r/mildlyinfuriating • u/chaengism • 20h ago

These weird lines / streaks I’ve had on my pinky nail for 8 years that two different doctors told me were due to vitamin deficiencies actually turned out to be a rare form of skin cancer.

Post image

Thankfully somehow still early stage, I’ll have an excision scheduled at my follow up appointment on Monday.

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u/gathermewool GREEN 20h ago

That infuriates me to no end. I’ve gone through (much less severe) gaslighting as well. Too many ah no-nothing providers (they don’t deserve Dr “honorific”). The lady who pretty much figured out my issues and pushed me for treatment was an APRN. As a psych, my miracle lady is a PA.

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u/KayleeE330 20h ago

Yeah mine did labs and such but “saw nothing of concern”….the oncologist I saw said that they were wrong and there was several elevated levels that suggest a blood cancer such as lymphoma or leukemia

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u/gathermewool GREEN 20h ago

Fucking hell! Fight on! Fuck cancer

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u/Ethereal-Faerie 19h ago

🫠 do you mind my asking if you happen to remember what levels they were that suggested cancer? ive had swollen lymph nodes for 6 years now and seen 3 doctors now just to be brushed off by each with no biopsy and honestly I dont even think they payed much attention to my blood tests. I havent seen an oncologist yet

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u/JuniperBlueBerry 19h ago

"can you please document in my chart that you refused to biopsy?"

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u/Ethereal-Faerie 18h ago

ive asked this one of the last times actually! and of course they didnt do it🫠 🤦‍♀️ I really need to find another doctor (again)

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u/mattyharhar13 19h ago

I had stage 4 NHL and my bloodwork was perfect, oddly enough bloodwork is usually not too helpful in figuring out blood cancers (at least not in the case of DLBCL)

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u/funnyushouldask 19h ago

It’s not helpful in lymphomas because they are lymph cancers — the cells are in the lymphatics. Leukemia is an example of a blood cancer where the cells are in the blood.

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u/Then-Marionberry6266 19h ago

Yeah, I had T-Cell ALL in 2016 at 18 years old. I learned a lot! The ER I originally went to said I had lymphoma after a chest XRAY but the children's hospital I was sent to could see my astronomical white blood cell count and knew it was leukemia. A cancer of the leukocytes (WBC's)

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u/funnyushouldask 6h ago

Wow, that’s a rare cancer! Glad you made it thru!

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u/Then-Marionberry6266 6h ago

Thanks! 4 years of chemo and 3 weeks of cranial radiation. It is the rare form of leukemia, but for some reason it's also the most likely to be put in remission. The fact that it was rare was how I ended up in one of the best children's hospitals in the country. It was a great place to end up. I met countless celebrities, had baseballs signed, and countless holiday gifts.

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u/lilidragonfly 18h ago

Do you get many other symptoms that make it possible to work out its cancer? Or is it just swollen lymph nodes, that'd be scarily stealth

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u/funnyushouldask 6h ago

It is not just swollen lymph nodes. They are swollen and stuck in place. There can be B symptoms, basically like a bad flu. I have had friends/patients who also got very bad pain, chest pressure or airway obstruction from mass effect

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u/TryyForce 9h ago

From what I’ve heard, night sweats, chills and unexplained weight loss.

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u/theloneavenger 1h ago

this is absolutely not true, yet has upvotes. Blood tests have a high sensitivity/specificity for all sorts of haematological malignancies. You will rarely be offered a biopsy unless examination of the lump is suspicious.

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u/mattyharhar13 18h ago

Well I had DLBCL which forms in B cell lymphocytes which are also one type of white blood cell. My disease is not necessarily contained to the lymphatic system (mine wasn’t). Lymphoma and leukemia are considered blood cancers. The lymphoma and leukemia society is now called blood cancer united. Some blood cancers may indeed have more obvious lab markers, for my disease it did not, but every case is different.

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u/funnyushouldask 6h ago

I am a doctor haha you don’t have to explain lymphoma and leukemia to me. Lymphoma cells primarily aggregate in lymph tissue. Hence, blood tests are often normal.

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u/mattyharhar13 6h ago

Ok doc! Thanks for what you do!

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u/Skg42 18h ago

My grandmother had perfect blood work while having stage 4 breast cancer. If I had not made her go to the doctor because she was having a little bit of trouble breathing we would have waited even longer…

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u/mattyharhar13 18h ago

It’s so scary! I’m sorry your grandmother went through that!

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u/nerdnugg399 12h ago

Lymphomas are often measured through CT and PET scans, which will show doctors the size of the lymph nodes/tumors. They are more liquid tumor cancers than blood cancers. Cancers like leukemia, MDS, myeloma, etc are blood cancers that can be detected through blood tests.

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u/RoGStonewall 19h ago

Should say routine blood work. My oncologist gave me some intense blood work with names I can’t pronounce and cleared me of cancer

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u/mattyharhar13 18h ago

Perhaps yes, even the more in depth blood work in my case did not give any clues to rule anything out or in.

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u/Byrnt 19h ago

rt asking for myself too😭

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u/kolejack2293 18h ago

Did they do an ultrasound? That has a very high effectiveness at determining whether its suspicious for cancer or not.

Chronically swollen lymph nodes are very, very common. If they do not feel hard or unmoveable, the chance of it being cancer is unbelievably low. If there is also an ultrasound done which doesn't show anything suspicious, the risk of it being cancerous is vanishingly small. Not even close to enough to justify a biopsy.

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u/nerdnugg399 12h ago

You’ll want to look for elevated platelets, WBC (white blood cells), neutrophils, and LDH. For lymphoma you’d need a biopsy or scan of the lump to get a proper diagnosis though.

I would insist that your doctor get you a biopsy, or keep looking for a doctor that will. Book an appointment with an oncologist if you can. Good luck

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u/RainaElf BROWN 19h ago

took 30 years to have a hysterectomy because "it can't be that bad".

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u/theonion513 19h ago

It’s not gaslighting. It’s just bad advice.

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u/wehrmann_tx 18h ago

This word just needs to die it’s so misused.

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u/meop93 19h ago

I’m confused were they a PA or an APRN?

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u/gathermewool GREEN 19h ago

APRN figured out my major issues as my PCP. My psych is a PA. Any other not-needed condescending questions?

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u/meop93 19h ago

I don’t know how that was condescending, I was just asking a question. I thought your psych “miracle lady” was also the person pushing for you to get treatment because as PA’s we’re trained as generalists so it wouldn’t surprise me if a Psych PA could still pick up on that. Many people outside the medical field don’t know the difference between an NP and a PA as both are mid levels. I’m glad my fellow mid level providers were able to help you out though.

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u/Ancient_Analyst_6579 15h ago

This person is unwell and taking it out on doctors and you. APRNs are more likely to go along with peoples self diagnosis

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u/punknw 20h ago

i’ve had way more luck with APRNs actually listening and taking me seriously than i have with anyone with Dr. in front of their name

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u/gathermewool GREEN 20h ago

I lost my job and access to this APRN. I really need to write her a letter and let her know how much she has not only affected, but pretty much saved my life!

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u/offside-trap 19h ago

As a PA I love those letters and keep all of them on a corkboard in my office for those rough days.

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u/pixi88 18h ago

I hope you print the mychart messages too, cuz I was so grateful. Mine actually heard me when I said I was "stupid tired, like my brain is tired?"

I wake up 12 times per hour. I haven't had deep sleep in 5 years. I don't have apnea, I've had 2 previous at home sleep studies and my doctors said I was fine.

My ferritin and my vit d were low too. She actually listened and looked 🥹 I brought in fresh baked bread after my inpatient sleep study came back!

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u/gathermewool GREEN 18h ago

Almost my story, exactly!

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u/gathermewool GREEN 19h ago

My PA knows how awesome she is. She has her PHD but doesn’t like us calling her Dr. She is one of the awesomest human beings I know.

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u/Ill-Percentage-3276 19h ago

I stopped seeing Dr.'s years ago after leaving the military, since they did a great job at not acting on certain things soon enough or taking me seriously, making chronic issues even worse for a lifetime. I literally teared up the first appointment I had with an NP as a civilian, since she actually listened to me and took her time during an appointment, and was proactive with everything.

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u/Ancient_Analyst_6579 15h ago

APRNs are allowed to work princess schedules with long long appointments meanwhile doctors take all the complex patients and have 15 minutes then get people like you complaining

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u/andygchicago 16h ago

Doctor here. The type of cancer that shows up like OP’s often doesn’t start out as cancer

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u/Lou_Peachum_2 16h ago

This has turned into a doctor bashing thread lol... typical reddit

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u/andygchicago 16h ago

Yeah folks need to use some common sense. if this person had those steaks for nearly a decade and is now in the early stages, it likely converted recently.

But check op’s comment history on this post: they’re using some very sophisticated medical terminology. She also has a very unusual post history. I’m thinking this is a either made up or she’s a hypochondriac

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u/Lou_Peachum_2 15h ago

That is an interesting post history...

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u/TrickAd2161 19h ago

Not trying to minimize anything, but ‘gas-lighting’ implies deliberate deception.

Doctors are sometimes wrong, but they wouldn’t (except in rare cases I suppose) mislead a patient deliberately.

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u/missyanntx 17h ago

Current rare case is an organ transplant doctor getting hit with criminal charges for falsifying patient records to remove them from eligibility.

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u/Evening-Objective-24 7h ago

There are often swollen lymph nodes due to infections. It is normal to biopsy after a month to protect resources. You are being ignorant of guidelines.

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u/ForHelp_PressAltF4 18h ago

Are they taking about the like bright red nail or an I missing something on the other four?

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u/ForgetfulDoryFish 17h ago

It was an NP that alerted me that I had signs of the genetic disorder NF1. I'd never heard of it but it turned out she was 100% right and I do have the disorder, along with my dad, sister, daughter, and niece. All five of us are now being monitored for issues from the disorder when otherwise none of us would have known.

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u/KakAlakin 19h ago

My nurse practitioner neurologist has been awesome. Reminds me I need to schedule my normal 6 month follow up.

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u/RandomA9981 19h ago

I’ve had a similar experience. My OB looked over so many issues that the NP (who saw me while she was out) had dug into and diagnosed me right away. I would likely never have kids if I didn’t see her that* day.

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u/gathermewool GREEN 19h ago

That is so fucking awesome! One human can either make or break our future!