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A 40-year-old woman from North Carolina, who splits her time between there and the U.S. Virgin Islands, says she owes her life to an unlikely source, ChatGPT. Lauren Bannon, a marketing professional, says her journey began with alarming health symptoms that were repeatedly dismissed by medical experts.
Initially, doctors attributed her symptoms, severe abdominal pain and rapid weight loss, to rheumatoid arthritis and acid reflux.
It was almost like they were trying to give you medicine for anything to get you in and out the door. I just wasn’t getting the answers I needed.
Lauren Bannon, Marketing Professional
Turning to AI for answers
Frustrated and feeling unheard, Bannon turned to ChatGPT, an AI chatbot she was already familiar with through her work. She typed in her symptoms and started asking what could mimic rheumatoid arthritis. The AI suggested something her doctors hadn’t even considered: Hashimoto’s disease.
"So that's when I pulled up ChatGPT. I already used it for work. I started typing what mimics rheumatoid arthritis, and it popped up saying 'you may have Hashimoto's disease, ask your doctor to check your thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO) levels. So I went to my doctors and she told me I couldn't have that, there was no family history of it but I said just amuse me", said Lauren Bannon.
From AI Diagnosis to Cancer Discovery
To her surprise, the results confirmed AI's suggestion — she had Hashimoto's disease. That led doctors to take a closer look at her thyroid, during which they found two small lumps in her neck. Further tests revealed what no one expected: cancer.
“I didn't have the typical symptoms of Hashimoto's disease, I wasn't tired or feeling exhausted. If I hadn't looked at ChatGPT, I would've just taken the rheumatoid arthritis medication, and the cancer would've spread from my neck to everywhere else,” said Lauren Bannon.
"It saved my life"
Thanks to the early detection by ChatGPT, Bannon's cancer was caught at a highly treatable stage. Her doctors even told her she was lucky she was found out so early.
“The doctor said I was very lucky to have caught it so early. I know for sure that cancer would've spread without using ChatGPT. It saved my life. I just knew that something was wrong with me. I would've never discovered this without ChatGPT. All my tests were perfect.” Lauren Bannon.
A word of advice: Use AI, but use it wisely.
Now, Bannon is encouraging others to use AI tools like ChatGPT for health concerns, but with caution.. “I would encourage others to use Chat GPT with their health concerns, act with caution, but if it gives you something to look into, ask your doctors to test you. It can't do any harm. I feel lucky to be alive,” Lauren Bannon.
While she’s not suggesting that AI should replace medical professionals, her story is a reminder of the power of advocating for your own health — and sometimes, thinking outside the box.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)
