Back Pain Misdiagnosis Leads to Devastating Leukaemia Diagnosis
A devastating turn of events unfolded for Gabrielle Altoft, a 32-year-old mother of three from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, when what she believed to be persistent back pain was, in fact, a severe symptom of aggressive acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). What began as a nagging discomfort in November 2025, initially attributed to a mattress swap with her son, escalated into a life-altering diagnosis.
Ms Altoft first noticed a combination of upper shoulder and neck pain, alongside “horrendous” lower back pain. Her immediate assumption was that the recently exchanged mattresses were the culprit. “I couldn’t put my finger on anything else,” she recalled, leading her to consult her GP. Despite her ongoing struggles with the pain, which showed no signs of easing, her initial visit resulted in a dismissal of the pain as a simple injury, with a referral for physiotherapy.
However, Ms Altoft’s symptoms extended beyond mere physical discomfort. She also experienced extreme tiredness and shortness of breath. When standard painkillers proved ineffective, she revisited her GP. Alarmingly, even after undergoing blood tests, Ms Altoft claims that potential abnormalities, specifically a low white blood cell count – a key indicator of blood cancers like AML – were not identified.
Driven by persistent and worsening pain, Ms Altoft decided to invest in a new mattress, hoping for relief. Instead, the pain intensified to a point where she found herself “unable to walk” and “doubled over in pain.” “Because we’d had the mattress for a little while, I just presumed it was no good for me,” she explained. “I said to my partner we need to get a new mattress because I was really struggling – I was in a lot of pain and I hadn’t been able to walk the dog or anything.”
The severity of her condition became starkly apparent during a family trip to her mother’s caravan later that November. While attempting to walk the dog, an activity she had previously managed without issue, Ms Altoft found herself incapacitated. “I can remember starting the walk feeling perfectly fine, and then by the time I got back I was doubled over, I couldn’t move,” she recounted.
Following this incident, Ms Altoft returned to her GP, presenting with what she described as flu-like symptoms. “I started getting various different infections and then what I thought was the superflu – I spent five days in bed sleeping for about six hours a day,” she said. Upon visiting the doctor, she expressed her distress, stating, “I sobbed and said I’d never been unwell like this.” Her symptoms were again attributed to a viral infection.
The turning point came on December 16th, 2025, when Ms Altoft attended a pre-booked gynaecology appointment. During this consultation, she detailed the severity of her ongoing symptoms to another doctor. This physician, recognising the potential seriousness of her condition, agreed to order further blood tests.
The following day, Ms Altoft received an urgent summons to attend the Accident and Emergency department. It was there, amidst a whirlwind of tests and examinations, that she received the devastating news: she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.
Understanding Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML)
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, specifically originating in the immature white blood cells known as myeloblasts. This type of leukaemia is more commonly diagnosed in older adults, with approximately 4.2 adults per 100,000 in the UK affected annually.
Common symptoms of AML can be varied and often mimic other less serious conditions, leading to potential delays in diagnosis. These can include:
- General weakness and fatigue: A persistent and overwhelming feeling of tiredness.
- Fever: Elevated body temperature.
- Frequent infections: A compromised immune system making individuals susceptible to recurring illnesses.
- Bruising easily: Unexplained and rapid bruising on the skin.
- Weight loss: Unintentional and significant decrease in body weight.
- Breathlessness: Difficulty in breathing, even with minimal exertion.
The exact cause of AML remains unclear, but certain risk factors have been identified. These include smoking, being overweight, alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and exposure to radiation.
The primary treatment for AML is chemotherapy. In some cases, a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant may also be a necessary part of the treatment plan.
A Race Against Time: Diagnosis and Treatment
The speed at which Ms Altoft’s diagnosis progressed after her gynaecology appointment was astonishing. “The blood test was on the 16th, I was diagnosed the next day and by 11pm on the 18th I was admitted to hospital,” she explained. The news hit her with profound shock, and she admitted, “I thought I was going to die.”
Despite the terrifying prognosis, Ms Altoft felt a strange sense of acceptance. “I was weirdly accepting [when I received the diagnosis] because I’d been so poorly I knew that something was wrong,” she stated. The reality of her situation was surreal, and she found it incredibly difficult to maintain a facade of normalcy for her children. “I went home and it was really strange – it was all really surreal, I pretended that nothing had happened in front of the children. It was really tough.”
Intensive chemotherapy treatment commenced on December 28th, with Ms Altoft scheduled for a minimum of two rounds. Reflecting on her journey, the paralegal expressed significant disappointment with the diagnostic delay. She believes that a thorough review of her initial blood results in November could have revealed the underlying issue much sooner.
Ms Altoft is now a strong advocate for others, urging them to be persistent in seeking medical attention when they feel something is not right. “I feel disappointed more than anything,” she confessed. “I knew if someone had taken the time to look through all of my blood results [at the start of November] it would have been very apparent that something wasn’t normal for me.”
Her message to the public is clear: “Just push and push [if you feel like something is wrong], you know your body. Whether you’re 32 or you’re 18, your symptoms should be taken seriously. With AML, you don’t have long to have those symptoms looked at before your organs shut down.”
