New Zealand Teen Thought She Had Alcohol Allergy, But Her Bad Hangover Was Blood Cancer

The final diagnosis happened after doctors spotted a lump on Poppy Beguely’s neck.

A woman from New Zealand has revealed a terrible medical diagnosis that stemmed from her tumbling alcohol tolerance level. Poppy Beguely said the first time these symptoms appeared was in 2021, when she was just a teenager. Ms Beguely said she started vomiting after a couple of alcoholic drinks and develop and sore inside her nose and a facial rash, according to Newsweek. She initially thought all this was happening due to partying with her friends. But one day, Ms Beguely started coughing up blood after which she visited a hospital.

Doctors told Ms Beguely that she was battling cancer and a year later, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Prior to falling ill, I would go out with friends a fair bit and I could drink a lot and I would feel fine the next day. Sometimes I would have a little bit of a headache but nothing major,” she told Newsweek.

“Then suddenly I noticed my tolerance was a lot less and my night would end with vomiting every time, even just after three drinks. The following day would be even worse. I would feel extremely unwell. I thought I might be allergic to alcohol,” she further said.

In 2022, Ms Beguely was hospitalised twice after an evening out with friends and the symptoms became more prominent.

However, she was misdiagnosed thrice, with doctors telling Ms Beguely that she has multiple skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis – common skin conditions that cause irritation.

“The rashes ended up getting worse on a day-to-day basis and my face was completely covered. I was given medication and steroid cream but it never cleared up. At one point, I was even told I have irritable bowel syndrome,” she told the outlet.

The final diagnosis happened after doctors spotted a lump on Ms Beguely’s neck as she complained of neck pain. “A lump on my neck appeared and that was the giveaway. I went to a doctor complaining of a sore neck and I forgot to mention the lump. I told him about my other symptoms and he left me to look at my notes.”

“When he came back, he told me I have all of the symptoms of cancer. I got an urgent ultrasound, which didn’t look good,” she said.

Ms Beguely turned 20 in February this year and in May, she underwent chemotherapy for the final time after four months of gruelling treatment.

Ms Beguely said she is sharing her story to raise awareness about the disease, which affects thousands of people in the US.