- Vanessa Rissetto, from New York, was diagnosed with the disease in May 2023
- She said she “knew something was wrong” long before that.
- He had developed a first symptom that the doctors overlooked.
A dietitian who beat breast cancer has revealed the surprising first symptom she developed almost a year before she was diagnosed with the disease and was continually overlooked by tests and doctors.
Vanessa Rissetto, a registered nutritionist in New York City and co-founder of Culina Health, discovered she was battling the terrible disease in May 2023.
But the health guru recently told Today show that she “knew something was wrong” long before she was diagnosed because she had developed an unexpected condition: her breasts had become “extremely itchy.”
Vanessa explained that as a health expert, she “knew that itching could be a sign of cancer” and became convinced she had the disease.
But two mammograms came back “clear” and doctors dismissed her concerns.
A dietitian who beat breast cancer has revealed the surprising first symptom she developed months before being diagnosed with the disease
“I would go to the bathroom, look in the mirror and say, ‘I have cancer,'” he recalled.
“I felt crazy because everyone was saying, ‘Don’t do it,’ but I knew something was wrong.”
He explained that he went to see a dermatologist, who told him it was probably “eczema” and prescribed a steroid.
But the itching continued and the medication didn’t help, only fueled her fears.
Ultimately, Vanessa decided to switch to a new doctor who sent her for another mammogram, and that ultimately led to the heartbreaking news that she had stage 1A HER2 triple-positive breast cancer.
“I sat in my car and was scared for about four hours,” he recalled the moment he found out in May 2023.
But because of her premonitions, Vanessa said she was “shocked but not surprised.”
Doctors immediately sprang into action and, just a few weeks later, she underwent surgery.
Vanessa Rissetto, a registered nutritionist in New York City and co-founder of Culina Health, discovered she was battling the terrible disease in May 2023.
But after doctors told him they “didn’t like” the results, he had to go under the knife a second time last July.
She then began chemotherapy, followed by 16 rounds of radiation, and in April she completed her treatment and was officially declared cancer-free.
And although she feels well physically now, the mental implications of fighting the disease still affect her today.
“I think there’s always a low level of anxiety because I had cancer and my body made cancer, and maybe it will make cancer again.” And that sucks,” he shared.
“Sometimes I’m having dinner with my friends and I think, ‘Wow, they have peace of mind and freedom because they wake up in the morning and just think about the fact that their kids didn’t clean their room.'”
‘I mean, I know they have stressors, but they don’t have to think about mortality like I do, and that’s very difficult. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.