'My snoring was because of a rare form of cancer eroding away my skull': Mum urges people to seek medical help if they know something isn't right in their body
A mum who began snoring in her sleep after suffering from a blocked nose was left shocked it was a sign she had a rare cancer.
Claire Barbery admitted she nearly cancelled the hospital appointment that led to her diagnosis as she didn't want to "waste the time" of the NHS. But, she did go to the appointment and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that develops in the nose. She has since had successful treatment to remove the cancer but has been left without a sense of smell.
The 51-year-old first began experiencing a continuous blockage in one side of her nose but initially attributed it to the effects of regular Covid testing while working in a care home. Claire also began snoring in her sleep for the first time and decided to seek medical help after using a steroid spray without improvement in January 2023.
She was referred to an ENT specialist and following scans and a biopsy, doctors delivered the news she had olfactory neuroblastoma – a rare cancer that develops in the upper part of the nasal cavity.
The 5cm tumour had already begun eroding bone at the base of her skull and she underwent complex surgery to have it removed at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Claire, of Newquay, Cornwall, is now urging others to seek medical advice for persistent symptoms no matter how minor they may seem. She said: “I very nearly cancelled that appointment because I didn't want to be wasting NHS time. There's nothing wrong, I thought. But looking back, that decision could have cost me my life.
“I started snoring, which I'd never done before. I was waking myself up, breathing through my mouth rather than my nose. Even then, I nearly cancelled my hospital appointment. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time I just left it and thought it was something to do with having had COVID the month before."
Mum-of-two Claire, who has a husband called Gary and daughters Lowenna, aged 27, and Keizha, age 25., has now partnered with UK charity – the Get A-Head Charitable Trust to sraise awareness of World Head and Neck Cancer Day today (Sunday July 27).
She added: "If you know your body, then you've got to push. If there's something wrong, don't ignore it.”
The procedure in January last year was performed by consultant surgeon Shahz Ahmed, who specialises in skull base procedures. It was filmed as part of the Channel 5 documentary ‘Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death’.
Mr Ahmed said: “Claire had a very rare form of cancer that needed to be removed. Untreated, it could have metastasized and spread into the neck and the rest of the body. It had already gone through the skull base into the base of the brain and if left, it would have become harder and harder to treat.”
The delicate operation involved removing the tumour, along with Claire's olfactory bulbs – meaning she has permanently lost her sense of smell – and reconstructing the area between her nose and brain.
Mr Ahmed added: “The key worries were operating between the left and the right eye. The main blood supply to the brain is in very close proximity so the risk of seizures, stroke, injury to the brain and loss of life, were all very real. Thankfully, the surgery was a huge success and Claire suffered no complications.”
Following surgery, Claire underwent six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and is now under regular review with her medical team. She is gradually returning to work and since treatment finished.