| Rhabdomyosarcoma typically produces a tumor | | | | spread to the bone marrow, her red cells were |
| along or within a muscle. It would look like a round | | | | really low and her platelets were critically low (at 7 |
| bump was growing right out of the muscle. Each | | | | when they should be around 180 or more). When |
| type of rhabdomyosarcoma has a different | | | | the doctor got the test results, she immediately |
| target area but so little research has been done | | | | sent my partner to the emergency room. From |
| on adults that you should expect any type to | | | | there it was seven days of tests and biopsies |
| appear anywhere. | | | | while they tried to figure out what was going on. |
| The symptoms of rhabdomyosarcoma may be | | | | She just kept getting weaker and they had to |
| nonexistent until the cancer starts spreading. If | | | | keep giving her blood and platelet transfusions to |
| the cancer is located deep in a muscle tissue or | | | | keep her going. She had a lot of bleeding and |
| within a muscle that is inside the head/neck or | | | | bruising from every where they tested because |
| pelvis area than you would never notice the | | | | her body wasn't making any platelets. Once they |
| tumor. In fact some people don't get a noticeable | | | | started her on her chemo she slept for days |
| tumor at all. This means that you don't realize you | | | | while her body worked through everything. The |
| have cancer until it starts spreading to other | | | | doctor's weren't sure if she would ever bounce |
| locations.Rhabdomyosarcoma typically spreads to | | | | back but luckily the chemo took the cancer out |
| the lymph nodes but depending on its location, it | | | | of the bone marrow right away and then her |
| may spread into other tissues that are next to | | | | bone marrow started working. She wasn't allowed |
| the tumor. If it spreads to the lymph nodes then | | | | to go home until her bone marrow started |
| you will start to see symptoms. When my | | | | working on its own again but she was only in the |
| partner's rhabdomyosarcoma first spread to her | | | | hospital for 21 or 23 days. It was amazing. They |
| lymph nodes, she started feeling crappy and the | | | | spent 7 days figuring out what was going on and |
| lymph nodes in her neck swelled up. She went to | | | | then a couple of days deciding if they were going |
| the Urgent Care clinic many times but they just | | | | to try the chemo on her and explaining all the |
| told her it was a viral infection and then gave her | | | | risks involved. That means in approximately 14 |
| some medicine. The symptoms that she was | | | | days, not even one full cycle of chemo, the |
| having are common for viral infections, mono, and | | | | cancer was pushed out of her bone marrow and |
| different types of cancer. As she started feeling | | | | her bone marrow started working again. I just |
| worse, if they would have drawn blood then they | | | | wanted to share that bit of good news. |
| would've noticed that something was really wrong. | | | | Back to symptoms...Unless the tumor is pushing |
| As it was, they just continued to call it a viral | | | | on something else that is causing some problems, |
| infection even though her lymph nodes were rock | | | | there probably won't be any. Once your body |
| hard and protruding out of her neck and chin to | | | | detects something is wrong, you may feel like |
| the point of painful. It wasn't until she got it to | | | | you have the flu because your body will build up |
| see her regular doctor that blood was finally | | | | on white blood cells to try and attack the cancer. |
| taken for testing. In her case the cancer had | | | | Depending on your body, because they don't all |
| spread to the bone marrow so it was easy for | | | | seem to react exactly the same, it may try to |
| them to see that something was seriously wrong | | | | shut down some symptoms in response to the |
| with her. | | | | unknown invader. Unfortunately you most likely |
| The doctor's figured that her cancer had been | | | | will end up just feeling crappy and that is very |
| growing for a year before the blood test was | | | | hard to diagnosis. Rhabdomyosarcoma is very |
| done. Looking back this makes complete sense. | | | | rare in adults and would be very costly to find in |
| She was going to Urgent Care every couple of | | | | someone without seeing a tumor or a swollen |
| months that year and before that she hardly | | | | lymph node that they can biopsy. If they can't |
| every went to Urgent Care. Typically she | | | | visually see anything, they have to run you |
| probably would've gone to see her regular doctor | | | | through PET scans looking for it. PET scans are |
| sooner but she had a new boss who told her that | | | | the most effective when you don't know where |
| she would be fired if she went to the doctor | | | | the cancer is located because they can spot |
| during work hours. So she set up a doctor's appt | | | | cancer anywhere in the body. CT Scans are most |
| and scheduled a day off. It had taken her three | | | | effective when they already know where they |
| weeks to get into see her doctor and during that | | | | are looking and what they are looking for. |
| time she progressive got worse. She complained | | | | Rhabdomyosarcoma is very rare, only a couple |
| of flu like symptoms, body aches and pains plus | | | | hundred cases show up every year and most of |
| she started throwing up any time she ate. She | | | | them are show up in children. There is a slim |
| was able to go to work and just not eat anything | | | | chance that a doctor is going to jump to cancer if |
| up until that last weekend when she just couldn't | | | | you keep showing up with complaints of flu like |
| push through it anymore. The doctor took a blood | | | | symptoms, especially if you are in your 20s or |
| test and immediately wrote her a note saying | | | | 30s. There is even a rarer chance that they will |
| that she couldn't go to work because she could | | | | suggest rhabdomyosarcoma even when they do |
| barely walk. | | | | start talking about cancer. It takes a biopsy to |
| The blood test at this point indicated that the | | | | truly prove rhabdomyosarcoma. Hopefully you are |
| cancer had spread to her bone marrow; if it | | | | not reading this article because you have already |
| hadn't then there wouldn't have been any | | | | been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma but if |
| indication of something wrong. Because it had | | | | you have - good luck with your treatment. |