A woman says she correctly diagnosed herself with leukemia after googling her symptoms when her doctor told her she was experiencing tonsillitis.
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In March 2020, 22-year-old Chloe-Leigh Todd sought medical advice after falling ill for a month with a sore throat and experiencing vomiting, night sweats, and weight loss. However, her doctor simply diagnosed her with tonsillitis, and Todd felt like something was off about her doctor’s diagnosis, as reported by the Daily Mail.
‘The doctors were putting it down to other things — but I was adamant they were wrong. I Googled my symptoms, night sweats, fatigue, bruising, and so on, and leukemia came up as the first search result,’ Todd explained. She underwent a blood test in June, and her results were abnormal, leading doctors to confirm her self-diagnosis and telling her she was ‘weeks away from death.’
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Todd started chemotherapy immediately at the Newcastle Freeman Hospital and underwent six rounds and received. a bone marrow transplant. Although she’s been cancer free for two years, the stay-at-home mom thought she would die after learning about her diagnosis.
‘I went numb; hearing it is a big difference. The doctors told my mum in a different room, she broke down — I could hear my mum screaming. The cancer was everywhere in my blood. Doctors told me they didn’t know if chemotherapy would help but they were willing to give it a try. The hardest part of it all is I thought I might not be here to watch my son grow up.’
Todd noted that she’s facing complications after her bone marrow transplant, a condition called Graft vs. Host disease. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a complication that can occur after a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in which the donor’s immune cells (the graft) attack the recipient’s cells (the host).
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. If left untreated, leukemia can progress and become more aggressive, potentially leading to serious complications and even death.
Leukemia can interfere with the normal production of blood cells, leading to a variety of symptoms, including:
- Fatigue and weakness due to anemia (low red blood cell count)
- Increased susceptibility to infections due to low white blood cell count
- Bleeding and bruising easily due to low platelet count
Over time, leukemia can also spread to other body parts, including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and central nervous system. This can lead to further complications such as:
- Enlarged spleen or liver
- Bone pain or joint pain
- Headaches or seizures
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Changes in vision or hearing
- Confusion or memory loss
Without treatment, leukemia can be life-threatening. The specific outcomes depend on the type of leukemia, the patient’s age, overall health, and how far the disease has progressed. However, most people with untreated leukemia will experience a decline in their health and quality of life, and the disease may eventually lead to death.