Mum told she 'wasn't in enough pain to have cancer' given horror diagnosis
A mum with incurable cancer was initially misdiagnosed because she "wasn't in enough pain".
Hannah Pearce, 49, was told she was suffering from an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone, but the reality was much worse. She wasn't convinced by the diagnosis but her GP insisted it couldn't be "anything serious" because otherwise it would hurt more. But in 2020, the then 46-year-old was diagnosed with blood cancer myeloma.
Now the mum from Looe is urging people to "follow your instincts", as getting a correct diagnosis could save your life - or prolong the time you have left with your loved ones, reports Cornwall Live.
Hannah's misdiagnosis came three years after her father was diagnosed with the same cancer - despite also having been misdiagnosed twice with both polymyalgia (muscle stiffness) and then rheumatoid arthritis. By the time dad Neil Pearce's myeloma was caught in 2017 the grandfather-of-eight had holes in his lower back.
The 77-year-old, from Looe, is currently on his last round of available chemotherapy, after which he will have exhausted all treatment avenues leaving the pair wondering 'what if'. Mum-of-one Hannah said: "What if we had both had an earlier diagnosis, would it have changed the outcome or the amount of years we will have with our families?"
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She wants people to "follow your instincts" after the diagnosis"I started getting pain and discomfort in my sternum in October 2019, but I wasn't diagnosed until October 2020 - after several calls to the doctor, a chest X-ray which we now know was unfortunately misread, and even being told by a GP I was not in enough pain for it to be anything serious.
"If I think back, the pain came and went but there were times when I couldn't go to bed, I had to sleep upright in a chair. On occasions, it was too painful to even hug my daughter Tegen.
"We all know our bodies and it is vital to follow your instincts," said Hannah. "If you feel there is something wrong, please get it checked. I had to keep questioning for my diagnosis and thank goodness I didn't take no for an answer."
While Hannah has responded well to treatment, Neil's cancer has unfortunately returned three times over the past five years. Myeloma UK says half of people with the incurable blood cancer myeloma wait over five months to get diagnosed making it some of the longest delays out of any cancer in the UK.
Hannah training for the Edinburgh Marathon with her partnerDespite 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.
This September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and blood cancer charity Myeloma UK is urging people to trust their instincts and get themselves checked if something doesn't feel right.
Myeloma UK chief executive Dr Sophie Castell said: “The most important thing people can do is rule themselves out by checking their symptoms and, if anything isn't right, go see their GP.
"The symptoms of myeloma are vague and can often seem unrelated or appear at different times, so if you think there's more to it than run-of-the-mill tiredness, a pulled muscle or old age – and if your symptoms just aren't going away – please keep pushing or ask for a second opinion. It might take more than one appointment for your doctor to put the pieces of the puzzle together."
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