Woman left with no nose after thinking nose bleeds were due to ‘hay fever’
A UK woman who thought her constant nose bleeds were down to her hay fever eventually had to have her whole nose removed after doctors gave her a devastating diagnosis.
Ellen Mccleary, a 46-year-old from Carlisle, first started having the nose bleeds when she returned home from holiday in July 2023, thinking it was down to the particularly horrible hay fever which she had suffered from throughout her life.
But when the nose bleeds started happening as regularly as three times a day, she consulted GPs and was handed antibiotics for hay fever, which failed to make any real difference.
It was only when Ellen started coughing up blood in August 2023 that she got an appointment at the hospital, where she was handed a devastating diagnosis that changed her life forever.
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After a CT scan, Ellen was told by doctors that there was a cancerous tumour behind the bone of her nose that was 'crawling' towards her brain, and that she needed surgery as soon as possible to remove the tumour.
The mum-of-six said: "I had a very dry nose but didn't think anything of it. We went on holiday, came back and the nose bleeds started.
"I thought it was my hay fever, I called the doctor and they didn't see me but prescribed antibiotics for my nose because they thought it was my hay fever.
"I get hay fever quite bad. It was everyday, it didn't matter what time of day, sometimes it was three times a day.
"The nosebleeds started happening more regularly and I started coughing up blood clots so I made an appointment with the doctors. The doctor had a look up my nose and said there is nothing there so he referred us to ENT.
"In August I was coughing blood clots, my nose wouldn't stop bleeding. They did a biopsy and a CT scan and that's when they found it was behind the bone of my nose.
"When they told me I burst into tears, that's when I let it all out. I stopped smoking and drinking. All sorts were going through my head."
After waking up from the six-hour operation, Ellen woke up for the first time without a nose, and she's had to adjust her life completely in the two years since she had the cancerous tumour removed.
She added: "By the end of October when I was getting the operation, I thought I was just getting my nose cut open, removing the cancer and closing it back up.
"But it grew in two weeks after being seen going towards my brain, and that's why I had to get it removed."
The school dinner supervisor has had to deal with people staring at the hole in her face, and gets out of breath a lot more easily when exercising, so is now planning on getting a magnetic nose which she can wear in public.
She said: "I'm getting a magnetic nose. It does get sore and I don't wear it in the house. I do get out of breath now, I never used to. I hoover and I'm out of breath.
"I did not have any other symptoms. Everyday life is the same to be honest, the only thing that's different is that I've got no nose.
"You do need to clean it everyday because I've got no hair inside it and I do have problems when it leaks mucus.
"I can't blow my nose so I have to twist it out with a toilet roll. I'm on the seventh prosthetic nose because it shrinks when it's healing."
Fortunately, after six weeks of radiotherapy following her surgery, Ellen was told she was cancer free, and she is now hoping to spread awareness of the dangers of nose cancer.
She concluded: "It took me a year and a half just to look at it. I got a really good friend who said 'if anyone stares at you, just ignore them, you don't need to lock yourself away.'
"I stick two fingers up at them. Sometimes I have the prosthetic on, sometimes I'll wear my dressing.
"I had radiotherapy for six weeks till the end of January, I lost a bit of hair and a bit of my eyebrows.
"I'm cancer free but keeping an eye on it very well. I'm positive, you've got to keep positive. I've made friends online which is helping me through.
"Push at the doctors, doesn't matter if it's a small or heavy nosebleed, go to the doctors and if they fob you off, push.
"They said they caught it in time but don't know what stage it was."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
James Moorhouse