‘I thought my cancer symptoms were due to menopause’

A mum diagnosed with cervical cancer initially dismissed her symptoms as the menopause.

Michelle Griggs is now urging others to speak up if they notice any changes, and is supporting Cervical Cancer Awareness Month this month.

The mum of one, who works as a social club manager, had regular smear tests and had been given the all-clear just months earlier.

She said: “It must have developed really quickly, and I’m very lucky that it was stage one, so it was caught at a very early stage.

“When you look online, and see all your symptoms, it’s really easy to assume it’s nothing.

“I really thought it was the menopause, because everything matched what I had read online.”

Michelle, 50, initially experienced unusual bleeding, which got worse over the next two months. Her joints ached, and she also had night sweats.

But after her symptoms worsened, she decided to speak to her GP.

She said: “I felt really drained, and I thought I’d better get it checked out, and thankfully I did.

“I had a scan, and when I called the next day to see if the results were back they asked me to pop in, so immediately I knew it wasn’t going to be good news.

“I remember leaving that appointment feeling really dazed, it didn’t really sink in.

“But everything happened really quickly, and I had a treatment plan in place within two weeks of being diagnosed.”

Michelle, who lives in Folkestone, faced a gruelling regime of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy, where small rods containing radiation were placed near her cervix. It included two months of radiotherapy treatment five days a week at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

As a non-driver, she relied on friends and family to take her to appointments. She continued working when she felt able to, with the support of her colleagues and club members.

She said: “I needed something to keep me busy, and something that meant I wasn’t sitting at home thinking.

“It helped me to have a positive attitude and mindset, and I was so lucky to have a really supportive network around me.

“Two really good friends came to my appointments and treatments with me, and the whole experience would have been a lot worse without them.”

Michelle was given the all-clear in September, and will have regular check-ups to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned.

She said: “The hospital teams were fantastic, they were always there when I needed them and I can’t fault them at all.

“The Macmillan nurses were brilliant, and really helped with what support is available. It is just me and my daughter so it was really useful, particularly with the transport to London for the brachytherapy.

“My message to others would be get anything suspicious checked out straight away, or you may not be as lucky as I was, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”