A bad reaction to lip filler saved a 36-year-old nurse’s life after her swollen lip prompted a blood test which revealed she had leukemia.
Edita Jucaite, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, has undergone similar cosmetic procedures before without any reaction, but a lip filler injection last April immediately caused her lips to swell leaving severe bruising.
The doctor who administered the filler was also a colleague and expressed concern about the bruised lip and told Ms Jucaite to contact her GP.
Ms Jucaite had also been losing weight, a common warning sign of cancer, and just hours after having a blood test, her GP called her.
They told him to go directly to the hospital because they suspected he had leukemia. Further tests confirmed that Mrs. Jucaite suffered from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
Edita Jucaite, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, claims an adverse reaction to lip filler saved her life after it prompted her to have a blood test.
A filler injection last April immediately caused her lip to swell, leaving severe bruising. Unusual bruising, unusual bleeding, fatigue, and repeated infections are telltale signs of cancer. The doctor who gave her the filler was also a colleague and expressed concern about her bruised lip and told her to contact her GP.
“Not many people can say that lip fillers saved their lives, but I can,” said Mrs. Jucaite, now grateful for the bad reaction to the filler.
“If the bruising hadn’t appeared and I hadn’t been encouraged to see the GP about it, I may have put it off again and again, which could have meant the leukemia would have progressed and been much harder to treat. “. ‘ she said.
Unusual bruising, unusual bleeding, fatigue, and repeated infections are telltale signs of cancer, but many are unaware of these symptoms.
Leukemia Care and Leukemia UK have published new findings from a YouGov survey of 2,000 UK adults which found that less than a sixth (14 per cent) of the UK adult population is able to identify the four main symptoms of this blood cancer.
The organizations say this is contributing to more than a third of those diagnosed discovering life-changing news in A&E.
The nurse started receiving oral chemotherapy and is now in remission. But he will take lifelong medications to help prevent the cancer from coming back.
Across the UK, around 10,000 people are diagnosed with leukemia each year, with almost 5,000 deaths.
Ms Jucaite said: “I had no idea about the signs and symptoms of leukemia – I was happy to lose a bit of weight because I was about to go on holiday and I drank a lot of energy drinks which may have disguised my tiredness.”
“There definitely needs to be more general awareness about leukemia and what to look out for so that more people can be diagnosed in time for effective treatment, like I was.”
The nurse began receiving oral chemotherapy after her diagnosis and is now in remission. But he will take lifelong medications to help prevent the cancer from coming back.
Across the UK, around 10,000 people are diagnosed with leukemia each year, with almost 5,000 deaths.
Annually, 37 percent of people diagnosed with leukemia receive this news in the ER, more than any other type of cancer.
Additionally, people diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are disproportionately affected, with more than half of them diagnosed in emergency settings.
This type of leukemia is particularly aggressive and develops rapidly, making early diagnosis and treatment even more essential.
Despite common misconceptions, leukemia is not just a childhood disease and predominantly affects people over 65 years of age.
Every day, 27 people in the UK are diagnosed with leukemia and more than 50,000 are currently living with the disease.
