'Doctors thought my pains were caused by pulled muscles - but it was cancer'

A single mum from Carmarthen, Wales, was left with a broken back and shoulders, as well as holes in her skull, legs and arm after her incurable cancer went undiagnosed for nearly a year. Mia Savage, 47, first realised something was wrong when she began to feel extremely fatigued and in pain.

"Something felt wrong," said Mia, who is also a full-time carer. "I just didn't feel like myself. I felt like I had done 10 rounds with the Incredible Hulk but had no reason for it. I had pain in my hips and ribs."

She described her fatigue as feeling like she had run up the steepest hill without ever recovering. "Imagine running up the highest hill you know and never recovering from it. All I wanted to do was sleep and still do. It wasn't normal for me."

"I woke up and half an hour later, I felt it was time for bed again. I had reduced sensation in my legs, a bit like walking around on memory foam, and tingling toes like when pins and needles start going away."

Initially, her doctor thought she had simply pulled her back and prescribed painkillers. However, contracting Covid in June 2023 further complicated her diagnosis, reports the Express.

Mia explained: "I kept testing positive over and over. I went to AandE because I was in pain, had the tiredness, everything, and was diagnosed with long Covid. Little did they know it was the myeloma making it harder for the Covid to disappear."

Mia's health battle began with inexplicable weight loss and a series of GP visits where she was prescribed increasingly stronger painkillers.

However, her condition deteriorated dramatically in November 2023 when, while walking in her mother's garden, she felt a "ping" in her lower spine caused by a vertebra snapping.

"It just happened, no rhyme or reason, just ping as if someone was flicking me with their finger and, boy, after that was the pain bad," Mia recounted. "I couldn't stand without pain, couldn't sit or lay down. Going from being almost fine to suddenly immobile is awful."

After repeated trips to AandE and being sent home with Valium, further agonising pain led to tests that finally revealed the devastating diagnosis: myeloma.

Scans uncovered a small mass pressing against her spinal cord, and the cancer had already begun to weaken her bones, resulting in two broken shoulders, a fractured vertebra, and holes in her skull, legs, and arms.

"When they told me, it was a relief," she admitted. "I was glad to know. I'm very much a realist and I don't believe in burying your head in the sand. But I did have a few moments when I thought, 'I can't handle this right now'. Myeloma has affected us as a family as a whole."

Myeloma, a cancer originating from blood cells in the bone marrow, can lead to symptoms like bone pain, fractures, fatigue, and frequent infections.

Cancer Research UK has highlighted that around 6,000 individuals in the UK are diagnosed with myeloma each year, leading to approximately 3,100 deaths annually. Mia, who joined a clinical trial in January, is currently preparing for a stem cell transplant.

She shared her cautious optimism: "I don't want to be overly optimistic because the next stage will be hard," and added, "But I'm hoping that part of me is stronger and manages to cope with the symptoms. I just push myself through and the trial is going to give me a better chance. I'm doing it for my daughter."

In an effort to raise awareness about myeloma and its key symptoms, Mia is supporting Myeloma UK's #InMyeOwnWords campaign.

By telling her story, she aims to encourage others to recognize the signs and consult their GP promptly if they feel something is amiss.

Mia also advised: "It was obvious that something needed to be fixed even though I didn't know what it was. My advice to anyone in the same position would be to go back. You know your body. If your doctor tells you it's a pulled muscle and it's not getting better, follow up, go back."

The primary indicators of myeloma include:

• Bone pain - often in your back, hips, shoulders or ribs

• Broken bones (fractures)

• Tiredness (fatigue), shortness of breath and weakness - these are symptoms of low red blood cells (anaemia)

• Pain, changes in sensation or weakness - these are symptoms of spinal cord compression

• Lots of infections or infections that don't go away

• Feeling thirsty, passing urine more frequently, confusion and drowsiness - these are all symptoms of high calcium levels in the blood.

Should you notice any symptoms, it's important to talk to your GP.