One woman has shared how night sweats and back pain for six months turned out to be signs she was suffering from aggressive cancer.
Hannah Bird, from Bristol, also lost weight, developed rashes and a constant cough, and suffered from back and chest pain.
The 24-year-old said she “went to the doctor three to four times a week” and was repeatedly discharged before finally being x-rayed and scanned.
Just weeks after her engagement, she was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma — an aggressive cancer.
The travel content creator has had to put countless vacations on hold – but is now cancer-free and touring bucket list destinations.
Hannah Bird (above), 24, from Bristol also lost weight, developed rashes and a constant cough, and suffered from back and chest pain
Hannah urges people to get a second opinion if they aren’t happy with the doctor’s diagnosis.
Hannah said: “You know it’s bad when they ask someone to sit with you while the doctors break the news to you.
“It wasn’t a shock – I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis. It didn’t hit me until I started chemotherapy.
“I was devastated that I couldn’t travel; we had so many plans. We wanted to buy a house, but financially we were screwed. Our life was destroyed for a year.’
Hannah suffered from night sweats, weight loss, skin rashes and constant coughing for six months.
She was on vacation in Paris with her boyfriend Charlie Camper, 23, a professional golfer, when he popped the question.
But she felt so bad that she couldn’t fully enjoy it. Hannah said: “I felt so bad that day that I slept most of the time.
“Our engagement plans were ruined by my diagnosis. We didn’t have a normal engagement experience.’
Now that she’s been given the all-clear, Hannah is completing her travel list with trips that have been put on hold during her treatment and her first stop was Turkey
Hannah (left) was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma — an aggressive cancer — just weeks after becoming engaged to Charlie Camper (right).
Hannah (above) urges people to get a second opinion if they aren’t happy with the doctor’s diagnosis
Hannah (above) had suffered from night sweats, weight loss, rashes and a constant cough for six months
In March 2022, Hannah was away skiing, she developed back and chest pains and later contracted pneumonia.
Doctors gave Hannah an X-ray and CT scan on her return, and the following day, in April Fool’s Day 2022, she was told she had cancer.
Hannah said: “The tumor was in my left lung – it took up three quarters of my lung.
“We found out I was level four. I was so relieved that they found out what was wrong with me.’
Doctors initially thought Hannah had lung cancer, so they did a biopsy and three weeks later she was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma — the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Doctors (above) gave Hannah an X-ray and CT scan on her return, and the following day, April Fools Day 2022, she was told she had cancer
Doctors initially thought Hannah had lung cancer, so they did a biopsy and three weeks later she was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma — the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Hannah was enrolled in a clinical trial where she was given a non-chemoinvasive immunotherapy drug.
Instead of chemotherapy, this drug is less invasive, helping the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
She said: “By the time I got my scan halfway through, my tumor had shrunk by 80 per cent.
“In September 2022 I had finished chemotherapy, all the cancer was gone, which was not normal.
“I am the only person in the UK who has had all of her non-Hodgkin cancer gone with chemotherapy alone.”
Hannah was cleared to travel in October 2022 and has CT scans every 12 weeks to look for signs of cancer. Pictured: The couple in Turkey
The couple (above) will travel to the Philippines in May and then to Antarctica for their honeymoon in January 2024
Hannah said if you think something is wrong, request a referral or a second opinion from another doctor
Hannah was cleared to travel in October 2022 and has CT scans every 12 weeks to look for signs of cancer.
After being unable to travel for a year, Hannah and her boyfriend Charlie complete a travel bucket list.
Hannah is scheduled to get married on September 16, 2023.
Hannah said: “My partner said I can do one bucket list trip once I’ve finished my immunotherapy, another once I’ve finished my chemotherapy, and then another once I’ve gotten the all clear.
“The first trip we took to Turkey was absolutely amazing and the second trip we took was to the Arctic Circle in January.
“It’s possible to have your bucket list, you can travel while undergoing treatment – you just have to plan ahead and make sure you’re close to hospitals in case something goes wrong.”
The couple will travel to the Philippines in May and to Antarctica in January 2024 for their honeymoon.
Counseling others with cancer symptoms, she said: “Get a second opinion. I went to the same doctor every time. I think if I had gone to a different doctor the diagnosis would have been made much sooner.
“I went to the doctor three to four times a week, I was so desperate.
“If you think something is wrong, request a referral or a second opinion from another doctor.”
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