Woman diagnosed with cancer after mistaking one symptom for hay fever
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
A British woman diagnosed with cancer initially put down one key symptom to 'hay fever'.
It was back in July 2023 when Ellen McCleary first started having nose bleeds after returning from a vacation, and she didn't think much of it at the time.
But as the nose bleeds happened up to three times a day, the 46-year-old called her GP and was prescribed antibiotics for hay fever.
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Ellen said: "I had a very dry nose but didn't think anything of it. We went on holiday, came back and the nose bleeds started.
"I thought it was my hay fever, I called the doctor and they didn't see me but prescribed antibiotics for my nose because they thought it was my hay fever.
"I get hay fever quite bad. It was everyday, it didn't matter what time of day, sometimes it was three times a day."
Thinking all would be fixed with the antibiotics, Ellen was left shocked when she started coughing up blood clots, which lead her to an ENT appointment in October 2023.
The mom-of-six, from Carlisle, UK, had a biopsy and a CT scan, which found a cancerous tumor behind the bone of her nose that was 'crawling' towards her brain.
Ellen had surgery later that month and thought only the tumor would be removed, but was remarkably left with no nose as well.
The Brit added: "I'm getting a magnetic nose. It does get sore and I don't wear it in the house. I do get out of breath now, I never used to. I hoover and I'm out of breath.
"I did not have any other symptoms. Everyday life is the same to be honest, the only thing that's different is that I've got no nose.
"You do need to clean it everyday because I've got no hair inside it and I do have problems when it leaks mucus.
"I can't blow my nose so I have to twist it out with a toilet roll. I'm on the seventh prosthetic noise because it shrinks when it's healing."
Ellen said it took her a year-and-a-half to look at her nose, and what she does to people who stare at her in the streets nowadays you may ask... Well, they get 'two fingers up'.
Thankfully, Ellen is now cancer-free as she explained: "I'm positive, you've got to keep positive. I've made friends online which is helping me through.
"Push at the doctor's, doesn't matter if it's a small or heavy nosebleed, go to the doctor's and if they fob you off, push."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Callum Jones