Full Breakdown
From Dismissed Anxiety to Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: One Patient’s Journey
By Drooid · · How we work
Misdiagnosis and Escalating Symptoms
In the fall of 2025 the patient noticed a lump near her collarbone while working remotely. Five doctors subsequently told her it was “just a swollen lymph node” or a benign reaction to a past infection. Over the following months she experienced severe fatigue, anemia that limited her walking, unexplained weight loss of more than 40 pounds, worsening back pain, and nightly night sweats. She attributed many of these signs to anti-depressant side effects and to health-anxiety that she had struggled with for years.
Diagnostic Breakthrough
After months of decline, the patient returned to her GP in early 2026 and agreed to blood work despite the doctor’s reluctance. Within 24 hours the GP received “highly abnormal” results, including an inflammation marker of 207 (normal < 5). The patient was referred for a chest X-ray, and clinicians began to suspect lymphoma. Subsequent biopsy, PET, CT, and spinal MRI scans confirmed malignant cells in her spine.
Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
On February 25 the patient attended a consultation where she was told she had stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Treatment began a week later with six cycles of chemotherapy (12 infusions) over six months. The first round required a five-night ICU stay due to severe side effects. Throughout treatment the patient relied on friends, humor, and dancing when able, and documented her experience on TikTok (@lymphnbass) to connect with others who had faced similar dismissals.
Current Status and Advocacy
The patient is now awaiting a follow-up PET scan to assess remission. She reports that receiving a definitive diagnosis improved her mental health despite the cancer’s severity. She emphasizes the importance of trusting one’s gut feeling and continues to speak publicly about the need for clinicians to take young patients’ concerns seriously, especially when symptoms are dismissed as anxiety.