Lip fillers saved my life by helping to detect my leukaemia

A nurse’s reaction to her lip fillers may have helped save her life by leading to her leukaemia diagnosis.

Edita Jucaite, 36, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, had undergone similar procedures in the past without having any adverse reactions, but a filler injection she had in April 2023 immediately made her top lip swell up, leaving her with extreme bruising.

Following the unusual reaction, the doctor – a colleague – who administered the jab advised Edita she should contact her GP. She had a blood test and was advised to go straight to hospital due to suspected cancer. Further tests confirmed Edita had chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

Edita wants to raise awareness of leukaemia symptoms, as she would never have guessed her unusual bruising was one. The only other indicator that something may have been seriously wrong with Edita was that she had recently lost some weight, but she dismissed it as a positive outcome of prepping for a holiday.

“I had absolutely no idea about the signs of leukaemia,” she explains. “I was happy to be losing a bit of weight as I was about to go on holiday. And because I was drinking a lot of energy drinks, I think that may have also disguised any tiredness.”

“Not many people can say that lip fillers saved their life – but I can. If the bruising hadn’t happened and I hadn’t been encouraged to see the GP because of it then I may well have put it off again and again which could have then meant the leukaemia may have progressed and been much harder to treat.”

Following her diagnosis, Edita began having oral chemotherapy and is now in remission from her cancer. However, she will be on medication for life to help prevent the cancer from returning.

“There needs to be more general awareness of leukaemia and what to look out for so more people can be diagnosed in time for treatment to be effective, like I was,” she adds.

Leukaemia: the facts

Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer. Specifically a cancer of the white blood cells (also called leukocytes) – it starts in the bone marrow.

Leukaemia results in the over-production of abnormal white blood cells. These cells are unable to carry out their normal function as the part of the immune system, to defend and protect against infection.

If you are experiencing any leukaemia symptoms, contact your GP and request a blood test. Early diagnosis can save lives, but leukaemia is often difficult to spot as its symptoms aren’t specific and aren’t well known.

For more information visit www.spotleukaemia.org.uk

Additional reporting SWNS.

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