UK woman with stage four breast cancer shares four overlooked symptoms

A woman living with the UK's most prevalent form of cancer has spoken candidly about the four warning signs she initially dismissed before receiving her diagnosis. On average, a cancer diagnosis is made every 90 seconds in the UK, with breast cancer being the most common form, accounting for around 15% of new cases in women between 2017 and 2019.

Despite common misconceptions, men can also develop the condition, with approximately 1% of breast cancers found in men. Kristi, who has stage four breast cancer and regularly shares updates about her journey on TikTok, has highlighted the symptoms she overlooked.

In the caption of her video, she urged: "If you have these symptoms, too, it does NOT mean that you also have breast cancer, but please talk to your physician and ADVOCATE for yourself! ! ! ! "

Severe fatigue

This was one of the symptoms Kristi experienced prior to her diagnosis. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, "extreme fatigue that doesn't get better with rest" can be an early warning sign of many types of cancer, including breast cancer.

The medical organisation explains that cancer uses the body's nutrients to grow and advance, leaving the body depleted and causing extreme tiredness.

Weight loss while constantly craving sugar

Another symptom Kristi mentioned was weight loss accompanied by constant sugar cravings. Stamford Health has stated that weight loss linked to cancer can be due to various factors.

"Depending on the type of cancer and the organs affected, individuals may experience nausea or a lack of appetite, or have difficulty chewing or swallowing, which causes their food intake to drop," the health body reports.

Early research has suggested that sugar cravings could be an early warning sign of cancer. The National Institute of Health (NIH) also noted: "There is evidence of an association between cancer and certain types of altered eating behaviours, including orthorexia, food cravings, and food addiction."

Bruising easily

This is most commonly seen in patients with blood cancer. Leukaemia Care states that nearly a quarter of leukaemia diagnoses were preceded by frequent bruising or bleeding.

When cancer reaches stage 4, as in Kristi's case, it means the disease has spread to other parts of the body. Everyone's cancer journey and symptoms will differ slightly.

Dull aching back pain that kept getting worse

Kristi reported suffering from back pain that progressively worsened. Breast cancer that has spread to the bones can cause discomfort or pain in areas such as the hip or back.

According to the NHS website, the most common symptoms of breast cancer are:

• A lump, or swelling in your breast, chest or armpita change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (may look like orange peel) or redness (may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
• A change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts/nipple
• Discharge (if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it
• A change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema)
• Pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away – breast pain that comes and goes is usually not a symptom of breast cancer.