PROGNOSIS UNKNOWN: You know your body better than some doctors

Evie Lichtenwalter is Ball State student taking an academic break due to her cancer diagnosis. She writes “Prognosis Unknown” for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Write to Evie at emlichtenwal@bsu.edu.


I knew something was wrong when all of my clothes stopped fitting.

Jeans that were comfortable less than a month prior would no longer fasten. Their buttons and zippers would silently mock me as I attempted to stretch them across my suddenly enlarged abdomen.

Granted, I’m not thin. I’ve always been heavier, but I’ve never had major fluctuations in my weight, and I’ve never had a problem fitting into my jeans.

For weeks, I waited, and I hoped whatever was happening would go away. I thought, “Surely, I’m just bloated or just put on a few extra pounds without realizing it.”

I became hyperaware of what I was eating, how much and when. I started exercising more and counting calories. Despite my efforts, I continued to gain weight, and my already swollen abdomen continued to expand.

Finally, I set up an appointment June 3 at the Amelia T. Wood Health Center. I didn’t see the point in going to the emergency room or bothering my family doctor — I wasn’t in pain. I was just suddenly much larger than I had ever been and I didn’t know why.

I met with a registered nurse who asked me an endless amount of questions, drew blood for testing and eventually, prescribed me Prilosec. I was told to come back in a couple weeks if I was still having any issues.

Two weeks later, I was back. I met with the same RN who asked me the same questions. After definitively ruling out pregnancy and anything gastrointestinal, I was told I had a urinary tract infection and was given an antibiotic.

I left that day feeling dismissed, as if the nurse I met with didn’t take my worries into account. It was hard to explain a pain that wasn’t a pain. I simply insisted that my body didn’t feel right.

Eventually, after being urged by a family member, I gave in and made an appointment with my family doctor July 9.

After explaining my symptoms — weight gain, increased abdominal girth, loss of appetite — I suddenly found myself having blood drawn, tests ran and a 12:30 p.m. appointment for a CT scan.

The next few hours were a blur, but I eventually found myself in a tiny room at the IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital with my doctor. She was holding the results of my CT scan and saying something about masses.

They were on my ovaries. My liver. My bladder.

The scan found six masses that were significant enough to suggest metastatic ovarian cancer.

I wanted to laugh.

“No,” I thought. “That can’t possibly be me she’s talking about. I’m just bloated. I just have a tapeworm. I’m just crazy. Nothing is actually wrong.”

I never experienced excruciating pain or obvious symptoms, yet in less than a month I had gone from a healthy, 21-year-old college student to a cancer patient.

It’s easy to pretend you’re invincible when you’re in your 20s and to shrug off necessities like going to the doctor.

But if something doesn’t feel right, pay attention. You know your body better than a slew of doctors ever will.

When I eventually listened to my body, I discovered I was gaining weight because 39 liters of fluid, created by my tumors and called ascites, had built up in my abdomen.

On July 30, I underwent surgery to remove the tumors, along with my uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and appendix.

Even though it was necessary to remove everything, after my surgery I found out it wasn’t ovarian cancer. Instead, it was a rare form of cancer — malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, which develops in the lining of the abdomen.

Paying attention to my body didn’t prepare me for such a scary diagnosis, but it did help me eventually get the care I needed.

If you know something feels off, don’t stop advocating for yourself.

It could save your life.