Imagine that you go to the doctor with serious symptoms of cancer, but are constantly told that it is venereal disease, a urinary tract infection or burnout.
That was the reality for Ragnfrid Ylvisåker (44) – because she was not mentally ill, but terminally ill. And she received the final diagnosis far too late.
– I was very dizzy, lost weight, had a poor appetite and was very nauseous. My colleagues commented that I didn’t look good, but I kind of thought it was over. But it just got worse and worse, the 44-year-old tells Good Morning Norway.
It turned out to be the start of a nightmare – and that’s when the clock started ticking.
Started peeing blood
It started in the autumn of 2018, when colds had abounded at work. Everyone fell ill, but it passed quickly for the colleagues.
It did not for Ylvisåker.
The cold symptoms went away, but they were replaced by something far worse.
– I got a fever, started urinating blood and threw up a lot over a long period.
Then she decided to go to the doctor, who was unsure what it could be.
– Thought I was seriously ill
– Since I had urinated blood, it could be a urinary tract infection, so I received antibiotic treatment for it. I took it home with me, but I thought that this couldn’t be the case – because I threw up and was so dizzy. I had such a bad general condition.
Then she entered a three-week period where she got worse and worse. The antibiotic course for the urinary tract infection did not help, and the vomiting continued.
She got sicker and sicker.
But she didn’t know what was wrong.
– You have met the wall!
There was another trip to the hospital, where she was placed in isolation. The message the 44-year-old received was that she had social anxiety.
NOT STEADY DISEASE: Ragnfrid Ylvisåker says that the doctors also thought she had STD. Photo: Bjarte Ragnhildstveit/Good morning Norway
– Then I thought it couldn’t be true, because I had vomited and had been so miserable for almost three weeks. I tried to say that it couldn’t be a communicable disease, but they were adamant that I could vomit and urinate blood for three weeks as a result, she says and continues:
– I was also so tired and sick that I thought they were probably right.
Then the doctor came in and thought he had the answer to what was wrong.
She was relieved.
– He stood at the door and said he knew what was wrong with me. Then I thought: “God, so good”, and I was so relieved – because it was a wonderful feeling. I had been so miserable for so long.
– So I asked what was wrong with me, and then he said: “You have met the wall”. “Face the wall?”, I thought. I had no reason to face the wall!
“MEET THE WALL”: When she was told that this was about something psychological, it started to hurt. Here she is with her daughter. Photo: Private
Furthermore, Ylvisåker says that there were a number of different symptoms one could get, and that the doctor was absolutely sure that this was the case.
She also says that they took an electrocardiogram, which showed irregular heart rhythms. They thought it was due to stress.
And she took the new diagnosis home with her, as well as sedatives, which didn’t help. The first night back home was even worse.
Not only for herself, but also for her family.
– It was absolutely terrible. It was terrible for me, but even worse for my kids and my husband. I got worse during the evening after I got home, and I just went to bed. At night I got up, came out into the hall, then passed out and went straight to the floor.
WORSE AND WORSE: Ylvisåker’s children had seen her get worse and worse over several weeks. Pictured here with the man and his two children. Photo: Private
– My daughter came out and saw me, and was terrified. They had seen me get worse and worse, but it was the first time I passed out. Then my husband came running, and they lifted me up. Then I sort of said: “This is going well, this is going well” – because I wanted to spare the children.
She went to the bathroom, closed the door, and went straight to the floor once more. When she opened her eyes again, her family was standing around her trying to revive her. But she had another seizure, and soon her mother came to the door.
She called the local hospital and asked for help, but there they were told that Ylvisåker had been treated – and that they were writing an epicrisis.
Then came the dreaded message
The next day, when the medical center reopened, she was admitted to the emergency department. There she received some fluid, and they thought this was due to a stomach ulcer – for which she received treatment.
She lay there for a day, but her condition did not improve. When she went home and collapsed on the kitchen floor again, her mother called 911.
– The next day I arrived at a hospital, and then I was so unwell that I really turned on everything. I just thought I was never going to survive this. Then I was sent to the central hospital, fortunately.
Because there, both blood tests and a CT scan were taken, which showed something she had feared for a long time.
CANCER: When she got the final diagnosis, everything made sense. Photo: Private
It was cancer.
Incurable ovarian cancer.
– It was painful. It was absolutely horrible and unreal, but at the time I was so sick that I wasn’t surprised that it was cancer. I was relieved to be believed, actually. I thought that now I got the right help, but to get a cancer diagnosis like that… it’s really tough. That was it.
Not only did she have to swallow that message herself, but it was something she had to pass on to the others who had helped her along the way: her mother who called 113, the husband who had always stood by her side, and her two teenage children who had witnessed this.
– It is not a simple message. It is extremely difficult, and is one of the worst things you can do. You are so vulnerable – your children and your husband are vulnerable. But we have chosen to always be very open and honest with our children, she says and continues:
HURT: Ragnfrid Ylvisåker says that it was painful to give the message, but that they finally found out what was wrong. Photo: Private
– They felt a sense of horror when they saw how ill I was. My daughter said it several times: “Mom, I’m sure you have cancer” when I was lying at home feeling so bad. It hurts to give that message, but they finally found out what was wrong with mom. They got an answer, and it was tough.
Will spread transparency
She received chemotherapy, which did not have much effect. She has been through radiation, and after a genetic test she is now receiving immunotherapy. This is a treatment that has been brought from Canada and the USA – but which she now receives here in Norway.
Big differences between the hospitals in cancer treatment
Now she wants to spread transparency around this topic, and she wants a separate screening program for ovarian cancer to be established.
At the same time, the 44-year-old emphasizes that she has a good relationship with the doctor who misdiagnosed her, who praises her for spreading openness.
– There is no separate program now, because if you take a pap smear, and it is fine, it does not reveal ovarian cancer. It is a disease with vague symptoms, and I wish there had been a program where women could have their ovaries, uterus and the rest of their abdomen checked – as they are done with cervical cancer, she says and concludes:
– Because I am sure that there are many who can be saved.
