“I would itch until I broke the skin, which would keep me up all night. I went to the doctor and they thought it could be stress, allergies, or urticaria but no cream or lifestyle change would make it go,” she concluded.

Reflecting on how she discovered her condition, she shared that it wasn’t until the doctor informed her she had stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma that she realized she needed to slow down.

“After being off work for about two weeks with a serious bout of flu, I went into the office and whilst at my desk discovered a peach-sized lump in the side of my neck,” she recalled.

The Brit confessed that she “naively” thought nothing serious was wrong with her.

Fearing that she was “wasting everyone’s time” and causing unnecessary concern, she shared that lymphoma symptoms are especially difficult to recognize.

“This is why lymphoma is diagnosed so late because you can brush the symptoms off so easily as other things.”

Due to her condition, she would enter early menopause, describing it as “being hit by a bus,” explaining that losing her fertility before having children was a particularly challenging experience.

She added: “The menopause at any age can be difficult but at 28 I didn’t have anyone my age to talk to about it. None of my friends understood what I was going through, and as supportive as they were, it’s hard to comfort and relate to something you don’t understand.”

Swallow also discussed the “42 recognised symptoms of menopause” and emphasized the importance of mental health, urging women to speak up and seek answers if they suspect they are going through early menopause.