well (1 more to go!), and then a hiccup requiring scans and another scope. I’ll do that next week and hopefully it’s clean like my CT. Then I came down with a foot infection. I have 1 more round of chemo on hold until I get through this hiccup.

What has gotten me through is exactly what you’ve described. I can sit at home in my sorrow, or I can go to work and take care of patients. I’ve gone through the same emotions of anxiety, fear, and worry of letting my wife and kids down.

I absolutely agree with seeking out second opinions. In fact, my oncologist told me to. It was reassuring that when I reached out to two major cancer centers, their recommendations were what my oncologist had already told me.

To be honest, outside of my incredible wife, what was helped me out the most were two things: faith and service. Faith isn’t for everyone, but mental health resilience is needed for all.

As for service, I have found tremendous strength as I’ve looked outside myself to help others. And this doesn’t mean work. This is outside work. There is a power in helping those in need, even when I’m not feeling well. I can’t do everything physically I want right now, and I have ups and downs, but if you’re struggling, look for someone to serve. I have never felt worse after serving someone than I did before.

The other thing that is important to remember is that every cancer story is different. It’s your own. Make it that way.

I wish you luck through your treatment.

 

[Byakkz]

Thank you for sharing your story. It’s hard to deal with this.

I was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer about 7 months ago, at 34 years old. No family history, no big risk factors (red meats and lunch meats being the only risks). It’s not fun. Surgery, 7 rounds of chemo going well (1 more to go!), and then a hiccup requiring scans and another scope. I’ll do that next week and hopefully it’s clean like my CT. Then I came down with a foot infection. I have 1 more round of chemo on hold until I get through this hiccup.

What has gotten me through is exactly what you’ve described. I can sit at home in my sorrow, or I can go to work and take care of patients. I’ve gone through the same emotions of anxiety, fear, and worry of letting my wife and kids down.

I absolutely agree with seeking out second opinions. In fact, my oncologist told me to. It was reassuring that when I reached out to two major cancer centers, their recommendations were what my oncologist had already told me.

To be honest, outside of my incredible wife, what was helped me out the most were two things: faith and service. Faith isn’t for everyone, but mental health resilience is needed for all.

As for service, I have found tremendous strength as I’ve looked outside myself to help others. And this doesn’t mean work. This is outside work. There is a power in helping those in need, even when I’m not feeling well. I can’t do everything physically I want right now, and I have ups and downs, but if you’re struggling, look for someone to serve. I have never felt worse after serving someone than I did before.

The other thing that is important to remember is that every cancer story is different. It’s your own. Make it that way.

I wish you luck through your treatment.

Thank you for sharing your story also. I am a man of faith and believe God has our best interest. I strongly believe this was a test of my faith in him which I admit wavered slightly but I kept reminding myself that he is always with us and even though we both have to adapt to a new "normal" these tests are given to people who he knows can handle. It's just up to us to find the will to pull through and invest more in faith, as God has given us free-will.

I wish you a speedy recovery in your last round of chemotherapy and a long and blessed life for you and your family.

 

[EDThoracotomy]

Thank you for sharing these inspiring stories. Makes other problems and stresses seem not so big. Prayers and best wishes!

 

[sov]

The way you've dealt with the diagnosis is really inspiring, I hope you get well soon!

What's weird (and what prompted me to make an account) is that I have the exactly same story - I felt a submandibular lump after being exposed to COVID-19 (not the vaccine though), ultrasound said lymphadenopathy and I'm actually getting a fine needle biopsy in a week. It's a bit of a peculiar coincidence.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Thank you for sharing your story. It’s hard to deal with this.

I was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer about 7 months ago, at 34 years old. No family history, no big risk factors (red meats and lunch meats being the only risks). It’s not fun. Surgery, 7 rounds of chemo going well (1 more to go!), and then a hiccup requiring scans and another scope. I’ll do that next week and hopefully it’s clean like my CT. Then I came down with a foot infection. I have 1 more round of chemo on hold until I get through this hiccup.

What has gotten me through is exactly what you’ve described. I can sit at home in my sorrow, or I can go to work and take care of patients. I’ve gone through the same emotions of anxiety, fear, and worry of letting my wife and kids down.

I absolutely agree with seeking out second opinions. In fact, my oncologist told me to. It was reassuring that when I reached out to two major cancer centers, their recommendations were what my oncologist had already told me.

To be honest, outside of my incredible wife, what was helped me out the most were two things: faith and service. Faith isn’t for everyone, but mental health resilience is needed for all.

As for service, I have found tremendous strength as I’ve looked outside myself to help others. And this doesn’t mean work. This is outside work. There is a power in helping those in need, even when I’m not feeling well. I can’t do everything physically I want right now, and I have ups and downs, but if you’re struggling, look for someone to serve. I have never felt worse after serving someone than I did before.

The other thing that is important to remember is that every cancer story is different. It’s your own. Make it that way.

I wish you luck through your treatment.

What were your symptoms, if you don’t mind me asking? I ask because I’m the same age, and it seems almost impossible to get a colonoscopy approved. Sorry that you are going through this.

 

[lal4life]

The classic blood in stool and change in bowel habits. My hemoglobin was just slightly low, but I think the fact that the bleeding had increased as well as some change in habits made it easier to get approved.

 

[Curlywhirly1]

Currently going through chemo myself while applying to med school, which has been uniquely challenging. After my diagnosis I was also desperately searching the internet for those going through similar. Thank you for sharing your inspiring story.

 

[Bored Snorlax]

Thanks for sharing your story. No matter what the future holds, you'll always be a champ in my book.

Best of luck.

 

[Byakkz]

Currently going through chemo myself while applying to med school, which has been uniquely challenging. After my diagnosis I was also desperately searching the internet for those going through similar. Thank you for sharing your inspiring story.

I hope that my story was useful to you in some way or form. I completely agree that it was very difficult to find stories of people in similar situations. I hope that you recover fast and wish you the best of luck in applying. Feel free to reach out if you need any help, I do try to check the forums in general often.

 

[Byakkz]

The way you've dealt with the diagnosis is really inspiring, I hope you get well soon!

What's weird (and what prompted me to make an account) is that I have the exactly same story - I felt a submandibular lump after being exposed to COVID-19 (not the vaccine though), ultrasound said lymphadenopathy and I'm actually getting a fine needle biopsy in a week. It's a bit of a peculiar coincidence.

I saw some research articles stating that it's common to have reactive lymphadenopathy post COVID vaccination in the cervical and axillary lymph nodes. Some lasting up to about 6 months. It's more common with Moderna but Pfizer was also noted to have the same effects. One of these case studies mentioned that the biopsy mimicked malignancy with cellular atypia, but the germinal centers were not effaced. I brought this up to my doctors just to make sure that they do consider it at least.

 

[greenvsblack3]

thank you for sharing your story! I saw a lot of similarities in your story to mine. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer towards the end of my second year and had to similarly make a decision. I am fortunate that I did not have to get chemo, but I did have my total thyroidectomy about 2 weeks before I took boards and did radioactive iodine treatment the winter break of my third year. There's not many people in med school who understand what it's like to go through such terrifying health issues while in medical school (or even in life in general). I know for me, it's given me a different perspective on life and also has helped me relate more to my patients. It's interesting to me that getting diagnosed with this has made me (I think), a better (future) physician. I, like you, feel funny by calling myself a cancer patient, as I did not have to go through chemo. But every morning, when I look in the mirror and see my badass warrior scar (as I.call it) and take my daily dose of levo, it reminds me that not everyone can do what we did--push through med school (let's be real, just pushing through LIFE) while going thru all this. And hey, even if someone decides to take an MLOA, that's totally ok!!! I have no regrets not taking time off (ok maybe just a little haha), but it's definitely been a big topic of conversation in my residency interviews.

here's to you and your health. Feel free to DM me at any time if you ever want to talk to a fellow non-chemo-needed cancer in med school buddy haha it's a very very bizarre and strange feeling.

 

[Byakkz]

thank you for sharing your story! I saw a lot of similarities in your story to mine. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer towards the end of my second year and had to similarly make a decision. I am fortunate that I did not have to get chemo, but I did have my total thyroidectomy about 2 weeks before I took boards and did radioactive iodine treatment the winter break of my third year. There's not many people in med school who understand what it's like to go through such terrifying health issues while in medical school (or even in life in general). I know for me, it's given me a different perspective on life and also has helped me relate more to my patients. It's interesting to me that getting diagnosed with this has made me (I think), a better (future) physician. I, like you, feel funny by calling myself a cancer patient, as I did not have to go through chemo. But every morning, when I look in the mirror and see my badass warrior scar (as I.call it) and take my daily dose of levo, it reminds me that not everyone can do what we did--push through med school (let's be real, just pushing through LIFE) while going thru all this. And hey, even if someone decides to take an MLOA, that's totally ok!!! I have no regrets not taking time off (ok maybe just a little haha), but it's definitely been a big topic of conversation in my residency interviews.

here's to you and your health. Feel free to DM me at any time if you ever want to talk to a fellow non-chemo-needed cancer in med school buddy haha it's a very very bizarre and strange feeling.

That's amazing! Yes I do feel like I have a badass scar too and I believe it will serve as a purpose for residency interviews. Glad that you have pushed through yours and to see that you're making your way to residency!