Cancer: Do symptoms come in waves or come at a time? Survivors answer

Cancer is a silent killer and the fact that its symptoms remain unnoticed for a longer duration makes it even worse. Cancerous growth inside a body is an unstoppable growth of cells which progress at a faster pace.

There are several signs of cancer which appear in the early stage. If these signs are treated early there is a higher chance of controlling the cancerous growth inside the body.

In this article we have quoted a few cancer survivors’ who have shared on social media platforms the symptoms they experienced before the diagnosis, and whether the symptoms appeared all at once or in phases. We have made an attempt to help readers recognise and understand the symptoms of cancer and take necessary medical help as early as possible.

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For Paul Lewis, who was diagnosed with stage IV bowel cancer, the initial signs were rectal bleeding, increased level of fatigue, and intermittent changes in bowel habit.

"In my case, the symptoms slowly but constantly built up over time. There were also elements that came and went, like waves. Since my diagnosis, the metastases arrive at irregular intervals, which could also be considered wavelike. On that basis, I’d say that some symptoms come in waves but some can be constant. Others slowly build up over time. My advice is to not be like me: get yourself checked as soon as you have any doubts," says Paul in a long post in Quora.

For Melissa Niv, who was diagnosed at stage 3C when the cancer had spread to cervix, ovaries, lymph nodes, and lymph vascular system, the most glaring symptom was weight gain which progressed rapidly.

Unintentional weight gain and uncontrollable bleeding were the first signs, she initially presumed to be bad periods due to stress, Melissa reveals in a post in Quora.

"I gained more weight - lots more, really fast. It came on so quickly that my muscles didn’t have time to grow with the weight to carry it all," she writes.

The 28 year old would carry multiple changes of clothings and would also pass out often due to blood loss.

For WJR Halyn, who underwent treatment for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, the symptom was constant for over two months.

"Mid-2017, woke up one morning feeling like I had water in my right ear, like what happens sometimes when swimming. But, hadn’t been in water. Nothing cleared it. Over the next few weeks, it didn’t go away. Finally went to one Emergency room, where they prescribed a nasal spray to clear the sinuses. That didn’t work. Weeks later, tried another ER visit, and they prescribed some pills, which also didn’t work," he has shared on Quora.

He writes that two months later, he was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, a form of cancer that occurs in the nasopharynx, which is located behind the nose and above the back of the throat.

Clemencia Narajo, who was diagnosed with a very rare lung cancer stage IV, had always felt better. Sharing her ordeal with cancer on Quora, Clemencia writes that she was always better, however a week before the diagnosis she developed a dry cough and I felt a bit short of breath when exercising.

"I went to the doctor to get a prescription for some antibiotics as I was going overseas the following week. At the end of the appointment the doctor suggested an X-Ray but she was not really convinced about the need of it, as we all thought it was just a cold. Reluctantly I had the X- Ray and a couple of hours later I received a phone call from the radiologist asking me to go to the emergency department ASAP. I was confused because I did not feel sick. I went to the hospital and was admitted, 3 litres of water were extracted from my lungs. A couple of days later I was diagnosed with a very rare lung cancer stage IV. I have never smoked and did not look sick," she writes

Gary Larson, a cancer survivor and a radiation therapy expert says, "the important thing about symptoms due to cancer is that they are progressive over time. Especially in the beginning, they may come and go - and even when advanced, they may be better some days (hours-minutes) than others."

In Quora, Gary has explained the nature of cancer symptoms like weight loss, pain, shortness of breath and numbness.

He explains that pain associated with cancer is most noticeable at night. "As time goes by, one starts to notice it in the day and starts taking tylenol or an anti-inflammatory drug on a regular basis. Eventually it is hard to ignore," he writes.

He cites a similar pattern in case of shortness of breath and numbness; these come on quickly or gradually.

"Even if one has fairly severe symptoms, if they go completely away for weeks or months, they are most likely not due to cancer. Some tumors do grow slowly, however, so if a symptom keeps coming back - even with periods of remission - it should be investigated," he suggests.

Cancer signs are sometimes too subtle to even notice hence in many individuals it gets diagnosed late.

Hence it is important to do self-screening always. Any noticeable change in the body, big or small, should be dealt with immediately. Recurrent signs like shortness of breath and weakness should not be ignored.

Here are few common signs associated with cancer:

• Fatigue
• Lump or area of thickening under skin
• Big fluctuation in weight
• Changes in skin color, texture
• Changes in bowel habit
• Persistent cough
• Troubled breathing
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Bloating
• Rectal bleeding
• Pelvic pain