Gran's life saved by nails which led to cancer diagnosis

Jean Taylor, 53, is trying to raise the profile of “nail clubbing”, a condition which has been linked to serious lung diseases, including cancer.

Other news: Fire at disused primary schoolThe Ashton sales representative, who works for Shearings Holidays, was taken aback to find that her nails had begun to droop over her fingers.

Following the advice of her daughter, Stephanie, Jean decided to visit the doctor.

Convinced that the appointment was probably unnecessary, she was shocked to be rushed through various procedures and tests in order to find the root cause.

After being told that she had golf-ball sized tumours on both of her lungs, Jean decided to share the picture of her nails to social media in the hope that it will alert others to the strange symptom.

“Two weeks ago I posted this picture on my wall asking if anyone had seen nails like this,” she said.

“A few Google posts later and I was urged to go to the doctor.

“A tad extreme I thought.

“I was rushed for blood tests and a chest X-ray.

“Two days later I got a phone call to go for a CT scan, two days later a PET scan and more blood tests, the day later a breathing test on my lungs and a scan on my heart, the day later an MRI scan and a lung biopsy.

“After a gruelling two weeks I got my results, cancer in both my lungs.”

Jean is hoping to raise awareness of nail clubbing, which is believed to result from a lack of oxygen in the blood stream.

The condition, which can cause the fingertips to enlarge and the nail to curve around them, can be indicative of a number of illnesses.

Lung cancer, tuberculosis and cystic fibrosis are among the conditions which cause the deformity, however nail clubbing can also be a sign of Crohn’s disease, heart disease, liver disease and Aids.

Jean added: “I had no idea, did you?

“I hope this can help someone else in the early stages of cancer.

“Big shout out to the NHS, you have been excellent and I thank all of the staff that have dealt with my diagnosis.”