First let me apologise for what will be a very long thread, but I needed to let it all out somewhere.
I'm 33, and since about September 2023 my immune system has been bad, I started a new job and had 5 periods of absence, 9 months later I'm still waiting for my 6 month probation meeting because of this.
Now let me say, I am very lucky as the new job I started was as a medical Secretary at my local GP surgery, so getting appointments has been easy for me (I'm not sure i believe in fate, but I feel that I was meant to get this job for this reason, as getting an appointment usually is impossible) I suffer with health anxiety, and my biggest fear is death. I dread to think how long all of this would have taken if I had not started the job.
March 15th I saw my GP, this was because I had been suffering with tight chest, cough, sweating, extreme fatigue and hoarseness. This led me to have a chest xray to check for lung cancer, a 2 week appointment with a camera shoved down my nose to check for throat cancer and a load of bloods. Xray came back satisfactory, bloods all came back satisfactory except 4 which were borderline (although they couldn't explain why the results were satisfactory and not normal) and the camera down my throat showed silent reflux. Imagine the relief when I thought that was it, no cancer.
Scroll forward to 25th April where I saw my GP again, new symptoms including brain fog, confusion and fatigue getting worse. To which the GP referred me to the CFS/ME clinic and took further bloods. Again relief at the potential of having chronic fatigue syndrome and not cancer.
Suddenly bloods started coming back abnormal, one for Vitamin D, which I started tablets for. But others which had causes such as myeloma.
I was asked to do a specific urine test nearly 2 weeks ago for Myeloma, which has not yet come back.
I saw another GP today who has advised that Myeloma may very well be the concern, but it is possible it could be something called MGUS which would be the better diagnosis.
I've now got even more bloods booked but not until 21st May, and once these are back I will then be referred on a 2ww Haematology no doubt for next steps.
So far I've been suffering for 9 months, but the actual investigations have been almost 2 months.
Mentally and physically I am exhausted. I can barely get out of bed in the mornings, but I cant take anymore time off work for fear of being fired. Like I said, I'm still waiting for my boss to hear back from HR because of my absences. Obviously if it is Myeloma then that will be another discussion I will have to have.
I wont even go into detail about being investigated for my heart which has been brushed off as anxiety for 10 years (10 years of 100bpm+ heart rate which now looks to be Tachycardia.)
If anyone managed to read to the end, thank you. I have no one to talk to about this, and I'm terrified. I never imagined at 33 I would not only have 1 cancer scare, but 3 in the space of 2 months.
❤️