California woman, 22, diagnosed with cancer after her ears didnt pop on flight to Chicago

A flight to Chicago turned a California mother’s life upside down when a simple unpopped ear after landing triggered months of medical tests, unanswered questions –– and finally a cancer diagnosis.Last year, Aida Burkins, 22, of Hemet, was on her way to Illinois when she realized her ears refused to pop.By the time she returned home, her physical condition deteriorated rapidly, leaving her struggling to make sense of what was happening to her.“I started bleeding into my throat, which would only come out of my nose if I was bent at the hip at about 90 degrees,” Burkins, a mother of two tots aged 1 and 3, told Newsweek.“My hearing got worse and worse.Then I started getting more tired and losing weight,” she added.She followed up with multiple doctors and underwent several tests, but was repeatedly sent away with generic advice that it might just be lingering altitude sickness.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Then, a doctor finally figured out the cause of the bleeding: A mass was blocking her eustachian tube.

She was immediately referred to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist.Burkins had been struggling with hearing issues over several months.“Everything sounded so muffled, and I had a ringing that wouldn’t go away,” she said.The ENT specialist was quick to notice the mass and suggested it might be cancerous, though they hesitated because of her young age.The diagnosis also revealed that her adenoids were severely inflamed and needed to be removed.While Burkins waited for her biopsy results, the left side of her throat started swelling up, forcing her to undergo a second biopsy.“The doctor told me he had never seen anything quite like what I had going on.

He couldn’t be sure it was cancer, but he said it was very sus...