An Edinburgh woman was diagnosed with lung cancer after finding it difficult to breathe following a bad fall during a camping expedition.
Jenny Campbell, 71, was devastated to discover she had lung cancer following an x-ray after putting up with a persistent wheeze for months and after finally attending her GP practice under the assumption she may have cracked a rib, she was given the life-changing news.
Following keyhole surgery to remove the tumour in December 2018, Jenny underwent three months of chemotherapy in February 2019, and was then recommended for an immunotherapy trial, undergoing 12 sessions which finished in May 2020.
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She is now monitored every six months, and is gradually building back her strength. Jenny's story was shared as part of the Scottish Government's Get Checked Early campaign, urging people to get their symptoms checked out, no matter how serious.
On the Get Checked Early website, a special symptom checker helps those in pain or discomfort determine if their issue is serious enough to contact their GP about.
Speaking about her own experience pre-diagnosis, Jenny said: "I’d developed a slight wheeze which had been there for about six months. I now know it was a symptom of lung cancer, but I get hay fever, and suffer from various allergies, so I didn’t think anything of it. I had no pain prior to the fall either, so it was entirely fortuitous that I tripped getting out of my tent.
"It was a terrible shock. I don’t think the reality of my diagnosis actually sank in at all. I knew I had to do certain things, like the tests that led up to my treatment, and looking back I really just viewed it as something I had to get through."
Throughout the last three years, Jenny says she has put up with intense fatigue and insists the time since her diagnosis has passed in a blur. Despite constantly feeling tired and exhausted throughout treatment, Jenny was determined to survive.
Jenny also chose to go ahead with a new immunotherapy trial after doctors explained the drug had been shown to be very effective with patients diagnosed with later stage cancers, although it has not been trialled extensively on those in her situation.
She continued: "I feel really lucky because if I hadn’t been diagnosed then, and in that way, god knows what would have happened, I may not be here. Although it’s been a really tough three years, it has given me the chance to live longer.
"I feel frustrated that I can’t be the person I was, but I had cancer, and I’m still here, and I do feel very fortunate, particularly that my cancer hadn’t spread.
"My experience with the NHS has been very positive. To have been given the chance of the immunotherapy treatment and to be continually checked by a wonderful team of specialists, I have to say I feel looked after.
"Although I didn’t realise my wheeze was anything at the time, it disappeared after the tumour was removed so it’s pretty much certain that was a symptom. I’d say to anyone concerned about possible new or unusual symptoms to get them checked, as there’s lots that can be done for lung cancer if it’s found early."
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