Woman discovers bronzed skin 'from fake tan' is cancer symptom
A mother realised that her bronzed skin was actually a cancer symptom and not a result of her fake tanning before nights out after noticing other symptoms.
Debra MacCuaig recalls noticing a new itch which she said felt like an irritating reaction to washing detergent or moisturiser.
She noted that her skin was a lot more tanned than normal, though the teacher attributed this to her usual routine of fake tanning before social meet-ups.
Soon, the 38-year-old realised that her eyes were turning yellow, joking at work that she looked like a character from the popular cartoon sitcom The Simpsons.
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Debra then suspected she may have jaundice, which the NHS says could be a 'sign of something serious', with the condition being characterised by the skin or whites of your eyes turning yellow.
Following blood tests, doctors started to be concerned for the mum-of-one's condition, as her bilirubin levels were sky-high, meaning that there may have been an issue with her liver or bile ducts.
Health professionals then made the decision to perform a Whipple's procedure, which is a major surgery to remove the head of the pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder, and part of the bile duct.
Luckily, surgeons revealed they'd found and removed a tumour at the head of her pancreas, with the Glaswegian being told that she'd need six months of chemotherapy.
Debra made a full recovery after the cancer was removed on 21 December last year, though her mum would suddenly also fall ill with jaundice, sadly passing away as a result of pancreatic cancer, years after Debra's diagnosis.
Recalling the early stages, she said she'd be 'properly scratching' her arm, revealing: "I just thought I was looking a bit tanned, I wasn't that yellow at that point."
Ultrasounds, a CT scan and an MRI in November 2018 revealed there was a blockage to her bile duct, causing jaundice, with an operation the following month proving successful.
Debra was told there was no further evidence of cancer after her chemotherapy treatment.
"She finished her chemo in January 2024 and was getting better and better, then in September she went for the results of her latest scan, and they told her the cancer had come back in her spine and lungs," the mum recalled.
Doctors said they couldn't cure it, but they could treat it, as Debra recalled: "We were devastated. I was seven months pregnant at the time."
By March, things started to decline, and her mum passed away in May.
She admitted: "You kind of feel this survivors' guilt, and you're annoyed that we knew all the symptoms but were still in this situation.
"I was angry and couldn't believe the same kind of cancer had struck our family," Debra advised, telling people to 'always trust your gut' if you feel like something's off.
Joshua Nair