A woman has revealed how routine day surgery to treat endometriosis led to a shocking cancer diagnosis.
Natalie Britt, from Sydney, was 21 when she underwent a standard keyhole procedure to treat her condition and left the hospital that same day.
The operation left two stitches in her belly button and should have only taken her a couple of days to recover, but within hours she noticed her wound had started bleeding profusely and she was burning with fever.
'I was feeling just fine before and after I had the surgery. I was just dealing with normal girl issues and endometriosis,' she told FEMAIL.
But within 48 hours Ms Britt, 30, was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia.
Natalie Britt (pictured) was 21 when she underwent a standard keyhole procedure to treat endometriosis
Her diagnosis on October 2, 2009 - a day before her mum's birthday - is a date Ms Britt will never forget.
'After the day surgery I just went home and was resting in bed and then I noticed when I got up I had blood coming out of the stitches and it wouldn't stop,' she recalled.
She said her mother and aunt unsuccessfully tried to stem the bleeding before rushing her to the nearest hospital.
'The doctors examined me and noticed I was burning up with a fever and thought I may have an infection,' she said.
'They stitched me up and did some routine blood tests. When the results came back my blood cell count was very high - about 86,000 thousand (normal blood cell count is around 10,000).
Ms Britt told FEMAIL she was first alerted that something was wrong after stitches from her wound were bleeding profusely
Doctors initially thought her high blood cell count was due to an infection and she was put on a drip of antibiotics.
'I stayed in the hospital for 24 hours and my blood was retested to see if the cell count had gone down,' she said.
As there had been no change and her white blood cell count still wasn't normal, Ms Britt was informed that she needed to be transferred to another hospital for more testing.
A round of blood tests revealed Ms Britt's white blood cell count was 86,000 thousand (normal blood cell count is 10,000)
Ms Britt said she didn't register what that meant at the time, and doctors didn't really give her any indication of what may be wrong - other than she may be suffering a possible blood disorder.
'It was all very weird and no one was giving myself or my mum any information,' she said.
She said being taken to the hospital alone while her parents followed behind in their car was a terrifying experience.
'When I got to Concord Hospital they explained what the procedure involved and then I freaked out.'
She needed to have a bone marrow biopsy which required a needle in her back.
'It was all very weird and no one was giving myself or my mum any information,' Ms Britt said
Within hours she would be moved to a ward displaying signs from the Cancer Council and it was then the reality of her situation dawned on her.
'I was diagnosed on my mother's birthday,' she said. 'That day is now just a terrible memory.'
Making things even more difficult to come to terms with was the fact there wasn't any history of cancer in her family and Ms Britt was 'a fit and healthy person'.
Her diagnosis, Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia, meant she needed to start chemotherapy immediately.
Ms Britt would spend six weeks undergoing chemotherapy, a time she recalled as being particularly brutal.
'Those were the worse six weeks of my life. I was weak from constantly vomiting and had so much pain in my bones.
'I was so weak I couldn't even shower on my own.'
While Ms Britt has undergone chemotherapy to arrest her cancer she needs to take a drug on a daily basis in order to keep her cancer in remission
She said her diagnosis took a toll on her physically, as well as emotionally.
'I lost a lot of friends and only had my family to support me,' she said.
But she said her mother, father and brother and sister were constantly by her side.
Following chemo, Ms Britt was told she could take part in a trial program that required a medication called Imatinib (Glivec).
It's a drug she will need to take for the rest of her life in order for her cancer to remain in remission.
But this isn't without side effects including fatigue, nausea and fluid retention.
Ms Britt (pictured left) with her husband Mick (pictured right) a man she describes as her 'strength and hope'
She said more than anything she wants to be drug-free and has come off the medication at times (without consulting her doctor) only to see her cancer return within weeks.
'I hate being on this drug but I have finally had to accept I need to be on it.' she said.
It has been nine years since Ms Britt's leukaemia diagnosis and while medication is still part of the picture, she lives a rewarding life.
This includes a much-loved career in human resources, a job that has has been her 'saving grace'.
It has been nine years since Ms Britt's diagnosis and while medication is still part of the picture, she lives a rewarding life
The 30-year-old also does everything she can to live as healthily as possible and this includes eating well and exercising regularly.
And she has since married the love of her life, Mick, a man she calls her 'strength and hope' and is a step-mum to two kids.
But she revealed she would love to have her own children one day.
'Physically my body cannot have a child while I am still on Glivec and if I stop the tablet there is a chance my leukaemia will come back while I am pregnant.
'So it's a huge risk but I am ready,' she said.
The 30-year-old also does everything she can to live as healthily as possible and this includes eating well and staying exercising regularly
Despite how difficult her situation has been - and continues to be, Ms Britt says she is getting on with life.
'Having cancer does not define you as a person it doesn't make you weak despite how you physically feel. It makes you a stronger person inside and out.
'So it is important to continue to live your life to the fullest and if that means keeping a job that you love or giving up something or someone in your life that doesn't make you happy, do it.
'And have no regrets as life is too short,' she concluded.
To support Ms Britt in her efforts to raise funds for cancer research, please visit Light The Night, an event supported by the Leukaemia Foundation
Linkhienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/21/woman-reveals-how-routine-day-surgery-led-to-shock-leukaemia-diagnosis/
Main photo article A woman has revealed how routine day surgery to treat endometriosis led to a shocking cancer diagnosis.
Natalie Britt, from Sydney, was 21 when she underwent a standard keyhole procedure to treat her condition and left the hospital that same day.
The operation left two stitches in her belly...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
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