‘Doctors told me I had Long Covid after suffering from excruciating pain – but it was actually stage four cancer’
A WOMAN has shared how her excruciating pain was mistaken for long Covid when she actually had stage four cancer.
Nichola Petermann, 26, spent months suffering from fevers, abdominal pain and night sweats as doctors believed her symptoms were a result of her contracting Covid-19 back in January.
Nichola got diagnosed with stage four cancer[/caption] Her symptoms were mistaken for long Covid[/caption] The 26-year-old was in so much pain she needed six painkillers a day[/caption]As her illness became gradually worse, she reached the point of taking six painkillers a day.
Nichola, from Glasgow, told The Mirror: “I did think it was long Covid for a long time, I had no idea how serious it was.
“Because I was working and it was harder to see GPs, it was really hard.
“I treated it myself with pain relief, but eventually it got to the point where I couldn’t handle it anymore.
“I was taking paracetamol six times a day, I don’t think they believed me when I said how much pain I was in.”
Nichola realised how bad her condition actually was after visiting her grandmother who is battling stomach cancer.
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She said: “I noticed that I was sleeping more and eating less than she was.
“That’s when I knew for certain that something was wrong.”
Nichola contacted the NHS24 when the pain became unbearable and got referred to an Immediate Assessment Unit as staff were concerned about the amount of paracetamol she was taking.
She was about to be discharged when ultrasounds and X-rays did not reveal any problem.
But when a final ultrasound revealed ovarian cysts and trapped fluid, medics were able give her the cancer diagnosis.
But the 26-year-old was eventually diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and was told she needed to start treatment immediately.
She added: “I hadn’t heard of it, I didn’t know what it meant.
“It’s a very aggressive cancer, but that does mean it can be easier to treat. As soon as it was diagnosed they realised how serious it was, I started chemotherapy the next day.”
Her diagnosis with stage 4b cancer also meant that she was forced to leave her dream job working in TV which she had started in December.
Nichola lost three stone and was left unable to walk after spending ten weeks at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
She needed help to move and could only be fed through a tube before she was discharged in August.
She has praised the hospital’s staff and said: “Although they were also clearly short staffed, I never felt like it impacted my care at all.
Nichola who was finally given the good news that the cancer was in remission said she is hoping to return to work in the New Year even though she is still suffering from chronic fatigue.
“I’m much better but I’m still being quite slow, I’m still struggling a lot with a lot of pain.
“I’m getting there, I still have a lot of fatigue, but I’m really eager to get back to work, I will hopefully start looking for something after Christmas.”
In the meantime she is determined to raise funds for Blood Cancer UK, a charity that she said has been a huge help during her illness.
She has been walking every day in a 26.2-mile challenge in November and has set up a JustGiving page that has already raised over £2,500.
She spent ten weeks in hospital[/caption] Nichola is now raising funds for Blood Cancer UK[/caption]We pay for your stories!
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