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I know that this is an awful thing to say, and I don't really want to believe this, but here goes.
I have a friend who I had been close with in the past but is now just an acquaintance. Last December she posted on Facebook that she was diagnosed with cancer. I chatted with her and she said that it was Stage 3 lung cancer and that it was in both lungs. She said that it was discovered when she was trying to apply for disability for her back. She said that she was given 3-6 months to live. I reached out to offer her support and I found her a support group that was about a mile from her house. What's making me suspicious is that it is now August, there is no more mention about the cancer, and she has not received any treatment thus far. And she is very much alive because she posts on Facebook all the time. I haven't confronted her about it because I don't want to be a jerk.
Has anyone here known someone to do something like this? Why do people do this? I feel terrible for thinking this, but something seems fishy. What do you do if you encounter something like this?
ETA: The more I think of it, the more I think that her story isn't plausible because when she said that they discovered the cancer in her lungs, they found it on a Saturday. That Monday she was posting that she had cancer. Would the doctors not have to do a biopsy to discover whether or not the tumors were malignant, or some sort of testing to determine what stage cancer she had? My father had a quadruple bypass when he was 60 and they found what looked like a spot on his lung. The doctors thought it was a spot of water on the X-ray or something very minor. Four years later he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. He was undergoing radiation and had prescriptions for Percocet and other pain pills because he was in so much pain. He died 6 months after his diagnosis.
Last edited by swgirl926; 08-06-2016 at 10:46 AM..
Maybe she was misdiagnosed? It happened to me but it was a different disease.
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Maybe she was misdiagnosed? It happened to me but it was a different disease.
It seems weird to me that she would go to get tests for her back and that day someone would tell her that she has stage 3 lung cancer in both lungs. The only illness that I know she has is alcoholism. She had a relapse and according to her last message to me she is 4 months sober.
I've entertained the idea that she might have Munchausens, and I will admit I don't know too terribly much about it, but AFAIK she doesn't deliberately hurt herself or seek extensive medical tests or surgeries of what have you.
So what do I do? Part of me says nothing because what is there really to gain from my asking her anything about the status of her cancer diagnosis. Is there any other reason that she would be faking it, other than a mental disorder? I know that not everyone thinks the same way as I do, but if I were misdiagnosed and found out that I wasn't really sick that I would be over the moon and I would tell people so they could stop worrying about me. But again that is just me.
A co-workers wife told everyone she had a brain tumor, she was really very convincing. Apparently she cured herself as some years later she announced she had been drinking a litre of pepsi a day and it had gone away. She is still around however now co-workers ex wife. Recently his mother had a brain aneurysm and was in quite serious condition of course his ex mysteriously also had a 'stroke' and also heart problems and was hospitalized, she was 'allegedly' given a heart defibrillator to wear in her words "just in case her heart stopped while she was working/driving/at home. But wait ..... its a miracle !!!! I saw her only a week ago and she was jumping around getting her boat ready to put in the water and do you know ... shes fine ... shes cured !!!
Münchhausen at its very worst, she also projects onto her children telling people her daughter has leukemia which amazed us all as at the time the girl was doing tryouts to swim in the olympics.
We live in a very small community and by large she is known for being strange/mad/batty/weird something that seems to go right over her head
Doctors do find cancer when looking for something else. Saw on the news about a high school football player who was scanned after a concussion. Found a small brain tumor. In my case, scanned for a pulmonary embolism but found something wrong with my thyroid. Had to have radioactive iodine to kill the thyroid. Not saying the OP's friend isn't lying but strange things have happened.
Doctors do find cancer when looking for something else. Saw on the news about a high school football player who was scanned after a concussion. Found a small brain tumor. In my case, scanned for a pulmonary embolism but found something wrong with my thyroid. Had to have radioactive iodine to kill the thyroid. Not saying the OP's friend isn't lying but strange things have happened.
An old neighbor of mine found out that she had lung cancer when she got X-Rays due to a car accident that she had been in, so I know that it's possible. I don't know what stage it was, but she had to go through chemo. Then I think it came back and she had to go through chemo again.
I saw her online yesterday and I asked how she was doing. I mentioned nothing about her saying that she had cancer. Neither did she. She said that she was working at a restaurant and making good money. I guess she thinks that we all forgot that she said she had cancer. Oh well. I am glad that we didn't set up a gofundme page with money that we can't really afford to give only to find out she wasn't really sick.
Is there any other reason that she would be faking it, other than a mental disorder?
It doesn't necessarily have to be a "mental disorder" per se. She could have severe depression or be a bit on the narcissistic side.
I have a friend who has a myriad of symptoms and says she can't do this and can't do that...but will jump at the chance to do something "fun."
I've got another acquaintance who can't seem to keep a job (illnesses plague her) but is getting ready to try out for a play.
And then there are the endless posts on FB about how "invisible illnesses" are real. And yes, they are. So is laziness and stubbornness and attention grabbiness. lol
Some of those invisible illness that you mention are real.
I had a stroke almos one year ago and you would never know it looking at me however I do have physical limits still.
I also have an Auto Immune Liver Disease that is *invisible* but there are days when I feel great and can do more in that one day than I had been able to the past 3 months.
So not everyone has physical issues that can be seen but not everyone is honest about an illness either so it is possible that there is something or nothing.
A relative was diagnosed with lung cancer. Turned out it was actually Valley Fever.
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