THIS MESSAGE COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

02/09/17 - If you or someone you know notice a firm swelling or mass in your leg, get it checked out just to be on the safe side. It could save your life. Two years ago today, my life changed forever when my mom was finally able to see the 25 x 13 x 8.7 cm mass in my posterior left thigh. I spent nine hours in emergency two days later while they were checking to see if it was a blood clot, but [insert Arnold Schwarzenegger voice here] it was a high-grade malignant tumour! Can't believe it's been two years already!  Sarcomas are often discovered only once they become quite large, as they exhibit little to no pain so I can not stress enough, if you feel like something isn't right, GET IT CHECKED OUT! 80% to 90% of myxoid round cell liposarcoma recurrences & distant metastasis happen within three years of surgery. Case in point, our small group of lumpy alumni recently lost two MRCLS survivors over the past two months, so i'm feeling very relieved, not to mention grateful, to have reached the halfway point as of last month! 😌🎗🙏🏼

Many doctors are not familiar with sarcomas & some never even see a case in their entire lifetime. Because of this, sarcomas are often misdiagnosed as lipomas & removed by non-sarcoma specialists (even by well-meaning oncologists who have no experience with sarcomas), resulting in numerous complications, extra surgeries & increased rates of metastasis. So, if you've been diagnosed with a lipoma, get a second opinion, preferably from a sarcoma centre. It may be nothing, but better safe than sorry!

On a side note, I'm starting to feel a bit better about my current surveillance schedule, which has been less frequent when compared to my American counterparts. This article, "Followup in Soft Tissue Sarcomas", presents a European perspective on sarcoma surveillance, which pretty much mirrors everything my oncologist has been telling me for the past two years. As many of the online support groups are very US-centric, I have really struggled with the less frequent scans offered by our public healthcare system. So, if you're outside the US & also having to deal with the fiscal constraints of a public healthcare system, you'll want to check out the above mentioned study. :)


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