A mum diagnosed with thyroid cancer after ignoring tell-tale signs has issued a warning on social media. Christina McKnight, now 35, originally put her symptoms down to stress at work after a recent promotion but her concerned husband, Matthew Mcknight, 36 ''forced'' her to see a doctor, the Mirror reports.
Christina was suffering from fatigue and brain fog which were both signs of concern for her doctor along with her brittle hair. After some investigations in hospital, the content creator from the US was given the devastating diagnosis.
She was informed that she had thyroid cancer in the autumn of 2014 despite being ''young, fit and healthy'' and also having no history of it in her family. She urged others to seek medical attention if they picked up on any signs as she confesses she should have listened to her body and gone to see her GP sooner.
Christina said: "I just started to feel very tired and had loads of brain fog, but I thought it was just because of my promotion. Then my husband noticed how tired I was and my lack of interest in things like the gym - which I usually love.
"I couldn't get stuff done like I used to. I would have to go to work on a Sunday to catch up because my brain was so foggy.
She continued: "My hair got weirdly brittle, and my skin got dry too. I kept brushing it all off. My husband knew something wasn't right and made me book a doctor appointment - which I cancelled twice because I had too much going on.
"I finally went to the doctor to appease my husband mostly. I just told him that my symptoms were because I wasn't looking after myself - I was eating fast food and stressed at work.
"Thankfully my doctor recognised my symptoms as he had recently diagnosed other people with thyroid cancer. He felt my neck and found a lump which I wasn't even aware of and got the ball rolling with diagnosis."
After the doctor raised his concerns, Christina was given an ultrasound and biopsy which confirmed she had thyroid cancer. Christina initially struggled to accept the diagnosis as her thyroid would have to be removed as a result but she went through with the procedure after receiving a second opinion.
She had a thyroidectomy in November 2014, followed by a radioactive iodine ablation treatment in January to remove any leftover parts of her thyroid glands. Christina was thankfully given the all clear a year later. However, she has had to have her lost hormones replaced through thyroid replacement injections.
Now Christina has taken to TikTok to urge her 102k followers to look out for any warning signs and to share her own personal experiences. In one of her videos, she said: "It was very surreal, because cancer is such a big word.
"It was such a shock and I just thought this can't be, it was a weird feeling. A lot of the time they say thyroid cancer happens to older people and that it's hereditary, but that wasn't the case with me.
"I share my story, not to scare people, but to remind them to pay attention if you're experiencing changes and to go to the doctor. Listen to the people around you if they notice changes in you, sometimes they see things in us that we don't see.
"Thankfully I'm OK and my husband made sure I saw a doctor, but I never would've thought that being tired and having dry hair was cancer. It's so important to be aware of these lesser-known symptoms and to not assume it wouldn't happen to you, listen to the people around you and listen to changes in your body - it could save your life."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
