Beverley Johnston, from Dennyloanhead, was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer in October last year after suffering years of excruciating back, chest and leg pain.
A chiropractor broke a mum’s pelvis in five places when she sought help for “back pain” before a shock cancer diagnosis.
Beverley Johnston, from Dennyloanhead, was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer in October last year after suffering years of excruciating back, chest and leg pain.
Just days before the 67-year-old had been left in agony after suffering a horrific injury during a session with a chiropractor because the myeloma had caused severe damage her bones.
A year on from her diagnosis, the mum-of-two continues to defy the odds and has thanked the medical staff who supported her through her whirlwind treatment, which allowed her to see her son get married this month.
Beverley shared her story as Forth Valley Royal Hospital was given a national award for its commitment to patients living with the blood cancer.
She said: “The chiropractor came right down on top of me and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God’.
“The next day I couldn’t walk. I still went on holiday to Croatia and I don’t know how I did it.
“I came back and the GP sent me for an X-ray that day. I remember the woman doing the X-ray asked me if I’d fallen backwards. They said, ‘Do you realise you have a fractured pelvis?’. They thought it might be osteoporosis, but I was diagnosed with myeloma three days later.”
Myeloma affects over 33,000 people in the UK, including more than 2,300 people in Scotland.
While it is incurable, it is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment can lead to periods of remission but the cancer will inevitably come back.
Myeloma is especially hard to spot as the symptoms can be dismissed as ageing or other minor conditions.
Beverley suffered niggling backache and a sore leg for years prior to her diagnosis, which she put down to working as a nursery nurse and carrying children.
When she started getting severe pain in her chest she consulted her GP, who ordered scans and blood tests. But the tests were clear and she sought the help of a chiropractor to try and ease her pain.
But the session a year ago left her in excruciating pain and barely able to walk.
Just three days after returning from her nightmare holiday, scans revealed Beverley’s broken pelvis and holes, known as lesions, in her bones. She was diagnosed three days later.
The mum was enrolled in a clinical trial and received chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant.
She’s now in remission.
Beverley said: “I remember sitting in the waiting room, I was so worried. The clinical nurse specialist, Fiona, saw me and she took my hand. It was the first time I had met her and she took the time to put me at ease. The team have been so reassuring. They’re really kind and attentive and go out of their way for you. I’m so privileged that I have a team I can trust.
“My myeloma is undetectable now. They got me through it, and I got to see my son get married. For me, the wedding was the thing to fight for.
“Once my chemo is finished in December we plan to travel and do all the things we had planned to do before I was diagnosed.
“I’d like to go back to Croatia because I need to put the ghost of the last holiday to bed. Sometimes I wonder when the myeloma will come back. My team are doing everything they can for me and they’ve given me the absolute best chance to live whatever life I’ve got left.”
Hospital staff were presented with the Myeloma UK Clinical Service Excellence Programme Award by Myeloma UK yesterday, in recognition of their outstanding care.
Dr Robbie McNeil, Consultant Haematologist and Clinical Director for Diagnostics at NHS Forth Valley, said: “Caring for people living with myeloma can be complex, and we are committed to listening to our patients, tailoring support to their needs, and ensuring they receive the highest standard of personalised care.
“This recognition is a real honour and reflects our continued focus on improving the quality of life for patients and their families across Forth Valley.”
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