A mum of two has spoken out about her harrowing experience with unusual symptoms, which left her "feeling like she had been plugged into the mains" as a plea for others to see their GP.
Carol McGachie faced months of mysterious signs, including intense tingling in her fingers and toes, coupled with sleepless nights. Sadly, in a shocking turn of events, November 2021 saw her diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer - myeloma.
The 56-year-old is now determined to spread the word about recognising the critical symptoms "before it's too late". The nurse and mum of two, who also has two stepchildren, expressed a sense of relief upon diagnosis, finally confirming that her suffering was not imagined.
Carol recounted: "I was exhausted all the time. I used to regularly bake and cook, I loved gardening. I would walk our dog for miles - but I just didn't have the energy for it anymore. I declined invites to social occasions because I knew I would suffer the next day."
She is criticising the lack of knowledge about blood cancer among GPs, feeling they "didn't put two and two together" in her case. Despite being in the profession, she admitted she hadn't fully understood myeloma or its effects, reports the Daily Record.
She added: "I would not have associated back pain with blood cancer. That's why awareness is so important. Now I try to raise awareness through work and I've told some of my patients about my diagnosis and symptoms. I think I left it too long and tried to manage the pain myself."
Carol, an experienced nurse, stressed the importance of being assertive with healthcare professionals: "My advice would be, you know your own body so be more vocal and push a bit more with the doctor, rather than accept their word that it's nothing to worry about. You know what you used to be able to do before but can't do now."
She also highlighted the need for patients to seek answers actively: "If you don't go in and ask questions you're not going to get any answers." Carol described her ordeal beginning in late 2020 when back and hip pain led to a misdiagnosis with physiotherapy and painkillers being prescribed instead.
Chronicling her journey, she explained: "I'm a nurse so I'd put it down to having 'nurse's back'." However, her condition continued to deteriorate: "But things kept getting worse and that's when the tingling in my fingers and toes started at night. It went on for months and months. I thought it might be something along the lines of MS."
It was only after a considerable wait that Carol received an accurate diagnosis: "It took months before she was referred to a haematologist and given her diagnosis."
Upon learning of her condition, she felt a mixture of emotions: "I felt relief that I wasn't going mad and that there was actually something wrong. But it was also hard because it was not something they could cut away. You hear the word 'incurable' and you know it's a cancer that's going to be with you forever."
Carol acknowledges the delay in diagnosis but is grateful for her care since then: "I'm not sure why it took so long to get diagnosed but thankfully they found it before I had any organ damage. Since I was diagnosed and attached to a consultant, the care has been impeccable and having a direct number to the myeloma nurse specialist is invaluable, no question is too small."
Carol, who started chemotherapy at the Western General in October 2022, is now celebrating her remission and is filled with determination to embrace life fully. She's looking forward to becoming a doting grandmother and is grateful for the advancements in treatment that give her hope.
She shared: "I know it's incurable and it will come back. Every time you get aches and pains you think 'is it back? ' Sometimes it feels like you live from test results to test results every three months. But I've got quite a logical mind and I've had a few years for it to sink in. There are so many treatments now.
"We were always living for today but even more so now. We're just enjoying life and this year we're going to travel to Canada to visit our son Ross.
"Then our daughter Emma is getting married in November. In the beginning, my whole life was myeloma. I know it's always going to be there and I don't block it out, but I try to move on a bit and it's not my central focus anymore. Now I see a future, more so than I did a few years ago."
Myeloma UK, which supports patients with the condition, reports that about 5,900 people are diagnosed with myeloma annually in the UK. A representative from Myeloma UK commented: "Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, myeloma is frequently missed, as its symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are vague and often linked to general ageing or minor conditions.
"One in four people wait more than 10 months for a diagnosis. These are some of the longest delays out of any cancer in the UK. Yet, a simple blood test can, in most cases, pick up signs of myeloma."
