Woman shares 10 rare cancer symptoms she had before doctors realised it wasn't 'anxiety'

It's important to be aware of any new symptoms or changes to your body, as although it's unlikely to be cancer, if it is, finding it early can be life saving.

Saskia Clark, 24, had several appointments with doctors before she was diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer. And even though she claims doctors initially thought she had anxiety, being persistent ultimately led to her diagnosis.

According to the content creator, who was in good health, rarely drank, never smoked, and kept active, doctors believed her symptoms were due to "stress and anxiety". She had a history of anxiety and struggles with fatigue, so health professionals initially thought this had been made worse by her long working hours.

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But after finally having a CT scan, it "showed lumps on my lymph nodes which they then took biopsies of". According to the NHS, thyroid cancer is found in the thyroid gland, and is "quite rare in the UK'. Saskia was found to have Medullary thyroid cancer, which forms in the medulla, or inside of the thyroid - and is the rarest kind.

In a recent TikTok, the social media manager shared 10 things she "pushed to get investigated" which led to her diagnosis. However, she warns that if you have any of these symptoms it doesn't mean "you have cancer" - so you should always speak to a health professional if you're worried.

Firstly, Saskia explained she had "tight chest pain for over a year", and it felt like "it was always there, regardless of the situation". Next, she noted she had "really strange bowel movements" that she couldn't pinpoint to a specific thing - such as what she was eating. In addition, there would sometimes be bleeding.

Saskia also suffered with "intensely bad period pain and really heavy periods generally". In addition, Saskia said she had sadly suffered two miscarriages in the last 18 months. She also felt fatigue, or tiredness on a level she "can't even explain".

She continued: "My muscles and my body just aching constantly. I feel like I've been to the gym every single day and it lingers forever, it just doesn't go away". Next, she noted she had dry nails and scalp, and her "hair was starting to go grey".

One symptom she classed as really "rogue" was "never having deep sleep". She even tracked her sleep, and found she was always getting "light", and never deep slumber.

Thyroid cancer symptoms

According to the NHS, anyone can get thyroid cancer, and it's not always clear what causes it. However, you might be more likely to get it if you're a woman who hasn't been through menopause, you have a condition that affects the thyroid, someone in your close family has had it, or you were exposed to a lot of radiation.

Symptoms of thyroid cancer include:

• a lump in the front, lower part of your neck – the lump usually feels hard, slowly gets bigger and is not painful

• a hoarse voice

• a sore throat

• difficulty swallowing or breathing

• pain in the front of your neck, or a feeling like something is pressing against your neck

Other symptoms can include:

• a red face (flushing) – this may be harder to see on brown or black skin

• softer poos or diarrhoea

• weight loss

• a cough

You should speak to a GP if you have any of these symptoms and are worried. It doesn't mean you have cancer, but it's always better to check.