Inspiring you on how to become a better self advocate.
My name is Aurora Lucas and I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer at age 28. I was dismissed and ignored for 3 months, but through that journey I learned how to become a better advocate for myself in order to finally receive the proper diagnosis.
Was it a exaggeration that you were coughing every other word or was it just alot ? Not to be to personal but when you cough did you cough stuff up ? Or a dry cough ? Lots of people dont go see doctors is because theyre adding the money in their head on how much it could be, thats what I do anyway
Hi, no it wasn't an exaggeration that I was coughing every other word. It was true and I could barely finish a sentence. I didn't start coughing stuff up until November (symptoms began in September). It was a dry cough for a while. Well, I was that way and when I finally saw the doctor, I was dismissed.
Neversmoker Asian women are getting lung cancer and it’s not known why. Often told they have allergies or GERD, this just delays the diagnosis by months which is very frightening. A tumor can double in size in that time. Lung cancer does not always show up on X-rays. A CT scan is needed. Having a sympathetic DR makes all the difference. Also, try to avoid the ER on weekends. During the week from 6AM to noon is the best time to go. The shift change brings in fresh employees with plenty of coffee in them. No kidding, it makes a tremendous difference in the care you will receive.
Omg hi those are actually really helpful points! I never even thought about when it would be the best time to go to the ER 👀 😮thank you so much! Hopefully someone here reads that and it can save a life. I’ll deff help spread the word too!
@@AuroraLucas10Hi. Very welcome. I went to Johns Hopkins on a Friday afternoon 3 years ago and was not seen until Sunday morning. They were getting all the patients routed to them from the area and I had 103 patients before me. Yesterday, I had to go back to Hopkins but got there just before 6AM. The shift changes at 7. They took me back immediately and I by 1PM, I had blood tested, chest X-ray, IV fluids and saw several Drs and nurses. Much different experience. On weekends, you’re dealing with staff that does not have as much seniority and it seems the best personnel are off. Also, being nice does not really help. I know I needed a CT scan but was not able to persuade them. Going to see my Nurse Practitioner in 3 weeks and know she will help me get one. I hope you’re doing well. I am so sorry for the bureaucratic mess you encountered and those who didn’t take the severity of your symptoms as seriously as they should have. Coughing up blood and chest pain is as serious as it gets. I have seen many videos from young women who never smoked who run marathons getting diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. It mystifies me and breaks my heart. I hope they did biomarker testing for you and that there’s a targeted therapy available. They can really work. Oh, I heard you talk about this. That’s great.
@@brendandoherty2159 I would love to answer this but honestly also want to insert that there are a lot of us nonsmokers out here that are being diagnosed left and right. I understand where this wuestion is coming from because as a society it’s how we were taught to avoid lung cancer in general. There are a lot of other factors for lung cancer beside smoking, like radon, air pollution, etc. the food we eat in the USA are also hella sprayed with chemicals… so…
@@ShaneeeeeeeeeYyyyshe is dodging the question so she probably did. She is right though. At the age of 28 smoking is probably not the cause. Also a lot of people who never smoked get lung cancer.
@@skyvader1238 whaat. I did not , I was trying to ask you guys to think outside of the box... smoking is no longer the only reason that people get lung cancer.
Please tell how you understood that those small nodule was a cancer and not just smth else. I was examined and RX scan showed a small nodule and I am worried so much about that but I am just scared to make other tests and just like continuing to live in a small ball and trying not to think about bad things :(( I know that I need to do a CT but a pneumolog said it seems to be just asthma etc … and prescribed me some sort of cortisone medicine … but I don’t know what to do … he seemed not to be worrying about my nodule as I was :((
@@SmartBeautySecrets hi is it possible to ask for a second opinion? The only way they can really know is if they test the sample via a biopsy. My three month misdiagnosis I had an X-ray, then a ct scan, then eventually a PET scan. The pet scan is like the “ticket” to a biopsy, then they can confirm what it is. I’m so sorry 😢 for what you’re going through
@@AuroraLucas10 thank you very much. It is possible to have the second opinion but from a doctor without any insurance because I have had already my insurance visit in pulmonology and he just said that he saw many xrays in his practice and he isn't even sure that it is the nodule and he isn't sure that I have to do my CT because it's probably too much radiation for nothing. So he just told to come back Sept-Oct to do other tests and exams for broncos and lungs because he was sure it was astma , also other allergology tests and then to evaluate about doing the second XRay or CT .. So maybe I need to go to another pulmonologist for payment, I don't know. Or it's better to ask for an opinion of an oncologist, I don't know... i never smoked but I have a cough already for almost 3 months
@@brianschmidt704 oh no I’m so sorry :( here to be your cheerleader. I hope they figure out how to help make you feel better soon!! And that you receive the best care possible. It really is quite the journey
I have seen first hand how poorly Asian people are treated in the ER. A man and woman were sitting across from me waiting to be seen when suddenly he began to have a seizure.. his wife helped him to the floor and was calling out for help and a nurse came from behind the admission desk and stood over him. By then the seizure had subsided and he was trying to sit up. The nurse stared at hem and turned to me and the other people in the waiting area and said, “he’s faking it, I’ve seen this type of stuff before.” I was outraged and spoke up telling her he was NOT faking anything and I described everything I’d seen, his eyes tolled back, he became ridged but was still jerking and he had foam coming out of his mouth. The nurse just looked at me and walked away. I was disgusted beyond words. A few minutes later they came with a wheelchair and took him away.
Hi there, thank you for taking your time to watch the video and for responding! Yes... Asian people are treated pretty poorly historically and there's a huge mistrust in the healthcare system overall :/ Oh no that sounds like a terrible thing to go through and witness. Other people can also definitely add on to making the burden heavier by judging instead of helping. Thank you for speaking up at that time and for standing up for them. That takes a whole lot of courage too, and a lot of people could learn from you standing up at that moment.
Hey thank you so much for this. So 3 years ago I got a CT for broken ribs in the ER. doctor told me I had a 2mm nodule on my right lower lung. She said it's likely nothing. So I followed up with my primary care and she said there's no reason to follow up since it's so small and I'm not a risk. Well my left hip shortly after would hurt like in the bone if I stepped a certain way then eventually my left knee would hurt felt like inside the knee. Went in got referrals for X-rays and found nothing. I cannot laugh without having a terrible cough and I have a soft lump of my left inner elbow crease. My doctor referred me to a general surgeon and he said it's just a lipoma yet I pointed out that the inner bone is slightly more rounded then my right and he said nope I don't see it. So then I went in to my primary care for a hard enlarged lymph node on my left side of my neck right where my jaw is directly under my ear but she said it's nothing I'm probably fighting a cold. Well it's been over a year and it's not going down and I just started 2 weeks ago with pain on the left side of my chest that shoots to the back whenever I take deep breaths. It doesn't go away and I am told I pulled a muscle. My spine hurts so much now and my hip pain is no longer every now and then, it hurts all day when I'm laying walking I can't lift my leg inward any more because of the pain. Nobody will listen or give me any scans. I'm told it's arthritis or wear and tear I am sadly on Medicaid and only certain doctors will see me and those are the ones blowing me off. Even my family thinks I'm fine. What should I do?
I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer when in November 2022 when I went to see the doctor because of swollen saliva gland. I also back pain. the doctor gave me medicine and said it may help with muscular pain. it didn't help with my back pain. i went back to the doctor and told him my spine was also very tired. He then sent me to have an x ray. the result came back that I had a lump in my left upper lung. then he sent me for CT scan which showed that I have bone matestasis lung cancer.
@@franceslo9882 wow I'm sorry. I wish you a fast recovery 💕 🙏🏻 My back feels like it is tired as well. But when I had a chest x-ray last year nothing showed up. I'm wondering if there really is something wrong. I have had cancer on my mind for 2 straight years but I'm starting to feel like I'm crazy and it's nothing. I got tested for auto immune disease 2 times and even saw a rheumatologist who confirmed I don't have an auto immune disease. I saw a neurologist for frequent severe headaches and concentration issues(never had this before) and he flat out told me I'm just very unorganized and I need to slow down and make lists to help me focus better. He sent me away telling me I'm fine.
Hi there thank you for sharing bc your story. Is there any way to get further exams for the module on your right lower lung? My primary care doctor also dismissed me. Some research hospitals also accept Medicare, actually. I’m wondering if you can get a 2nd opinion?? Bring a notebook or a friend/family member to help you ask all the questions you have. Praying for your healing soon and for you to have more answers. I’m so sorry 😢for this long and painful journey you’ve had so far. Sadly, we really have to advocate for ourselves and make ourselves seen in this medical system.
Our families and friends can think we are fine but only we know the pain we are going through or if something feels off. I would also highly encourage you to write down all of those symptoms. You deserve a healthcare team that listens to your concerns. What state are you in?
@@franceslo9882I’m so sorry for your diagnosis. Sadly lung cancer is also a cancer where we are repeatedly dismissed again and again :/ and then when it’s finally diagnosed it’s at a later stage. How are you doing now?
I wish you the best. My mother had biopsy done and going to have her PET scan this week. May I know what treatment you have and how is the quality of life after the treatment?
Hello, I have the biomarker of EGFR Exon 19, which qualified me to have chemo, radiation, and then targeted therapy. I have been taking my targeted therapy for almost 2 years now and so far so good! May I ask - did your mother get a biomarker test, and if so, which one does she have?
@@yakumokin 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽 the waiting game … I’m glad that my video was able to give you some hope 🥹🥹❤️ I hope the results come back soon so that you can have some answers!
My mom, age 68, had absolutely no lung or chest symptoms. This past March, she started having leg pain that got worse and worse. Turned out it was a bone tumor. She had it removed, but the cancer also spread to her adrenal gland and brain. It’s awful how lung cancer is often diagnosed when it’s already stage 4. She is starting brain radiation this Monday. Nobody gave her a life expectancy number, nor did we ask, but it’s probably not good. When she inevitably passes, I will definitely sue her primary doc. For being a smoker and having serious bone pain, he should have not diagnosed it as arthritis or sciatica, and he should have ordered an MRI right away. My mother had to ASK him to do it. And he ordered it without contrast when it should also have been with contrast. This led her to get a second MRI 2 weeks later. This all delayed her treatment. So yeah, he’s getting nailed. And if I don’t get justice in court, I will seek personal justice. That’s a promise if such a scenario develops. He might be dead. But I’ll go through the court system first.
Hello, and thank you for sharing your story here. I am so so sorry. Lung cancer is devastating - and it is sad that it doesn't get diagnosed until it's stage IV. I wish her the best of luck with brain radiation on Monday. Would you happen to know if she was tested for a biomarker? I do know people that are surviving Stage IV Lung Cancer <3 so I'm hoping that her treatments will help make her feel better soon. And in regards to suing your doctor - I would definitely recommend organizing all of the details and notes so when the time comes, you're ready!
@@AuroraLucas10 she had the blood test but it came back as having no mutations. The doctor said he can try using a tissue sample from her previous leg biopsy and we’ll see what it comes up with.
@@Ghetto-toaster22 when there’s a good reason to, you absolutely should. Too many people, at least where I am in California, don’t want to be bothered. That’s their mistake. I also have an employment lawsuit in full swing since I was wrongfully fired in February from a multi-million dollar medical company. My lawyer said there would be no problem having a jury unanimously rule in my favor because of serious smoking gun evidence. This is why he took my case on contingency where I don’t pay anything up front. He takes 40 percent of the winnings. Still, I will be very rich next year even after he gets paid :). For all the job trauma I have been through, plus my mom’s cancer, this is good karmic Justice with a capital J for me. And what a way to kick off my 40s! They say life gets better after 40 and it really seems that way.
I have several nodules in my right lung but they say they are very small, but something inside me tells me that it's not right, thank you for sharing your experience🤗
It took over 2 years and 3 doctors to get my diagnosis. My daughter who was about to graduate from respiratory therapist school was the one who actually told me I had lung cancer or copd by just looking at my fingers, which I told the doc. She sent me to xray and there it was, over 4 cm by that time. I am still going through treatments as it is progressing. Never give up. I'm on my 8th or 9th line of treatment.
Oh my goodness. 2 years and 3 doctors? I'm so sorry, that sounds so frustrating. And wow- your daughter was the one who told you. Was the symptom she noticed clubbed fingers? Thank you so much for sharing your story <3 Giving you lots of hugs during this time! Nice to meet you here.
@@AuroraLucas10 Yes, club fingers. I had other symptoms that initially sent me to the Doc in the first place. Thank you. I'm still here, 5 years later so I am grateful.
@@19Mariko57 woah - 5 years that’s incredible! Yes - for some reason I also had clubbed fingers but my doctors wouldn’t tell me why they kept looking at my fingers ! So glad that you finally got treated and that you’re still here
@@AuroraLucas10 Doing chemo/immunotherapy. Have appt with radiologist to get some cancerous lymph nodes zapped. I prefer cutting it out but I have progressed to stage 4 and they don't like to cut so much anymore. Radiation saved me last year. We have so many more choices and treatments these days. It used to be a death sentence. Now people are living with their cancer for many, many years. good luck to you!
@@19Mariko57 good luck to you too. It definitely used to be a death sentence. So many more choices and treatments for sure. Also, I heard that MD Anderson now has technology/advancement that can do surgery with Stage IV Lung Cancer. Would you like to check it out? I know they have a webinar somewhere available
Such a queen in so many ways! Your strength is so admirable!💪🏼💖 All glory to God for answering our prayers everyday for you continuous healing🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 we love you sister!
Love you so much, dear Aurorita <3 you always have been my inspiration, you're so brave and amazing girl! You're so brave for sharing your story <3 thank youu
