Thyroid cancer symptoms: Mum Christina McKnight shares the symptoms she ignored

A fit and healthy mum has warned of the symptoms she ignored for far too long before being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 27. 

Christina McKnight, a content creator from Oklahoma City in the US, experienced a number of 'warning signs' but assumed she was stressed or run down. 

It wasn't until her husband, Mathew, noticed her struggling that he 'forced' her to see a doctor. 

She suffered from fatigue, exhaustion, extreme brain fog, confusion, slow weight gain, irritability and brittle hair along with a lack of motivation to exercise. 

Now 35 and a mum-of-one, Christina has shared her experience on Instagram in hope to raise awareness about the deadly disease.

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Christina McKnight, from Oklahoma City, US, (pictured) was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 27 in 2014

'It was one of those things that I never thought would happen to me. I was young, fit and healthy and had no known hereditary thyroid disease in the family at all,' Christina told the Independent.

Her symptoms are also common in perimenopause, and so the initial signs of something more sinister can easily be missed or not taken seriously. 

'I couldn't get stuff done like I used to. I would have to go to work on a Sunday to catch up because my brain was so foggy. My husband literally had to MAKE me go to the doctor because I kept thinking it was just my promotion at work. He could see I was struggling way more than what was normal with all of the symptoms,' she recalled.

The doctor quickly recognised the thyroid cancer symptoms and noticed a lump when feeling around Christina's neck - which she didn't realise she had. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed Christina had cancer, then she had thyroidectomy in November 2014 to have remove her thyroid (pictured after surgery) 

In January 2015 she had radioactive iodine ablation treatment to remove any lingering cancerous cells. The following year she received the 'all clear' from doctors

The doctor quickly recognised the thyroid cancer symptoms and noticed a lump when feeling around Christina's neck - which she didn't realise she had.

An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed Christina had cancer, then she had thyroidectomy in November 2014 to have remove her thyroid.

In January 2015 she had radioactive iodine ablation treatment to remove any lingering cancerous cells.

The following year she received the 'all clear' from doctors.

According to Cancer Council, the most common type of thyroid cancer grows in one of the lobe of the thyroid gland, which accounts to 70 to 80 per cent of patients. 

The remaining 20 per cent accounts for follicular thyroid cancer.

Today Christina spreads awareness about thyroid cancer on social media under the username @shesurvivesco.

Today Christina spreads awareness about thyroid cancer on social media under the username @shesurvivesco (Pictured: Christina and husband Matthew McKnight)