What she thought was allergies was actually rare blood cancer

By Amy Reast

A woman who had a cough for years was told she was "allergic to the weather" — before being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer.

Virginie Liba, 49, first began to feel unwell in 2015, when she began sweating overnight.

Then the mom-of-three developed a constant cough. She tried to treat it with over-the-counter medicine, but when it persisted, the pharmacist advised her to book a doctor's appointment.

But she was reassured she was going through early menopause, as well as being "allergic to the weather" — and was given tablets.

The symptoms persisted and her legs became swollen and she began losing weight too, but was again reassured it wasn't serious.

But she grew alarmed when she spotted a large and painful lump on her abdomen.

Virginie booked an emergency appointment with a new GP and she was referred instantly for a hematology appointment at the hospital.

Four years from her first symptoms, Virginie was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a rare, slow-growing blood cancer.

Virginie, from Chesham, Buckinghamshire, said: "I explained the cough and the sweating, and was told it was early menopause and I was also 'allergic to the weather.'

"Something like hay fever.

"Later, I discovered a sharp pain on my left-hand side and noticed a big lump in my abdomen.

"The new GP looked through all my notes and said, 'You've been coming for four years with all these symptoms, but no one has requested a blood test?' She asked me to book one, so I did."

Virginie's first symptom was overnight sweating — which became so bad that it would wake her up.

She put it down to menopause after Googling it, but after developing a perisstent cough too, she booked a AP appointment.

She said: "I'd have to change my pajamas and bed sheets. I Googled it and it said you must be menopausal. I was just 39 years old at the time, so set it aside."

The GP prescribed tablets but Virginie's symptoms persisted.

Not long after, she noticed one of her legs was swollen.

She called urgent care, who told her it was because she was standing all day in her job as a hospital kitchen assistant.

Then Virginie started to lose weight, but she went to the clinic at work and was told again that it was early menopause.

She said: "I was angry at this point. But I didn't know back then I could ask for blood tests myself. I thought they might offer them, but they didn't."

By this time Virginie had had her symptoms for four years and she had made countless unsuccessful trips to urgent care and her GP.

In 2019, Virginie and her family moved to Chesham from London, and the first thing Virginie did was register herself and her family at a new GP.

She began then to notice a sharp pain in her left side and a lump on her abdomen.

She said: "It looked like a six pack but in the wrong place. I was laughing about it!

"Now I realize it was my spleen swelling, and it became really painful."

Virginie booked an emergency appointment with her GP who looked through her notes and was shocked that she'd never been sent for a blood test.

Before the appointment arrived, she started to feel very unwell. Not wanting to wait any longer, Virginie booked another emergency GP appointment. The GP phoned the hospital during the appointment and she was sent straight to the hematology department.

On Nov. 21, 2019, Virginie was diagnosed with CML and began chemotherapy treatment straight away.

It caused her to lose her hair, her nails turned black, she was exhausted and breathless, had bleeding gums and rashes, and a constant feeling of nausea.

Virginie eventually returned home to continue her recovery, which consisted of monthly hospital checks and medication for about seven years.

She has now finished treatment and just attends regular blood tests.

She is sharing her story for Blood Cancer Awareness Month in September, in support of Leukaemia UK.

The most common symptoms of leukemia are extreme tiredness, bruising, unusual bleeding and repeated infections.

Leukaemia UK is urging the public to familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of leukemia, and to contact their GP and ask for a full blood count test if something doesn't feel right.

Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK, said: "We're so grateful to Virginie for sharing her story to help raise awareness of leukemia.

"Most of the signs and symptoms are not specific, so can often get mistaken for other illnesses or be explained away. Early diagnosis saves lives.

"That is why we encourage anyone with symptoms to make sure it's nothing serious by speaking to their GP and asking for a full blood count test."