'I went to the GP for a rash at 20, what the doctors found has stripped my life away'

25-year-old Becky Bowes feels like her life has been "stripped away" since she visited her GP seeking help for a rash that had appeared on her arm. During the appointment, her doctor discovered a golf-ball-sized lumpconcealed in her neck that had remained undetectedfor five years due to its location.

Following her diagnosis with papillary thyroid cancer that had also metastasised to her lungs, Becky is encouraging others to stand up for themselves during medical consultations after realising she had been experiencing cancer symptomsfor years without receiving further testing.

She told NeedToKnow: "This ongoing battle has stripped my entire life away. I couldn't believe that it [the lump] had been there so long, and I didn't notice. The doctors told me a couple of times that it was unlikely to be cancer – though I knew, deep down, that it was."

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Papillary thyroid cancer frequently presents no early warning signs, but as it advances, it can trigger a painless neck lump, voice changes, swallowing difficulties, and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck area. Prior to her diagnosis, Becky had also been battling depression, which can be linked to thyroid conditions such as cancer.

She had been given antidepressants and despite reporting that the treatment wasn't effective, no additional investigations were conducted to identify the true cause behind her mental health struggles. Becky expressed her disappointment, saying: "I feel very let down by the doctors for not doing further tests before putting me on antidepressants. If this had been done, the chances are my cancer wouldn't have spread. It's hard to say, but there's a possibility my quality of life would be different.

"Just go to the doctors and get checked out. It's not worth ignoring the symptoms or lumps. And if you're not being taken seriously, ask to see another doctor before it's too late."

In May 2020, following her shocking diagnosis, Becky underwent surgery to remove her thyroid and 22 lymph nodes, 13 of which tested positive for cancer.

She then received two separate doses of radioactive iodine treatment to monitor the spread of the cancer. Regrettably, the treatment wasn't successful and she had to undergo another course of radioactive iodine.

After recuperating in a lead-lined room for three days, Becky has now officially completed her treatment but has since been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, leaving her unable to manage during the day without a lengthy nap.

She confessed: "I struggle a lot seeing other people my age, going out and living their lives, whereas I can't do the most basic things. I'm not a normal 25-year-old. I'm stuck doing nothing – and if I do push myself too far, then I end up bed-bound."

Having completed her treatments, Becky has had to confront public judgement due to the visible changes she's experienced: "Now, I feel completely numb. When my scar [from surgery] was fresh, I definitely got a lot of looks. Now, though, it's super faded, so no one really notices it unless I point it out.

"[But] I've put on a considerable amount of weight and my legs are covered in stretch marks. It's not something I'm comfortable talking about, as it affects my confidence a lot."

Despite her cancer markers remaining low and stable since finishing her treatment, the fear of another unexpected diagnosis haunts her. She confessed: "My biggest fear is that I will get a secondary cancer or that I won't be able to have kids.

"I get my bloods checked every six months to ensure the cancer marker hasn't gone up. Though I'm suppressing my thyroid-stimulating hormone to ensure this."