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Woman’s blood cancer misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel due to burning hand pain

A 41-year-old woman was diagnosed with carpal tunnel after experiencing symptoms of burning hand pain, only to discover later that she actually has blood cancer.

Roban Lampkin was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2019. Multiple myeloma is a rare form of blood cancer that affects plasma cells – a type of white blood cell that helps fight infections by making antibodies.

Prior to learning she had blood cancer, Lampkin first began to notice small bubbles in her urine, which doctors dismissed as a warning sign of kidney damage. Then, she started getting bruises and red spots on her body, and her ankles became swollen. At one point, she found sores on the inside of her mouth and tongue that made it hard to speak. Finally, she started experiencing neuropathy, severe burning sensations in her hands and arms that led doctors to believe she had carpal tunnel.

In a recent interview with Insider, Lampkin maintained that she knew her symptoms were not a sign of carpal tunnel.

"I knew that I didn’t have carpal tunnel," she told the outlet. "Carpal tunnel affects millions of people – there’s no way people function like this."

About 12m Americans are affected by medical misdiagnosis each year, according to a study from BMJ Quality & Safety. Earlier this year, a father of two died from a stage four brain tumour after he was misdiagnosed with sleep apnea. Meanwhile, one woman revealed how her doctor dismissed signs of colon cancer due to her weight.

Over on TikTok – where Lampkin regularly posts about her health journey to her 35k followers – she detailed the first signs she noticed before being diagnosed with blood cancer.

“The number one sign that I had something wrong with my health…was bubbles in my urine,” she recently told her followers. “They were low, like really low to the toilet water line, they were congregated in a group together. It was enough for me to mention it to my doctor. Unfortunately, at that time the PCP just said it was no big deal. He did mention that it was probably an extra protein in my urine, which actually turned out to be true. It was a cancerous indicator of protein.”

After one night when Lampkin woke up once again in burning hand pain, doctors started doing tests and taking blood work. They discovered Lampkin’s kidneys were near failure.

Finally, doctors tested her urine over a 24-hour period and discovered that the protein in her urine was actually a cancerous Bence-Jones protein, a sign of multiple myeloma. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are about 34,500 cases of multiple myeloma every year in the United States. The disease has a five-year survival rate of less than 60 per cent.

In October, Lampkin revealed to her TikTok followers the symptoms she experienced before her cancer diagnosis.

“These are the signs that I had,” Lampkin said in a viral video. “I didn’t know, I had no idea for a while. But the first sign had to have been that I was anemic.”

The California-based mom also explained how the other signs she missed were her swollen ankles, lower back pain, and tongue sores.

Speaking to Insider, Lampkin revealed that she received a bone marrow transplant two years ago, and she is now considered in remission. She has also started a non-profit called Myeloma Movement, which is “committed to supporting patients of multiple myeloma by providing educational resources, emotional support and financial assistance only possible through generous donations,” per its website.

"I am here to get to take advantage of whatever time I have left," she said.

The Independent has contacted Roban Lampkin for comment.