EFFECTS FOR YEARS TO COME.
HERES NBCS ERIN McLAUGHLIN
WITH MORE.
>> Reporter: AT THE HEIGHT OF
THE PANDEMIC, HOSPITALS WERE
OVERWHELMED BY COVID-19.
APPOINTMENTS WERE REGULAR HEALTH
SCREENINGS AND TESTS CANCELED AS
A RESULT.
WITH POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING
EFFECTS FOR YEARS TO COME.
>> THE EFFECT THIS PANDEMIC WILL
HAVE WILL COVER THE NEXT TEN
YEARS.
PATIENTS CATCHING UP ON THEIR
DIAGNOSES THAT WEVE MISSED.
>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO ONE
STUDY, DURING THE FIRST FEW
MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC, AN
ESTIMATED 41% OF ADULTS MISSED
GETTING MEDICAL CARE.
63% OF THOSE SURVEYED RESPONDING
THAT THEIR DESIGNATED MEDICAL
PRACTICE WAS CLOSED EITHER
TEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY.
>> IN THE BEGINNING, WE WENT TO,
YOU KNOW, MINIMIZE CONTACT WITH
PATIENTS, LIMITING LIMITS IN THE
OFFICE OR HOSPITALS BECAME A
PRIORITY.
>> Reporter: LOWRY KNEW SHE WAS
AT RISK FOR BREAST CANCER, BUT
LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, HER MARCH
MAMMOGRAM APPOINTMENT WAS
CANCELED DUE TO COVID.
FIVE MONTHS LATER IN AUGUST, SHE
FELT TWO LUMPS NEAR HER BREAST.
WHEN SHE CALLED TO SEE HER
DOCTOR, THE MOTHER OF TWO SAYS
DUE TO THE COVID-RELATED
BACKLOG, THE FIRST AVAILABLE
APPOINTMENT WASNT UNTIL
OCTOBER.
>> THATS HOW BOOKED UP THEY
WERE.
>> Reporter: HOW DID YOU GET UP
EVERY MORNING KNOWING YOU HAD
THESE LUMPS, KNOWING THAT YOU
HAD TO WAIT?
>> EVERY DAY, EVERY DAY I
COULDNT SLEEP.
I DIDNT WANT TO EAT.
I DIDNT WANT MY KIDS TO WORRY.
>> Reporter: SHE WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH STAGE 2 BREAST CANCER,
VERGING ON STAGE 3.
>> SO I DONT THINK WE KNOW THE
FULL MAGNITUDE OF DELAYING
CANCER SCREENINGS YET.
WHAT THIS MAY RESULT IN IS THE
NEED FOR ADDITIONAL THERAPIES,
SUCH AS CHEMOTHEORY AND
RADIATION, AND LOWER CURATES.
>> Reporter: POTENTIALLY, LIVES
WILL BE LOST BECAUSE OF THIS, AS
WELL?
>> EXACTLY RIGHT.
THATS THE BIGGEST BACKLASH
WHICH WE MAY NOT SEE FOR YEARS
TO COME.
>> Reporter: MANY OTHER
APPOINTMENTS WERE CANCELED BY
PATIENTS, WORRYIED ABOUT CATCHIN
COVID.
A FEBRUARY 2021 POLL SHOWS 78%
REPORTED PUTTING OFF AT LEAST
ONE MEDICAL SERVICE, WITH
PATIENTS SKIPPING DENTAL
APPOINTMENTS, ANNUAL CHECK-UPS,
AND EYE EXAMS.
>> WELL, THESE ARE ANNUAL
CHECK-UPS, SO I JUST SKIPPED IT
FOR A WHOLE YEAR.
I WAS PRETTY FEARFUL OF GOING TO
ANY MEDICAL PLACE.
>> Reporter: EARLIER THIS YEAR,
VOLLEYBALL COACH SHERRI SANDERS
WAS IN EXTREME ABDOMINAL PAIN.
HER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE AT HIGH
RISK FOR THE VIRUS, SO SHE
AVOIDED GOING FOR TREATMENT,
UNTIL THE PAIN WAS TOO MUCH.
WERE YOU SCARED OF COVID-19 IN
URGENT CARE?
>> OH, YES.
IM BEING POTENTIALLY EXPOSED TO
ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY
HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO CORONAVIRUS
OR ARE SICK AND GETTING TESTED.
I JUST WANT THE HECK OUT OF
THERE.
>> Reporter: WHEN A DOCTOR
FINALLYFINAL
FINALLY SAW HER, SHE IMMEDIATELY
FOUND A LARGE MASS.
SHERRI WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE
2 CANCER OF THE APPENDIX.
>> I WAS PROBABLY WEEKS AWAY
FROM BEING STAGE 3 OR WORSE.
>> Reporter: EXPERTS NOW WARNING
IF LIKE SHERRI YOUVE MISSED
YOUR HEALTH SCREENINGS, NOW IS
THE TIME TO SEE A DOCTOR.
>> THIS ABSOLUTELY TOUCHES EVERY
PIT OF HEALTH CARE.
WERE TALKING ABOUT
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS, TALKING
ABOUT STANDARD INTERNAL MEDICINE
PROBLEMS, WERE TALKING ABOUT
ONCOLOGY ISSUES.
YES, IT IS ALL ACROSS MEDICINE.
>> Reporter: WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE
TO A PATIENT?
>> TO BE DILIGENT.
TO SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN.
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW.
THE MAJORITY OF HEALTH CARE
WORKERS ARE VACCINATED.
OFFICES ARE SAFER.
THINGS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN THEY
WERE.
>> Reporter: FOR "TODAY," ERIN
McLAUGHLIN, NBC NEWS, LOS
ANGELES.
>> LISTEN, I WAS GOING TO PUT
OFF MY ANNUAL CHECK-UP.
DECIDED, YOU KNOW, BACK IN
SEPTEMBER, LET ME JUST GET THIS
DONE.
IF I HADNT, WOULD NOT HAVE
DETECTED THE PROSTATE CANCER.
>> WOW.
>> WHICH WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE.
MAYBE THREE, FOUR MONTHS.
MY OUTLOOK AND OUTCOME MIGHT
HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
>> TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
>> I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH TO
PEOPLE, GO OUT THERE AND GET
YOUR CHECK-UP.
MAKE SURE YOU GET CHECKED.
>> CAUTIONARY TALE.
>> FOR SURE.
>> ENOUGH OF A REASON TO DO IT
NOW.
YOURE GOOD NOW THOUGH, RIGHT?
>> JUST HAD MY SIX-MONTH
CHECK-UP.
PSA, UNDETECTED.
>> GREAT.