A woman who believed she was suffering with fatigue has taken to social media to share her experience of ignoring several symptoms that turned out to be something much more sinister. After finally seeking medical advice, Alicia Ortstad revealed on TikTok that she had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer), which had developed a year ago.
“Now I have realised that my body was telling me all along and I ignored it,” she wrote in a caption. And in an effort to raise awareness, Alicia listed her symptoms to encourage others to seek medical advice if they’re experiencing similar issues.
“I always felt tired no matter how much sleep I got,” she said, adding that she also suffered from tiredness and found herself being sick more than usual. “I also had a high fever very often and also strep throat many times,” she added.
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Alicia said she also struggled to concentrate at school, often needing to take naps during breaks and lessons. “I could no longer drink alcohol without the worst hangovers. Even from the smallest drinks,” she added.
Alongside a photo of herself in hospital, meanwhile, she explained that she experienced “great pain”, even while resting, strangely more so than when she had been active. “The pain started small and got worse with time,” she explained. “No painkillers or even morphine worked. The pain was worst at night and affected my sleeping.”
Alicia opened up further about her trauma, revealing she had a “big and hard” lump in her knee that grew over time. She closed by offering some candid advice to her followers: “Listen to your body, you know deep down when something isn’t right. Be hard on the doctors – they can be ignorant – and in my case, not informed about this type of cancer. Know your rights and fight for them.”
Her troubles prompted one of her followers to query: “How did you test for it? Is it easily detectable?” Alicia explained: “I did an MRI and they found it, the problem was it took them almost half a year to give me a scan which is why they found it when it was almost too late.”
Another follower expressed their gratitude: “Thank you, now I will keep thinking about this for the next few weeks or so.” Whilst a third TikTok user sent encouragement: “Stay strong, fight the fight, you shouldn’t have to… but keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.”
What are the symptoms of bone cancer?
According to the NHS, bone cancer can affect any bones, and the symptoms include:
- persistent bone pain that gets worse over time
- swelling and redness over a bone
- a lump over a bone
- a weak bone that breaks more easily than normal
- problems moving around
If you or your child is experiencing persistent, severe or worsening bone pain, you should visit your GP. Even though it’s unlikely to be bone cancer, it’s important to investigate.