Nurse tried brushing off 'mark on tights' before learning it was sign of cancer
A nurse starting the first day of her new job was thrown into a life and death battle for survival when she discovered the marks on her tights were really bruises and a sign she had a deadly cancer.
Jan Henry tried to brush off the marks with her hand before realising they were something for more sinister. They turned out to be purpuric bruises. After a visit to the doctor she was diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia and began a gruelling round of treatment.
Now she is telling her story to raise awareness of the disease which is one of the most deadly cancers. A recent survey found less than one pre cent of the UK public can name the top symptoms of leukaemia.
It was her first day in a new job as a Senior Sister at the hospital where she had worked in A&E when she made the grim discovery.
She said: "Whilst clutching at my tights, batting off the unusual feeling of fabric clinging to my skin, I went to brush away something I thought was caught onto them. However, upon a closer look, the marks were actually purpuric bruises."
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Jan showed one of her new colleagues, a rheumatology specialist nurse who immediately got her in to see a consultant. She had an enlarged spleen and was sent for a blood test.
"What came next, well to say I was astounded is an understatement," she says. "It was almost certain I had acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and my diagnosis was later confirmed the next morning. Just like that, I was off to Manchester Hospital.
"Despite my career as a nurse Sister in A&E, I had no prior experience of leukaemia. On arrival at the hospital, we had a frank, scary but positive discussion with the professor. I had a 50 per cent chance of surviving the first round of chemotherapy.
"My lovely late husband, Dave, and I went for a walk, sat on a bench, taking in the gravity of what we had just been told. It was a cold clear night, and we wondered whether it would be the last starry sky I would ever see."
But the full scale of what she was facing only hit home when she had the Hickman line fitted, reports BristolLive. This gives long-term access to a patient's veins and can be used for everything from chemotherapy and intravenous medication to nutrition and to draw blood.
Jan, from Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, said: "It was only after seeing the Hickman line for the first time that the stark, shocking reality of seeing myself as an ill person started to sink in."
She began her first round of chemotherapy and managed to persuade the hospital to allow her husband to stay with her. She said: "We needed each other. We had to fight for that, but I was glad we did as he was such wonderful support.
"I was determined I would recover before my son’s birthday, and I did. The chemotherapy sent me into my first remission. Sighs of relief all around."
Jan's second round of chemotherapy saw her admitted, at her request, to their local hospital on December 21st. She said: " Christmas Day was spent in the hospital with my family. We watched Jungle Book, opened our gifts and had a happy day."
There followed another brief stay at home with her family before a return to hospital and her third round of chemotherapy. Next came a bone marrow transplant - doctors said it would increase her chances of survival to 60 per cent.
Jan said: "I was lucky enough that my sister, Gill, was a perfect match, and I had my bone marrow transplant. Eleven months after my diagnosis, I was back at work. It took five years to admit to myself that the constant fatigue and lack of concentration was all too much and I took ill health retirement. But here I am, aged 66, still alive and kicking.
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"To the NHS and to my sister, I owe my life. I even have two lily tattoos on my pelvis, marking the spots of many bone marrow biopsies. Thank goodness for tights and being in the right place at the right time."
Leukaemia Care is the UK’s leading leukaemia charity, raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease and the importance of an early diagnosis. The most common signs are fatigue, bleeding and bruising, repeated infections, fever or night sweats, bone or joint pain and shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your GP and ask for a blood test. To find out more visit the Spot Leukaemia page.
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