Abby Lee Miller Reveals an Intense Spinal Scar After Life-Saving Surgery
Abby Lee Miller shared a photo of her spinal surgery scar in an emotional post on Instagram. Miller, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Burkitt Lymphoma, underwent emergency surgery for an infection in her spine one year ago.
Miller also criticized the early care she received, sharing that her doctors did not take her symptoms seriously, leading to misdiagnosis.
Here, a doctor explains why cancer is often misdiagnosed and what you should do if your physician dismisses your symptoms.
Abby Lee Miller has had an intense road to recovery over the last year after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, and she’s marking it with an emotional Instagram post.
“One year ago today, I underwent emergency surgery for an infection in my spine. This mass/tumor choking my spinal cord turned out to be Burkitt Lymphoma,” Miller captioned an Instagram photo of her spinal surgery scar. “I endured ten rounds of chemotherapy (each lasting six days with four 24-hr bags pumping poison into my body ending with a spinal tap in three spots, plus another shot of chemo into my tailbone area up the spinal cord around my brain cavity) Ten times!”
Miller said she’s “struggled” through months of physical therapy, where she’s learning to sit up again and crawl. “Maybe with a miracle, someday I’ll walk,” she added.
The Dance Moms star then criticized the early care she received. “Why didn’t the ER doctors on duty do their jobs?” she wrote. “I came in twice with the same symptoms? Why didn’t somebody listen to me, the patient?” Miller says she “finally found the right team, that’s why I lived to tell my story.”
Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects a person’s white blood cells, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Burkitt lymphoma usually starts in a person’s abdomen, where it forms a large tumor. From there, it can spread quickly to the brain and spinal fluid. This cancer is very rare, according to the ACS (it makes up just 1 to 2 percent of all lymphomas).
Miller ended her post on this note: “For those who missed it, misdiagnosed me, and the so called federal “doctor” who took me off medication cold turkey and the other ER “Doctor Hollywood” who told me to go home and take it easy for 10 days-STOP practicing! Please.”
A post shared by Abby Lee Miller (@therealabbylee) on Apr 17, 2019 at 10:53am PDT
Miller’s comments were flooded with people who shared similar stories of misdiagnosis of themselves or of loved ones.
How common is it for cancer to be misdiagnosed at first?
Miller’s trouble getting an accurate diagnosis is scary, but unfortunately it’s not uncommon, says Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, professor of surgery and chief of medicine at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. “It’s fairly common because a lot of cancer symptoms are nonspecific,” he says. That’s especially true with rarer cancers like Miller’s that don’t have screening recommendations in place, he adds.
If someone complained of stomach pain, for example, it’s common for a doctor to assume that it’s due to something like acid reflux, which is more common than cancer, Dr. Bilchik points out. It’s only when the symptoms are more advanced that tests may be ordered.
On the other hand, some doctors will order a battery of unnecessary tests every time a patient has nonspecific symptoms, and that’s often not helpful either, he says. “The truth is somewhere in between,” he says. “Clearly, doctors need to listen to a patient and act on symptoms that are out of the ordinary.”
What should you do if you feel like your doctor is not responding to your symptoms seriously?
It’s crucial to try to have a good relationship with your primary care physician, Dr. Bilchik says. That way, if you complain of a certain symptom, your doctor knows it’s out of the ordinary for you and will be more likely to push for additional testing.
If you don’t already have a primary care physician or don’t see them regularly, Dr. Bilchik recommends being very specific about your symptoms and emphasizing that they’re out of the ordinary for you.
Also, don’t hesitate to get a second or third opinion. “A lot of people worry that the physician will be upset, but it’s absolutely essential that you put your health first,” Dr. Bilchik says. “If you’re not satisfied with the response you’re getting, go see someone else.” And, he adds, your doctor should encourage you to get a second opinion if you’re not getting the results you need. “We see this a lot in cancer,” Dr. Bilchik says.
Luckily, Miller eventually got the right diagnosis and the care she needed-but it hasn’t been an easy road for her.
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