I was diagnosed with EC
stage IV late June. My symptoms never went away , but I no longer use my primary care doctor because when I first sought an answer to my back/ chest pain, he didn’t send me for any tests or recommend a specialist, but agreed to my suggestion that I get a cardiac work up to eliminate the heart as a cause. When at subsequent appointments I asked if I should go to the ER if the pain doesn’t subside he quipped that there was no reason to. After my heart was cleared as the cause I went to my pulmonologist who treats me for COPD. Finally, I made an appointment with my gastroenterologist who ordered a swallow test and endoscopy. That’s when they finally found cancer. My pain mgt doctor ordered an MRI which revealed the pain source- secondary bone cancer of the spine. If my primary doctor wasn’t negligent i would have been diagnosed by February, and perhaps it would not have progressed to stage IV.