A NURSE said it was a “shock” to be diagnosed with cancer after only noticing “tiny symptoms”.
Tracy Warrington, from Swansea, Wales, only recognised something could be wrong thanks to her work as a school nurse.
Tracy Warrington said she had “tiny symptoms” before her cancer diagnosis
Tracy, a school nurse, had extensive surgery to rid her womb cancer
She told Wales Online: “I knew the symptoms I was getting were not right.
“They were tiny symptoms, not very much at all.
“But I knew from my experience in working in different places, such as family planning, that something wasn’t right.”
Tracy said she recalled a colleague she used to work with in family planning warn of a significant cancer symptom in older women.
“I heard her voice in my head one day, recalling her saying out loud, not just to me – if you ever get any bleeding after menopause do not ignore it,” Tracy said.
Tracey, whose age was not reported, was post-menopausal, meaning she hadn’t had a period for at least one year.
The NHS says any bleeding from the vagina after the year-mark has passed should be investigated by a GP, even if it is a small amount, there are no other symptoms and it only happened once.
Causes include inflammation in the vagina and polyps (growths in the womb).
However, less commonly, it could be ovarian or womb cancer – diagnosed in 7,500 and 9,700 women per year in the UK, respectively.
In Tracy’s case, tests in January revealed that she had endometrial cancer – the most common type of womb cancer that starts in the lining.
A practice nurse referred her as soon as Tracy mentioned her symptoms.
The grandmother said: “I have a healthy lifestyle; I’m not overweight, I exercise, I eat healthily, I only drink small amounts, cancer doesn’t run in my family, so my only real risk factor was my age.
“I have never really had any problems; I gave birth to my two sons easily enough, and I never had any real issues with the menopause.
“So it was a real shock to be diagnosed.”
Endometrial cancer starts when cells in the endometrium (the inner lining of the womb) grow out of control.
Tracey’s surgery involved having her uterus, ovaries and cervix removed, followed by localised radiotherapy.
Doctors found that the lining of her uterus was almost five times thicker than it should be.
“It is supposed to be around 4mm and parts of it were as thick as 22mm,” Tracey said.
The dedicated NHS worker, who has worked for Swansea Bay University Health Board for more than 20 years, had to wait six weeks for her surgery, which she said was the hardest part.
She said: “I was scared beforehand. I’d never had any surgery or been ill before.
“For about two weeks [after] I felt a bit sore, but no real pain. It didn’t really affect my day to day living much, I just couldn’t run for a bit and had to walk a bit slower.
“The biggest thing is negotiating the emotional impact, and that is ongoing. I am so grateful to the way I have been looked after.”
Tracey – who raised £300 for the gynaecology department at Singleton Hospital – said she wants others to be aware of symptoms.
The most common sign is bleeding from the vagina that is abnormal – for example heavy bleeding, blood-stained discharge, between periods or after the menopause.
Around 90 per cent of endometrial cancer diagnoses are reported due to post-menopausal or irregular vaginal bleeding, the Eve Appeal says.
