My menopause symptoms turned out to be incurable blood cancer
Louise Greenbank's cancer was misdiagnosed twice before she was eventually told she had myeloma in August 2021.
By the time it was caught, two days after her 46th birthday, she was in kidney failure, had a broken rib and lesions, or holes, in her hip, pelvis and lower back.
Her children - Pearce, Farrah and Morrin - were just seven, nine and 13.
Pearce, Farrah and Morrin Greenbank (Image: Mike Wilkinson)
Now Louise, from Uddingston, is sharing her story in support of Myeloma UK's Know the Warning Signs campaign as part of Myeloma Awareness Week (June 16 to 22), to help people spot the tell-tale symptoms before it is too late.
'I would fall asleep when I came home from lunch, but I put it down to my age and to my workload,' said the 49-year-old convenience store owner.
'Then I started to have bad night sweats and breathing became agony. It was like somebody was knocking on my bones from the inside. I had been to A&E and they had done tests but they had sent me home.
'Unbeknown to me at the time I had a broken rib. I had all the symptoms you read about, but of course, I'd never heard of myeloma. I never thought it could be cancer.'
She added: 'I can see why it's missed because it's tiny little things that could be a multitude of things that are wrong with you.
'But myeloma can strike at any age, any level of fitness or mobility. So, trust your gut and keep pushing for answers.'
(Image: Mike Wilkinson)
Myeloma occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects more than 2300 people in Scotland.
It is frequently missed, as its symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are vague and often linked to general ageing or minor conditions.
One in four people wait more than 10 months for a diagnosis, but a simple blood test can, in most cases, pick up signs of the disease.
Louise with her sister, Ros (Image: Mike Wilkinson)
As part of Myeloma Awareness Week, Myeloma UK has released a symptom translator to help conversations with GPs.
Dr Sophie Castell, chief executive at Myeloma UK, said: 'You wouldn't ignore a red light on the road or a caution sign on a freshly-mopped floor, so why ignore the warning signs that your body sends you?
'Myeloma has one of the longest times to diagnosis of any cancer. We know it can be difficult to diagnose, so bring the Myeloma UK Symptom Translator with you to the GP, ask for answers and get to the bottom of what's causing your pain, infections or fatigue.'
(Image: Mike Wilkinson)
While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment can lead to periods of remission but the cancer will inevitably come back.
For Louise, the signs were there as early as March 2021, when she got a cold she just couldn't shake. By June, she was feeling more and more exhausted and experiencing nagging pain in her rib.
Blood tests revealed she was anaemic, but her symptoms were put down to menopause.
'I got sicker and sicker, I was vomiting, not eating, sleeping all the time,' she said. 'I couldn't get off the couch.'
When she started slurring her words, Louise's husband took her back to the GP thinking she might be having a stroke. She was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed with myeloma. After chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant, she is now in remission.
'At the beginning, you feel you've been handed a death sentence,' she went on.
'I kept thinking, my wee boy is only seven, will I see him start high school? But I'm quite a pragmatic, let's-get-this-done person. I thought, we need to turn this around.'
Louise says her children have been 'a godsend.'
'I didn't have time to stop and think about things, I had to be mum,' she explained. 'I had to pack lunches, the uniforms had to be washed and ironed. We tried to keep life as normal as possible.'
For the past three years, Louise and her family have also supported Myeloma UK's work and raised funds towards vital research into treatment and a cure.
'I have goals in my head of what I want to achieve before I relapse, all centred around my children, and that's what keeps me going,' she said.
'Morrin was 13 when I was diagnosed and now she's sat her last Higher and she's learning how to drive. My ultimate goal is to see her finish medical school.'
Louise added: 'I'm turning 50 in August and I want to have a big holiday to celebrate. My attitude now is, don't put things off, life is for living.'
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