Below she tells her story and reminds other bone cancer patients they are not alone.
Before I was diagnosed, I had tiredness and night sweats for around three months. About a month and a half later, I also developed a hard lump just above my knee which grew and had severe worsening pain, which caused me to limp.
By the time I got my diagnosis of osteosarcoma, I had visited my GP practice four times. I was given naproxen on three different occasions and each time was told to come back in two weeks if the pain hadn't resolved.
I initially thought I had pulled a muscle in my knee whilst cycling, but the pain and swelling kept getting worse.
On one of the visits to the GP practice, I was seen by a nurse practitioner, who told me she couldn't see a difference between my two knees despite one having a lump the size of a large egg on it. This was the same nurse practitioner who later asked me to come down to the GP practice when my femur had just broken, and I was in too much pain to even speak to her on the phone. I didn't get an x-ray until the day of my diagnosis.
The second time I was able to see my GP, they referred me to Woodend General Hospital in Aberdeen, but it was not until about a month later that I had my appointment. At the appointment, I was examined and x-rayed, then immediately sent for an MRI scan. Me, my mum and my dad were sat down and shown the images and everything was explained to us. We were given a hot drink and a biscuit, as well as a brief overview of what was to come and the sources to do some research if we wanted. We were also given contact details in case we had any questions.
My diagnosis was on 1st November 2022, and my biopsy was booked for the Saturday of that week. I was put under general anaesthetic for the biopsy and was given the results a week and a bit later, which confirmed the diagnosis of osteosarcoma.
After my diagnosis I was given codeine tablets, which was then increased to morphine to help with the pain. I also had Oramorph solution, although nothing really got rid of the pain. I had to use hot water bottles to try and help. I was also told not to put my full weight on the leg and given crutches to walk with.
Just over three weeks after I was diagnosed, I developed a blood clot due to the tumour pressing on a blood vessel and two days after that the tumour caused my leg to break. I had to make my own way to A&E after my leg broke and had to wait nearly 20 hours for an ambulance to take me to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. During this time, I had x-rays, was given a nerve block, and was sedated while the doctors straightened my leg and put it in a brace.
I had six rounds of MAP chemotherapy (methotrexate, doxorubicin and cisplatin) and I am currently having 36 weeks of immunotherapy (mifamurtide). Each round of chemotherapy was five weeks long. On days one and two I had doxorubicin and cisplatin, and on days 22 and 29 I had methotrexate. The time in-between was to rest and recover.
My methotrexate had to be stopped early as I had liver damage. The cisplatin was also finished early due to the risk of neuropathy.
The side effects from chemotherapy included nausea, vomiting, tiredness, anemia, low neutrophil count, a bad taste in my mouth, hair loss, and tinnitus. The mifamurtide gives me the chills occasionally, but otherwise I feel fine. I had a very good response to chemotherapy, with over 95% necrosis of the cancer cells in the tumour.
My leg broke on 25th November 2022, and it was decided that it would be best to do two rounds of chemotherapy before the surgery. My leg was very unstable, so I had to stay in hospital for three months including over Christmas, which was very hard.
I was initially meant to get limb-salvage surgery, but after the break they were planning an above-the-knee amputation. This was until an MRI scan showed that the tumour had potentially spread to my thigh, meaning I would need a hip disarticulation to ensure they removed everything. A hip disarticulation is when your surgeon removes the whole leg. I had only found out about the hip disarticulation two days before the surgery, so I didn't have much time to prepare for it.
I lost all my hair before surgery due to the chemotherapy, but it grew back whilst I was healing from the surgery. However, it fell out again once chemotherapy was restarted, which was pretty hard. On a positive note, I managed to keep up with my schoolwork whilst I was in hospital, which meant I could sit my exams. I also made it to my prom.
After my surgery on 2nd March 2023, I was able to go home after a week of being in hospital. It was amazing to sleep in my own bed, have a proper shower, and see my dog.
We have also had to make adaptations around the house since my surgery. This included having a rail in the shower, using a shower stool, having a stool in the kitchen to sit on whilst cooking and using a trolley to carry things from the kitchen. I use a prosthetic leg or my crutches to get around, depending on the activity - I'm quicker with crutches, but the leg is useful for when I need to have my hands free.
I've had a lot of support from friends and family. I've also had amazing help from the team working with me at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Woodend General Hospital in Aberdeen. Another source of strength for me has been my ambition to become a vet. Having that goal in mind has given me something to focus on and work towards.
To other primary bone cancer patients, I would say that you are much stronger than you think. At the start of the journey, it feels like everything is collapsing all around you, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Things may seem hopeless, daunting and terrifying, but there is a lot of support out there and you are not alone in this.
It's really important to raise awareness for early diagnosis so people have the best chance of treating and catching this cancer early. Sometimes I wonder whether I might not have lost my whole leg if it had been caught earlier, but there's not much use dwelling on the what ifs. It's important so that people don't have to suffer not knowing what's causing their pain, and they can get started on treatment as soon as possible.
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