DURING the coronavirus pandemic many people have been urged to look out for cold-like symptoms, especially with the Omicron strain.
But symptoms such as a sore throat and brain fog, which are also associated with Covid-19 – could actually be down to a deadly cancer.
Posting to TikTok, one woman revealed how she had been experiencing seven symptoms, which turned out to be signs of thyroid cancer.
The NHS says that it’s a rare type of cancer that affects the thyroid gland, which is a small gland at the start of the neck that produced hormones.
It’s most common in people in their 30s and those over the age of 60 with women being more likely to develop the cancer than men.
It’s usually treatable and can be cured – but it can sometimes come back after treatment.
McKell Quilter Wilson shared a video on TikTok and said it was a ‘friendly reminder’ to her followers to ‘check their neck’ and to ‘stop gaslighting yourself’ into thinking that your symptoms are just stress-related.
She listed the seven symptoms she said she ignored, which actually turned out to be thyroid cancer:
- Extreme fatigue
- Brain fog
- Rapid weight loss
- Difficulty breathing
- Increased anxiety
- Hoarse voice
- Never-ending sore throat
In the comments section she said: “I dismissed a lot of my symptoms because of my depression.”
She also explained that when she had seen a medic, her ‘bloodwork had been fine’.
When it came to diagnosis she said: “I had a visible nodule so I had an ultrasound done.
“They found 3 total, then I got a biopsy and was diagnosed shortly after.”
She urged her followers to keep ‘advocating’ for themselves.
“Just trying to spread awareness so if there’s someone out there like me, they can get the help they need sooner than later”, she added.
The NHS says that symptoms of thyroid cancer include a painless lump or swelling in the front of the neck, swollen glands in the neck, unexplained hoarseness that does not get better after a few weeks, a sore throat that does not get better and difficulty swallowing.
