A student nurse battling blood cancer after she was misdiagnosed with a sinus infection has issued a warning about the little-known symptoms everyone should know about.

Steph Ogden, 19, woke with what felt like a nasty flu one morning in early February and continued to suffer from a runny nose and a ‘non-stop cough’ for more than a week.

Her GP told her she had a sinus infection, but days later the teenager from Mount Gravatt, 10km south of Brisbane CBD, coughed up blood just before heading to her part-time job at McDonald’s.

Scans and tests revealed she had a lung infection, pneumonia and stage two Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of blood cancer known as a ‘silent killer’ because of its often non-existent symptoms. 

Student nurse Steph Ogden (pictured) woke with what felt like a nasty flu one morning in early February

Weeks later, the student nurse (pictured) was diagnosed with blood cancer

Ms Ogden told Daily Mail Australia she had none of the lumps or rashes typically associated with the early stages of the disease and believed she was experiencing night sweats – another telltale sign – because of the flu.

‘It’s everyone’s worst nightmare,’ she said.

‘I know I am so young and still have so many more years to live but I definitely am now living every day to the fullest because in reality nobody knows when their time is up.’ 

After she was formally diagnosed on February 26, doctors immediately started Ms Ogden on a four-month course of ABVD chemotherapy, the first line of treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Her body responded well and she has already been declared to be in remission. 

Ms Ogden still faces three weeks of radiation therapy which will begin on June 28 to ensure her cancer does not return, but there is no denying that she is one of the lucky ones. Others face a far graver fate. 

Ms Ogden (pictured with her mother) coughed up blood just before heading to her part-time job at McDonald’s

Steph Ogden is one of roughly 600 Australians diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma every year.

It is a rare disease that accounts for just 0.5 percent of all cancers diagnosed in Australia, and one most likely to occur in people aged between 15 and 25 – like Ms Ogden – or those over the age of 65.

Hodgkin’s is notoriously difficult to diagnose because symptoms are vague and easily confused with those of less sinister illnesses like bacterial or viral infections like pneumonia and glandular fever.

Unlike cervical, breast and colon cancer, there are no screening programmes for Hodgkin’s and it cannot be diagnosed with a generic blood test, leading health organisations to label it a ‘silent killer’.

Ms Ogden (pictured during treatment) had none of the lumps or rashes typically associated with the early stages of the disease

The teenager (pictured) is one of roughly 600 Australians diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma every year

Common warning signs of Hodgkin’s include night sweats, itchiness and fatigue, as well as inflamed rashes, unexplained weight loss and painless lumps in the armpits, groin or neck.

But as Ms Ogden’s story proves, the illness can advanced silently and insidiously with almost none of these symptoms.

In its initial stages, most forms of Hodgkin’s are highly treatable and associated with long-term survival, which means early intervention can be the difference between life and death.

It is even curable at stage four when tumours have spread to organs outside the lymphatic system.

Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma

* Painless swelling in the neck, armpit or groin

* Excessive sweating, especially at night

* Unexplained fatigue

* Itching

* Shortness of breath

* Unexplained cough

 *Fever

* Unexplained weight loss

Advanced stages can cause lower back pain, which is believed to be caused by expanding lymph nodes pressing on nerves. 

As lymphoma progresses and cancerous lymphocytes spread beyond the lymphatic system, the body loses its ability to fight infection.

Source: Cancer Council Australia

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Ms Ogden (pictured) is urging young women to trust gut instincts about their health

Ms Ogden said she has met countless lymphoma patients who had their concerns repeatedly dismissed by GPs, only to be diagnosed with advanced blood cancer down the track.

‘Even if you think nothing much of it, like I did, follow your gut,’ she said.

‘Getting checked if you feel something isn’t right could save you.’

She said she plans to use her social media accounts to spread awareness around lymphoma in young women.

For more information on Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other types of blood cancer, please visit Lymphoma Australia or the Australian Cancer Council.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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