Strange symptom and a "weird" referral led to surprise Stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Kate Ping thought she was just stressed out. A nurse practitioner's surprising recommendation led to a shocking diagnosis.
September 12, 2026 / 8:00 AM EDT / CBS News
Kate Ping wasn't concerned about the bloating in her abdomen at first. She was too busy running two family businesses and worrying about her son, who was about to undergo open-heart surgery.
Ping, 69, always had digestive and gut issues when she was stressed, so she chalked it up to that.
When her symptoms still hadn't receded two months after her son's successful operation, she made an appointment with her doctor. Her abdomen was so bloated it felt tender around her belly button, she said.
Ping expected to be scheduled for a colonoscopy. But the nurse practitioner she saw surprised her and ordered a CT scan.
"In my head, I'm thinking, 'That's weird. Why did she do that?'" Ping recalled.