Mum who thought she pulled a muscle diagnosed with cancer that's becoming more common in under-50s
A mother has revealed how her life has changed after she thought she had a 'pulled muscle' in her shoulder, only for it to be cancer.
Claire Turner, 43, suffered a sharp pain in her right shoulder when she passed her daughter a croissant in the car, as the family were on a weekend away in October last year.
Naturally, she got the pain checked out by health professionals, who apparently told her that it was a torn ligament, but Turner started to worry when she noticed swelling the size of a £2 coin on the top of her right shoulder.
The pain grew too, as she couldn't carry a bag or wear undergarments.
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It took several trips to the hospital to find out via a biopsy that the mother-of-three had stage four melanoma, which is a form of skin cancer.
The Brit is now warning people about the harmful UV rays that sunbeds emit, which she believes could be the cause behind her condition as she used them in her 20s.
Cancer Research UK predicts there will be a record 20,800 melanoma cases diagnosed this year - an increase from a yearly average of 19,300 between 2020 and 2022.
Rates in women have doubled since the 1990s, while it has tripled among men.
Less than half of patients with stage four melanoma survive for more than five years after being diagnosed, but Turner said that it was a 'blessing' that she sustained the shoulder 'injury'.
After passing breakfast to her kids on that fateful day, she revealed what happened when she felt the twinge.
Turner explained: "I thought 'that's painful', but then I carried on with the day. It was pretty painful carrying a bag and that night it was quite painful to lean back on it."
The accountant went to hospital after the trip, with an X-ray revealing nothing serious, as she was told she had likely torn a ligament.
"They gave me painkillers and told me to keep it strapped up and rest it for a couple of weeks and that it should settle down and it did," she recalled.
But after her shoulder continued to swell, she went to her GP, who informed her that shoulder injuries take 'a while to heal'.
An MRI scan led to her being referred to a cancer clinic, as she revealed that at this point it was 'quite a substantial swelling', as she 'couldn't carry a bag or wear a bra'.
"I went on a spiral over Christmas. It was awful, and I was expecting the worst. It's the lowest I've felt in the whole journey," Turner revealed.
Finally, she was told the diagnosis, leaving her 'shocked', as she thought Melanoma starts with a 'dodgy mole' or 'skin lesion', but she further explained: "The doctor said I had a 50/50 chance of coming out of the other side of this."
The majority of these cases start with a mole, but in three percent of cases, the mole is never found and it is only discovered when it starts to spread.
Experts think that it shrunk at some point and disappeared, going unnoticed, as doctors advise that if moles get smaller, it is a warning sign to get it checked out.
Turner's nurse told her that there may have been something on her skin but her 'body healed it', though the cancer cells travelled around for months and then 'created other tumours'.
After undergoing immunotherapy, she was forced to stop in August this year as it resulted in inflammation to her pituitary gland and optic nerve, though she highlighted how thankful she is that she was diagnosed.
"I'm grateful I got it checked out," the mum admitted.
"My nurse said to me that 10 years ago with my diagnosis I would be given six to seven months to live. That was quite shocking."
Further scans revealed tumours in her liver, leg and buttock muscles as well as around her shoulder, but these are either shrinking or are beginning to disappear.
Turner added: ""I've got lots of moles on the skin and they've been checked. It's about protection and taking care of your skin before anything appears.
"I've been quite open about my story and I've got a lot of support, which has been a massive help in getting through. People's well wishes are all positive.
"I've not had a big pity party, I don't want people to feel sorry but I want people to wish me well.
"I feel positive in my journey and where I'm at."
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.
Joshua Nair