A doctor told one woman “maybe it’s not such a bad thing” that it hurt every time she ate. Then she discovered she had cancer.
TikTok user Amanda posted a tearful video recapping her doctor’s visit nearly a year ago when she was feeling pain when eating and suffering from extreme abdominal cramping for months. She claims he wrote off her symptoms as stomach pain.
After being dismissed initially, Amanda discovered the cause of her abdominal distress was actually colon cancer. She was shocked that the previous doctor overlooked her “textbook colon cancer symptoms” simply because of her weight.
Amanda posted a video in February, which has over 245,000 views and 44,000 likes, reflecting on that day. “I took that video a year ago today, and in a month from now, it will be the anniversary of when they found my cancer,” she said.
“It still baffles me that a doctor ignored all of my textbook colon cancer symptoms to just put fat ignorance, lazy medicine on me,” she added.
The older clip, posted in February 2021, got over 580,000 views and 105,000 likes. “‘I’m in pain when I eat,’” she said through tears, “and he looks at me and said … ‘maybe that’s not such a bad thing.’”
Amanda’s viewers were quick to champion her, rallying her ability to advocate for herself and her medical needs.
“I would have sued for malpractice,” commented one TikToker under the video.
“I will never forget that video. I cried so hard for you. that was so awful what they did,” said another.
“Fatphobia is dangerous. We shouldn’t have to be warriors but I’m so proud of you for being one,” wrote someone else.
“There are only so many times that a doctor can tell you that it’s your fault that you’re sick, it’s your fault that you’re fat or that you’re useless for being fat,” she told BuzzFeed, recalling the traumatizing doctor’s visit. “There’s only so many times that you can hear that.”
She recalled feeling like the doctor “didn’t care,” because he wasn’t willing to run any tests and frequently interrupted her. After leaving the appointment, she sat in her car and cried, making the original TikTok video that then went viral.
After receiving a chorus of encouragement from her followers, she began the hunt for a new doctor — this time, a woman. Her new doctor ordered a colonoscopy, discovering a tumor.
“I was like, ‘That makes sense,’” she said. “I was in so much pain for so long, being ignored.”
Amanda, who is now in complete remission after going through chemotherapy, said the long-lasting effects of her diagnosis aren’t just physical.
“The residual anxiety, trauma and grief have really been kicking my butt. I would probably say that it’s almost as bad as the chemo was on my body,” she said.