Be confident that you know your body: 

I am a 51-year-old NHS nurse and 18 months ago was told that I had metastatic breast cancer spreading to my spine, lungs, hip and breastbone amongst other places.  

Roughly 3 years ago, I called my GP (phone consultations became usual during Covid). When asked what I wanted help with, I said that I thought I had cancer at a part of my spine called T11. I thought this because of a very specific type of pain that I had. During the call I was advised that I was an anxious nurse with a bad back after 30 years of service.  

I had several consultations with no examination of my spine and no scans despite requests, eventually being convinced that this was indeed muscular pain, this theory supported by an NHS physiotherapist who assessed me.   

On Christmas morning of 2022, I was getting showered and found a lump in my armpit bigger than my thumb. I knew instantly that this was a cancerous lymph node and endured several agonising weeks of waiting for a clinic appointment. During this time my GP suggested that the enlarged lymph node could be related to the recent Covid booster I’d had.  

In the breast clinic, when I was told I had cancer in several parts of my body, the consultant asked me, “Have you not had any back pain?”  I can remember clearly the awkward looks passed between the team when I explained I’d been seeing my GP and advised this was muscular.  

To this day, I regret not pushing for a second, third or fourth opinion. Maybe I wouldn’t be in the position I am now with the following words written in my medical notes: “lifespan can be measured in years”.  

Know your body well, and fight when you know something is wrong if necessary to get the correct tests and referrals. You are your own best advocate. 

Who Really Cares?

Kelly Hughes