A woman who initially thought she was suffering from a chest infection discovered her illness was far more serious after a visit to A&E.
Alana Kent used TikTok to raise awareness about her symptoms, sharing a picture of herself in a hospital treatment room. “Had no idea how long this was going on before being diagnosed, thought I just had a bad chest infection,” she wrote in a caption.
She revealed her actual diagnosis was leukaemia and listed the symptoms she initially believed would soon pass. These included: feeling weak and tired; breathlessness; nose bleeds; constant ulcers; frequent infections; and very heavy periods.
The TikTok user also mentioned she was “unable to shake infections” with her chest problem persisting for six weeks before she sought medical attention.
Her story resonated with one concerned TikTok user, who asked: “Can I ask what lead to you finally being diagnosed? These all seem like very regular symptoms for me. I hope you’re doing okay.”
Alana responded: “I was really struggling for breathe one night so went to A&E. My haemoglobin levels were dangerously low and through blood tests and bone marrow biopsy they found the leukaemia. Thank you.”
Another person shared their diagnosis story, saying: “I was diagnosed 04/10/24 4:30am in A&E they say it’s rare for young people under 65, I’m 23, we stand together.”
A third individual recounted: “Every bone in my body hurt has infections and was tired very tired. Diagnosed with leukaemia on July 22. I’m free from that now but it was a hard slog. Unfortunately for me I have an unrelated lung cancer.”
Meanwhile, a fourth commented: “10th February 2023 – a day I will never forget, 27 and my life changed forever. I’m two years into my three years of chemo but I’m in remission and finally getting my life back, hope you’re okay too.”
According to NHS guidelines, symptoms of the most common type of leukaemia – acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – typically worsen over time, starting subtly over a course of weeks. Potential symptoms are:
- Looking pale or “washed out”
- Feeling tired or weak
- Breathlessness
- Frequent infections
- Unusual and frequent bruising or bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- Losing weight without trying to
The NHS advises: “Speak to a GP if you or your child have possible symptoms of AML. Although it’s highly unlikely that leukaemia is the cause, these symptoms should be investigated.
“If your GP thinks you may have leukaemia, they’ll arrange blood tests to check your blood cells. If the tests suggest there’s a problem, you’ll be urgently referred to a specialist in treating blood conditions (haematologist) for further tests and treatment.”
Other forms of the cancer are: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL); Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL); and Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).