A woman who had a cough for four years was told she was "allergic to the weather" before being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer. Virginie Liba, 49, from Buckinghamshire, first began to feel unwell in 2015 when she started sweating overnight. Around the same time, the mother of three developed a constant cough.
She tried treating it with over-the-counter medicine, but when it persisted, the chemist advised her to book a GP appointment. Doctors reassured her she was going through early menopause, as well as being "allergic to the weather," and gave her tablets.
Symptoms dismissed for years
The symptoms continued, and her legs became swollen and she began losing weight, but the 49-year-old was again reassured it was not serious. Despite medical professionals playing down her symptoms, Virginie grew alarmed when she spotted a large and painful lump on her abdomen.
She booked an emergency appointment with a new GP and was referred immediately for a haematology appointment at the hospital. Four years after her first symptoms appeared, Virginie was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) — a rare, slow-growing blood cancer.
"I explained the cough and the sweating, and was told it was early menopause and I was also 'allergic to the weather,'" Virginie told SWNS. "Something like hay fever. Later, I discovered a sharp pain on my left-hand side and noticed a big lump in my abdomen."
The new GP looked through all my notes and said, 'You've been coming for four years with all these symptoms, but no one has requested a blood test?' She asked me to book one, so I did.
From kitchen assistant to cancer patient
Virginie initially put the overnight sweating — which became so bad that it would wake her up — down to menopause after Googling it. "I'd have to change my pyjamas and bed sheets," she said. "I was just 39 years old at the time, so set it aside."
The GP prescribed tablets, but Virginie's symptoms persisted. Not long after, she noticed one of her legs was swollen. She called urgent care, who told her it was because she was standing all day in her job as a hospital kitchen assistant. Then Virginie started to lose weight, but she went to the clinic at work and was told again that it was early menopause.
"I was angry at this point," she explained. "But I didn't know back then I could ask for blood tests myself. I thought they might offer them, but they didn't." By this time Virginie had had her symptoms for four years and had made countless unsuccessful trips to urgent care and her GP.
Diagnosis and treatment
In 2019, Virginie and her family moved to Chesham from London, and the first thing she did was register herself and her family at a new GP. She began then to notice a sharp pain in her left side and a lump on her abdomen. "It looked like a six pack but in the wrong place," she said. "I was laughing about it! Now I realise it was my spleen swelling, and it became really painful."
Virginie booked an emergency appointment with her GP, who looked through her notes and was shocked that she had never been sent for a blood test. Before the appointment arrived, she started to feel very unwell. Not wanting to wait any longer, Virginie booked another emergency GP appointment. The GP phoned the hospital during the appointment, and she was sent straight to the haematology department.
On 21st November 2019, Virginie was diagnosed with CML and began chemotherapy treatment straight away. It caused her to lose her hair, her nails turned black, she was exhausted and breathless, had bleeding gums and rashes, and a constant feeling of nausea.
Recovery and awareness campaign
Virginie eventually returned home to continue her recovery, which consisted of monthly hospital checks and medication for around seven years. She has now finished treatment and just attends regular blood tests. Virginie is sharing her story for Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September, in support of Leukaemia UK.
The most common symptoms of leukaemia are extreme tiredness, bruising, unusual bleeding and repeated infections. Leukaemia UK is urging the public to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of leukaemia, and to contact their GP and ask for a full blood count test if something does not feel right.
Fiona Hazell, Chief Executive of Leukaemia UK, said: "We're so grateful to Virginie for sharing her story to help raise awareness of leukaemia. Most of the signs and symptoms are not specific, so can often get mistaken for other illnesses or be explained away."
"Early diagnosis saves lives," she added. "That is why we encourage anyone with symptoms to make sure it's nothing serious by speaking to their GP and asking for a full blood count test."
