When Amber Cunningham-Rogan was in her last year at university, she thought her bleeding was a simple dental issue.
She can just brush her teeth a little loudly, or maybe she has a mild case of gingivitis, the 21 -year -old believed.
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But a control routine for suspicion of gum disease – which affects almost half of adults in the United Kingdom – instead marked the start of a life -long journey.
Amber, from ST Andrews, Scotland, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) – a rare, lifelong blood cancer that usually affects people over 60 years of age.
“At first I thought I just brushed my teeth a little too hard, and then that I might have had gum disease,” says Sun Health.
“If I didn’t hear my body and pushed for answers, things could be very different.
“I am a strong reminder that leukemia is not just an elderly disease and that recognition of points can be the difference between life and death.
“I look ‘good’ now, so people assume I am healed, but CML is years and something I live with every day.”
There are about 840 new cases of CML and 224 CML deaths each year in the United Kingdom.
About 80 % of patients live for five or more years after diagnosis, but survival rates are massively reduced for those whose cancer is more advanced.
Amber, now 26, was studying marketing management at the University of Edinburgh Napier when she began to observe some unusual symptoms.
She was tired all the time, she continued to get sick and get a strange numbness and tingling emotion in her hands and legs.
For several years, Amber visited her GP, but the tests and scans have always returned normal, so neither her nor her doctor were particularly concerned.
The bleeding gum embarrassment, even her dentist, who treated her for gum disease, but could not explain why her different healthy gums would not be cured.
He now knows that bleeding can, in rare cases, be a symptom of leukemia.
“I had not experienced anything that shouted ‘cancer’, but for years, I was going to the GP with symptoms that made no sense,” Amber says.
“I was constantly tired, catching infections more often than normal, and then came a strange numbness and ants on my hands and legs.
“Spine scans and magnetic resonance imaging normally. It was disappointing – I knew something was not right.
“A particularly strange symptom was gum bleeding.”
I ran with a sick bucket humiliated and exhausted
Amber Cunningham-Rogan
Around the same time, he referred to hematology at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for hemochromosis (iron overload), hereditary diagnosis.
The consultant said he could simply be a reaction from the existence of a cold or recent infection, but he had a pleasure to do further tests.
Common blood tests revealed abnormalities and slightly high number of white blood cells and after repeated tests underwent bone marrow biopsy.
A week later, in the middle of the exam period, Amber received a call to tell her she had CML and had to start treatment immediately.
“Everyone was quite confident because of my age and health. It would be nothing that is related to cancer,” Amber says.
“I am very grateful to my Dundee Ninewells adviser for pushing for further testing or outcome and my treatment could have been much worse.”
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Because she was still studying, Amber struggled to pay for basic travel expenses at hospital appointments, so the difficulty fund from leukemia was entered.
He started the daily oral targeted treatment immediately, but the side effects were brutal.
“I had vomiting. It had severe bone pain, migraines, rashes, hair loss, extreme fatigue and anemia,” Amber says.
“A heart rate episode even sent me to A&E”.
He returned to St Andrews’ house to face, but he was determined to graduate.
Six months later, she had completed her degree with first -class honors and one of the highest signs of her dissertation of her year, which she dedicated to her late father.
After six months of treatment, Amber achieved what is known as a deep molecular reaction, which means that the cancer was detectable at a certain level – although the treatment would be continuous.
She still lives with fatigue, bone pain, headaches and skin problems, and her pure exhaustion has unfortunately forced her to give up the unconditional position in a legal curriculum that had worked so hard to obtain.
Waiting game
Instead, Amber works part -time from home, often feels out of the step with friends traveling or starting their careers.
“I can’t do any of the things I enjoy – Netball, going to the gym, socialization – and even part -time work is difficult.
“One night, trying to feel normal, I went to the theater with friends, just to hit intense nausea in the middle of the performance.
“I ran with a sick bucket that was humiliated and exhausted.”
One of the most difficult things, he says, is waiting.
“So much of my life feels like waiting,” Amber adds. “Waiting for the results. Waiting to see if fatigue will improve. Waiting to feel good enough to plan the future.
“Every day is a careful act of balance.”
Phases of chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. Tends to grow very slowly.
After the test, doctors will be able to tell you how far your CML has grown.
For most types of cancer, this is called staging, and this usually describes the size of the cancer and how far it has spread.
CML is slightly different. Instead of stages, doctors use the phases of terms.
- Chronic phase
- Accelerated phase
- Explosion phase
To determine the phase, doctors examine the number of immature white blood cells called explosions using a blood or bone marrow test.
They also look at the number of white blood cells and platelets in your blood and leukemia cells to check for changes in chromosomes.
The chronic phase is when the cancer is stable and still develops slowly. Most people are at this stage in the diagnosis, although not everyone will have symptoms.
In the accelerated phase, you have more obvious symptoms, such as fatigue, weight loss and swollen belly.
The explosion phase is when leukemia is converted into acute leukemia, usually acute myelogenous leukemia.
You can feel good enough and your symptoms could be annoying. Your spleen is often expanded.
Fortunately, Amber has found connection and support through residential programs for young people with cancer, including Barn of Flynne and Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust.
Internet support groups, especially the chronic myelogenic leukemia UK & Worldwide Facebook, were also a salvation.
He believes information brochures for leukemia patients to help manage side effects such as nausea and fatigue and has gathered over £ 2,000 for cancer charities to help others go through hell.
“There is a glow of hope,” Amber says.
“I am now a promising candidate I am trying to go without healing.
“To be eligible, you must maintain a deep molecular response over time and everything must be carefully evaluated.
“There is a 60 % chance of relapse within the first six months – but if you go through this point, the recurrence rate is significantly reduced.
“The withdrawal symptoms are common. But I still want to try.
“For me, stopping treatment is not just about medicines. I’m going to try to take my life back.”
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About 10,000 people are diagnosed with leukemia each year in the UK.
But only 0.4 % of people are able to detect the four most widely reported symptoms, research shows. These include:
- Extreme fatigue
- Bruise
- Unusual bleeding
- Repetitive infections
- Fever or night sweats
- Bone pain or joints
- Weight loss
- Pale skin
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling of your lymph nodes
- You feel full of your belly
Colin Dyer, Managing Director of LeukemiaHe says: “Amber’s story is a strong reminder that leukemia can affect anyone at any age, and that the signs are often thin and easy to lose.
“Too many people like Amber can spend months looking for answers before they get a diagnosis.
‘So #Spotleukaemia The campaign is so important – it helps people recognize the basic symptoms and enables them to seek medical advice earlier.
“Early diagnosis can make all the difference in treatment options and results and awareness is vital to life salvation.”
Fiona Hazell, Managing Director of Leukemia United KingdomHe adds: “Many people do not know the signs and symptoms of leukemia until they or someone who knows are diagnosed.
“That’s why we are so grateful to Amber to share their story and help raise cancer awareness.
“Early diagnosis saves lives, so we want to ensure that more people know the signs and symptoms and know how to come into contact with their GP to seek a full blood cell test if they are experiencing them.
“Together. We can stop leukemia that destroys so many lives.”
