'I had a tumour removed from my throat - now my gag reflex is in my ear'

Bella Johnson, 30, noticed she was abruptly losing value erstwhile she was 14 but recovered herself connected the "brink of death" with a immense tumour lump successful her cervix that needed to beryllium removed

A pistillate who had a tumour removed from her pharynx needed to larn however to swallow again - but it has near her gag reflex successful her ear.

Bella Johnston, 30, was 14 erstwhile she archetypal started losing value abruptly but says it took 4 years for doctors to diagnose her with anorexia and bulimia. After leaving location aged 18, Bella was connected the "brink of death" and had a "huge" lump connected her neck. But it was lone erstwhile she visited infirmary with a pain that doctors became disquieted and took her for an ultrasound. She was past told she had a 7cm by 5cm tumour successful her cervix and was told she needed a country to region it.

Bella had a 10-hour cognition wherever medics chopped everything retired from her close manus broadside arsenic it was wrapping astir her jugular nervus and vagus nervus - which controls the digestive system. They grafted portion of her nervus to her receptor - which means her gag reflex is successful her ear.

This besides meant Bella had to relearn to swallow truthful she could devour again - which she has present taught herself to bash by putting her chin to her enarthrosis to adjacent her upwind pipe. Bella, a nanny, present surviving successful Hackney, London, said: "They had to chopped everything retired of my close manus side.

"It was wrapped astir my jugular vein and vagus nerve. They grafted portion of my nervus to my ear. I person my gag reflex successful my ear. It's the astir weird happening ever. I had a nasal gastric conduit for a portion and my archetypal diagnosis was I'd lone devour brushed foods for the remainder of my life.

"Doctors said I'd ne'er devour a sandwich again. I emotion sandwiches truthful I thought 'nope'. Through a batch of proceedings and mistake and with a code phycologist I present interaction my chin to my shoulder. It closes my upwind tube and uses the near muscles that are beardown to propulsion the nutrient down. I can't swallow look caput on."

Bella - who is primitively from Sydney, Australia - was a teen erstwhile she archetypal started getting symptoms. She said: "I mislaid a batch of value truly suddenly. I had a horrible cough that wouldn't spell away. My parents started taking maine to the doctors. Because I was presenting similar it and throwing up and not being capable to devour I was diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia."

She underwent 4 to 5 years of attraction and she was sent to household therapy. Bella said: "I had regular measurement ins. I enactment insubstantial weights into my pockets and wore ankle weights." Bella moved to Melbourne aged 18 to beryllium a vocalist and started to announcement her vocal scope was slipping.

She said: "I was 43 kilos. I was connected the brink of death. I was throwing up 3 to 4 times a day. I was lone capable to devour a portion of toast. I was surviving connected Red Bull and painkillers. I had accepted I was going to die."

Bella was trying every alternate therapy possible and a immense lump had grown connected her neck. In August 2014 she burnt her manus and went to the doctors. She said: "They said 'that's fine, but what is incorrect with you?' They sent maine for an ultrasound.

"The caregiver was each chatty and past instantly called successful the doctors. I knew thing was wrong." Bella was told she had a elephantine tumour successful her cervix and needed a country to region it. She said: "It was a relief. I was truly comforting successful a way. They were telling maine I wasn't crazy."

Doctors thought Bella had a paraganglioma - a uncommon tumour successful the cervix - but didn't deliberation it would beryllium cancerous. But erstwhile they opened her up the doctors said her pharynx looked similar the "inside of a rotten fruit". She said: "They said my cervix looked similar lychees but rotten. It was truthful gross."

After her cognition Bella had mislaid power of her close limb and fractional of her oesophagus was paralysed. She said: "My rima stopped working. My oculus dropped. I didn't sweat connected the close broadside of my face. Half my vocal cords are paralysed. Part of my lingua is paralysed connected the close manus side. I tin lone chew connected 1 side. I can't lick each of my teeth."

Bella's biopsy revealed her tumour was cancerous and she had to acquisition radiotherapy for six weeks. Doctors were convinced the crab had dispersed to her encephalon - and told her she mightiness lone person months to live. But further tests revealed it had not spread. Bella was capable to spell location successful September 2014 and has been getting MRIs each six months for the past 10 years.

She has had 15 operations since to effort and repair her vocal cords, region different tumours and to assistance with her dropped oculus and close broadside of her face. Bella said: "I felt similar I mislaid my full identity. I had crab but it's ne'er stopped affecting me. Surgery chopped maine retired of my body. I've been spending the past 10 years trying to get into the assemblage - it feels overseas to maine still."

Bella had been convinced her crab could travel backmost for the past decennary - but present she has conscionable turned 30 she excited for her future. She said: "It's lone present that I person realised that I really privation to live. I ne'er truly planned beingness successful my thirties. I thought it [the cancer] was going to travel back."

Bella met her partner, Harri James, 24, this twelvemonth who has helped her changed her presumption connected herself and life. She said: "I'm accepting I'm alive."