22-Year-Old’s Painful Side Effect from Drinking Alcohol Leads to Cancer Diagnosis

need to know

• Claire Dougherty, 22, suffered severe neck and ear pain whenever she drank alcohol, prompting her to seek medical help

• Doctors found a tumor on her windpipe, leading to a diagnosis of stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in November 2025

• Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include swollen lymph nodes, which may cause pain when drinking alcohol

A young woman has been diagnosed with blood cancer after experiencing “severe” pain every time she drank alcohol.

Claire Dougherty, a 22-year-old medical assistant from Philadelphia, likes to go out for a drink with friends. However, starting in August 2025, she began experiencing unusual pain every time she drank, she told JFK News & Media via JFK News & Media. daily mail.

“I noticed that the front of my neck felt tight, maybe a little swollen and a little sore to the touch,” she said, noting that the pain started at the base of my neck and spread to my left ear. “The most painful area was my inner ear. I thought it was an ear problem that was causing the pain in my neck.”

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Doherty admits she didn’t pay much attention initially and simply changed her choice of alcohol.

“For a while, every drink was vodka, so I told myself maybe this was something [to do] Pair it with vodka,” she told the outlet.”[I thought] I have a vodka intolerance but I ended up having a gin and a glass of wine and they also made me sore so it didn’t really matter what I drank. “

Doherty said she decided to fight the pain and despite the anxiety it caused her, she still wanted to enjoy time with her friends.

“It’s hard because there’s no reason why I can’t drink, but it makes everything worse,” she said. “I’m very self-conscious about it and I get nervous every time I drink because I’m worried it will make me [the pain] Bad. “

But in September, Doherty felt a lump in her throat and went to her doctor, who immediately sent her for a CT scan and biopsy. Her tests revealed a tumor on her trachea, which was causing her chronic pain.

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In November, she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include swollen lymph nodes, which may cause pain when drinking alcohol, fever, night sweats and drowsiness.

The 22-year-old patient began chemotherapy weeks later and completed six rounds in early February. The treatment successfully shrunk the tumor on her trachea and released pressure on her airway.

Doherty is now preparing to undergo 20 rounds of radiation therapy. Recognizing that her situation could be worse, she urges others to advocate for their own health.

“I hate going through all the tests, but it’s worth it to understand what’s going on with your body and gain some peace of mind,” she admits.

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