My symptoms were dismissed as ‘pandemic stress’ when I was 14 — it was actually a rare vaginal cancer that usually happens after menopause

Being 14 is difficult enough, fto unsocial successful nan mediate of a nationalist wellness crisis.

So erstwhile Liliana “Lili” Castaneda began experiencing unusual symptoms successful nan outpouring of 2020, her section expert chalked it up to “pandemic stress.”

But things only sewage worse — and it wasn’t each successful her head.

As it turned out, nan Chicago teen was suffering from a uncommon vaginal crab almost ne'er seen successful girls her age.

“Most of my patients are successful their 60s,” said Dr. Dario Roque, a gynecologic oncologist astatine Northwestern Medicine’s Lurie Cancer Center, who treated Castaneda.

It would beryllium months of pain, disorder and unanswered questions earlier she yet sewage nan test that saved her life.

A teen’s hunt for answers

Castaneda woke up connected her 14th day to a splotch of reddish successful her underwear.

“I was happy astatine first because I thought it was my period,” she told The Post.

The eighth grader had ne'er had 1 before. She was calved pinch Turner’s syndrome, a familial upset that causes underdeveloped ovaries, infertility, delayed puberty and, often, nan absence of menstruation.

Seeing nan blood, she said, gave her a mini flicker of “hope.”

But nan bleeding didn’t stop, and days stretched into weeks.

“It conscionable continued and sewage heavier,” Castaneda recalled.

At its worst, she was soaking done a menstrual pad each 10 to 15 minutes, flooded by waves of dizziness whenever she stood up.

“At that point, I was anemic,” Castaneda said. “I was very tired, had nary energy.”

Her expert said nan bleeding was apt linked to nan affectional toll of nan pandemic — pinch schoolhouse having moved online and her begetter precocious testing affirmative for Covid-19.

But Castaneda couldn’t shingle nan emotion that thing much superior was going on.

“It couldn’t conscionable beryllium stress,” she remembered thinking. “It felt for illustration it had to beryllium thing more.”

Castaneda’s expert told her to telephone backmost successful a week if nan symptoms continued. When she did, nan young teen was prescribed commencement power to thief extremity nan bleeding.

“It lowered it, but nan bleeding didn’t spell distant completely,” she said. “I was worried, scared, nervous.”

The spotting dragged connected for 5 much months.

Her expert ran tests but recovered nary answers. Then, during an ultrasound, thing showed up wrong her vaginal tract, and nan expert asked if she had perchance left a tampon in.

“I didn’t moreover usage tampons,” Castaneda said.

She was referred to a specialist, who performed a pelvic exam and took a biopsy of her vaginal lining.

Shortly after, Castaneda was diagnosed pinch clear compartment carcinoma of nan vagina — a uncommon shape of crab usually recovered successful nan reproductive systems of postmenopausal women.

Signs of nan illness tin see abnormal bleeding betwixt periods aliases aft menopause, arsenic good arsenic symptom and urinary issues, according to Northwestern.

“It was shocking,” Castaneda said. “I was scared, but I was much relieved I had answers.”

Unfortunately, nan challenges weren’t over. Because her crab wasn’t considered pediatric, Chicago-area children’s hospitals wouldn’t judge her. She besides needed a supplier who could pass pinch her Spanish-speaking parents.

Eventually, Castaneda landed astatine Northwestern nether nan attraction of Roque.

“In my 15 years of practicing medicine, she’s nan youngest diligent I’ve treated for clear compartment carcinoma,” he said.

From diligent to nurse

The tumor connected Castaneda’s cervix was astir nan size of a play ball, according to Dr. Jonathan Strauss, her radiation oncologist astatine nan Lurie Cancer Center.

“At nan clip of her diagnosis, nan tumor was excessively ample for america to surgically region it, truthful we had to usage outer and soul radiation therapies to thief shrink it,” he explained. “It took a batch of radiation to get free of her tumor, on pinch chemotherapy.”

Fortunately, nan bleeding that Castaneda had knowledgeable for months stopped aft nan first information of treatment.

In total, Castaneda endured 30 rounds of radiation and 5 rounds of chemo — pinch Taylor Swift playing successful her headphones throughout.

She was officially declared cancer-free successful March 2021, astir a twelvemonth aft nan bleeding began.

“I was truthful relieved,” Castaneda said. “I was grateful. I was excited.”

Now 19, Castaneda is successful assemblage studying nursing, inspired by nan aesculapian squad that helped prevention her life.

“I can’t hold to go a caregiver and thief different kids navigate their aesculapian journey,” she said. 

Castaneda is besides connected a ngo to dispersed consciousness astir nan signs of clear compartment carcinoma — and to empower women to speak up erstwhile thing feels wrong.

“Don’t beryllium ashamed,” she said. “Never brushwood thing off. Just get it checked.”