Louise, a British in his fifty years, was just thinking of crossing menopause … But it is a much more serious illness that has proven: behind what she thought was a banal hormonal disorder hid advanced kidney cancer. Here is the little -known symptom alongside which Louise has passed (and which must all alert us).
We all know (and if it is not yet, you will go there) these little ones illness that we willingly put on the back of the menopause : fatigue, hot flashes, tension that climbs without warning … LouiseShe thought she was living that moment about her life. But something was wrong. A detail, a Strange and persistent symptomwhich she first ignored. Today, this Briton aged about fifty years old dares to talk about it, to break the silence around a Unknown and silent sign of kidney cancer.
Relayed by Kidney Cancer UKson testimony highlights a real trap: when our pains, or simply any change or signal sent by our body, are trivialized. For ourselves, but also by doctors. Because yes, the symptoms of a kidney cancerespecially in women, can be vague, discreet, or easily confused with other disorders less serious. It was this blur that almost cost Louise. His message today? “Listen to yourself. Even when everyone tells you it’s nothing.”
Kidney cancer: this little -known symptom confused with menopause
Louise took time to understand what happened to her. Like many women, she just thought of living Effects of menopause. Nothing worrying, she thought. However, a symptom was not leaving. And it is only after a routine bloodmade to monitor your liver, that an alarm signal has been detected. Ultrasound, exams … and the cleaver fell: kidney canceralready at an advanced stage.
“The symptoms were very vague”she says. “Nocturnal sweats, sly pain, a little blood in the urine … and above all a sign that I would never have thought of.” This signe that she considered it due to the menopauseit was a high blood pressure. According to her, a symptom attributed to her hormonal changes. THE renal carcinomaalso called kidney canceris often silent. It can evolve without pain or visible sign, and is sometimes discovered by chance. Hence the importance of “scanning your body, locating what changes, and not waiting”, Martelle Louise.
What are the signs of kidney cancer?
This cancer can remain unnoticed for a long time. But some signals must alert, especially when they last. Here are the most common symptomsaccording to the NHS:
- Blood in the urine (visible or not)
- Persistent pain in the back or under the ribs
- Mass or size palpable
- Extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, Unexplained weight loss
- Night sweats, tenacious fever
- High blood pressuresometimes neglected
Louise, she knew only too late that her little signs “of nothing at all” were in reality the clues of a deeper evil. She insists: “We know our body better than anyone. Trust yourself.”
Since his diagnosticLouise suffered Two heavy interventionsincluding one Complete ablation of a kidney. Three weeks after her last operation, she is still recovering, but she keeps the course. THE biopsies are reassuring: no trace of recurrence for the moment, even if its Stade 4 cancer imposes extreme vigilance. She continues to follow a treatment Scupulous. A complex protocol, which she had to adapt because of the side effects. L’immunotherapy (Pembrolizumab), for example, had to be stopped and replaced by treatment with steroids. “I only had two remaining sessions … I am relieved to finally be able to think of my healing“, she breathes.
“Listen to yourself. A lasting symptom is never normal”
If she does not try to worry, Louise still wants to alert the greatest number. Her story, she shares it with one idea in mind: Help other women not miss a vital diagnosis. “Listen to yourself. A symptom that lasts is never normal. Even if everyone tells you that it is fatigue or menopause, ask for medical advice.” Insist. “
The NHS recommends Consult as soon as something seems abnormal : weight loss, extreme fatigue, dragging fever … and if you have any doubts, Kidney Cancer UK offers a listening line and precious advice. Louise concludes with a fragile but determined smile: “I hope my story will help other women. Because we have learned to be silent for too long. To minimize. While listening to her body is to save.”
Tik tok – kidney.cancer.uk