A woman from New Zealand has revealed a terrible medical diagnosis that stemmed from her tumbling alcohol tolerance level. Poppy Beguely said the first time these symptoms appeared was in 2021, when she was just a teenager. Ms Beguely said she started vomiting after a couple of alcoholic drinks and develop and sore inside her nose and a facial rash, according to Newsweek. She initially thought all this was happening due to partying with her friends. But one day, Ms Beguely started coughing up blood after which she visited a hospital.
Doctors told Ms Beguely that she was battling cancer and a year later, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“Prior to falling ill, I would go out with friends a fair bit and I could drink a lot and I would feel fine the next day. Sometimes I would have a little bit of a headache but nothing major,”
Then, I observed a significant drop in my tolerance, and every night concluded with vomiting, even after just three drinks. The following days became increasingly unbearable, leaving me feeling extremely unwell. Fearing an alcohol allergy, I expressed my concerns,” she continued.
In 2022, Ms. Beguely faced hospitalization twice following social outings with friends, and the symptoms intensified.
However, the journey to her correct diagnosis was fraught with challenges. Thrice, she received misdiagnoses, with doctors attributing her symptoms to common skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis. Despite prescribed medications and steroid creams, the rashes persisted and even escalated. At one point, she was erroneously informed of having irritable bowel syndrome, adding to the confusion.
The turning point occurred when doctors noticed a lump on Ms. Beguely’s neck during her complaints of neck pain. “The appearance of a lump on my neck was the giveaway. During a doctor’s visit for neck pain, I inadvertently forgot to mention the lump initially. It was only when he reviewed my symptoms and notes that the puzzle pieces fell into place.”
“After he returned, he conveyed the disheartening news that I exhibited all the symptoms of cancer. An urgent ultrasound ensued, and the results were not promising,” she recounted.
Turning 20 in February of this year, Ms. Beguely faced her last round of chemotherapy in May, concluding four months of arduous treatment.
Ms. Beguely expressed her motivation for sharing her story, stating, “I am sharing my journey to increase awareness about this disease, as it impacts thousands of people in the US.”