I blamed excruciating back pain on my giant boobs and popped paracetamol for years – it was stage 4 cancer
A WOMAN who blamed her back pain on having E cup boobs was self-medicating with paracetamol and ibuprofen for almost two years before discovering it was cancer.
It wasn't until Rebecca Dorman, 33, began experiencing "unbearable" itching on her legs and feet and found swollen lymph nodes in her neck and groin that she sought the help of her GP.
But after seeing her doctor in July 2024 she was told there was nothing to worry about.
The mum-of-two claims it was only after repeat visits and tests over the ensuing months that she was finally diagnosed with stage four classical Hodgkin lymphoma in October last year.
Rebecca began chemotherapy right away and will be having treatment until March.
She is now sharing her story to urge anyone with similar symptoms to have them checked.
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Rebecca, from Raunds, Northamptonshire, said: "In the beginning the back pain would keep me up at night. I would have chills with it as well but I thought that was my back going into spasm. It's actually a completely separate symptom.
"I can remember going to Tenerife in April 2023 and being awake every single night with back pain but then during the day I'd be fine.
"I thought having a larger chest could have been behind it.
"I had sports massages, remedial massages, I'd been to see an osteopath and they put it down to tight muscles.
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"I felt really poorly but I tried to justify it all of the time because I was a busy mum.
"When my back pain first started in November 2022 I was working at a showing yard so I had to muck out quite a few ponies.
"I fit hair extensions for a living so I was on my feet every working day and then I'm quite an active person so I'd be walking the dog, down at the horses, always on the go so I justified it as other things. You never think it's going to be cancer."
Despite originally being told it was nothing to worry about in July last year, Rebecca says she soon went back to her GP, concerned about her symptoms and doctors sent her to A&E.
Her blood test results showed no abnormalities but Rebecca was still very unwell and on her third visit to the GP was referred back to the hospital for a lower body CT scan.
The results showed she had enlarged lymph nodes and in August 2024 she had a CT guided needle biopsy to investigate but the results were inconclusive.
In October 2024 Rebecca was so unwell she was admitted to hospital for 26 nights, during which she had an excisional biopsy on her neck that led to her official diagnosis of cancer.
I was in the shower washing myself and that's when I discovered a swollen area in my groin
Rebecca Dorman
Rebecca said: "For my blood test results from A&E to come back all clear when I actually had a blood cancer. It's so bizarre.
"If you go to a GP and say I've got back pain, they're not really going to take you seriously.
"I was in the shower washing myself and that's when I discovered a swollen area in my groin which is where I was getting a lot of pain as well.
"Before that I just had the itching, the back pain and the fevers but having the swollen lymph node as well that was what actually made me go to the GP.
"I cried with relief when the nurse said your lymph nodes are all swollen. It made me know that it wasn't my health anxiety, there was actually something wrong with me.
"When I got the diagnosis in October, because this had been going on for so long, it wasn't a shock.
"I was just grateful to be in hospital and receiving the treatment and care."
'I was so poorly and I wished I'd done something about it sooner'
Rebecca's pain became so debilitating that she stopped working on 15 July 2024 but she is hoping she will be able to return after her treatment.
In addition to fitting hair extensions, she also makes wigs but could not make her own after the chemotherapy caused her to lose sensation in her fingers.
Rebecca said: "The cancer had spread to my bone marrow so the pain was excruciating.
"The chills, the fevers, all of the other symptoms they'd gotten so bad that I was admitted to hospital in the middle of October and I actually spent 26 nights in total in hospital.
"It went from a little bit itchy to unbearably itchy where I've got cuts and scars and bruises all over my legs and my arms, even my face was itchy, my hands were itchy. My whole body was itchy all of the time.
"I had my own business, I didn't really have time to be ill. I was getting on with it and I was self-medicating with paracetamol and ibuprofen to try and keep the symptoms at bay and keep on top of the pain.
"I was so poorly and I wished I'd done something about it sooner so that is why I have started a TikTok and have spoken about it because there might be women or even men out there that are justifying their back pain.
"But they should get it looked at and their health is just as much a priority as anyone else.
"I'm just really grateful to be getting the chemotherapy and to be on the road to remission hopefully.
"I wasn't actually able to make my own wig because a symptom of the chemotherapy is you lose the sensation in your fingers.
"Luckily my friends came to the rescue and made it for me.
"I was so scared and so worried about having chemotherapy and it does come with its risks because you're at risk of infection. Your immune system is so low but actually I don't feel as bad as I thought I was going to feel."
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Rebecca had an interim PET scan after her first two cycles of chemotherapy that showed her cancer had completely gone from her bone marrow, stomach and chest.
Some cancer remains in her groin area so Rebecca will continue to have treatment and hopes to know how it has gone by April or May this year.
Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that affects the lymphatic system - the network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.
It can develop at any age, but it mostly affects people between 20 and 40 years of age and those over 75.
Around 2,100 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the UK each year. Slightly more men than women are affected.
The most common symptom is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.
It's usually painless, although some people find that it aches.
Lymph nodes are pea-sized lumps of tissue found throughout the body,
They contain white blood cells that help to fight infection.
So it's important to note these glands often swell as a response to infection and it's not always a sign of Hodgkin lymphoma.
Other symptoms to look out for include:
- night sweats
- unintentional weight loss
- a high temperature (fever)
- a persistent cough or feeling breathlessness
- persistent itching of the skin all over the body
If you experience any of these symptoms, see your GP.
Source: NHS