Mum's warning after uterine cancer mistaken for periods

A parent whose terminal crab went undiagnosed for respective years is urging women with wellness concerns to request further investigations.

Kelly Pendry, 42, from Ewloe, Flintshire, was diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma successful 2021.

But her archetypal symptoms of "heavy, prolonged periods" and "a batch of pain" began successful 2016.

Kelly wonders if things would beryllium antithetic if she had been diagnosed earlier.

Leiomyosarcoma is simply a uncommon benignant of crab which affects 600 people successful the UK each year.

The mum-of-two said erstwhile she archetypal described her symptoms to a doctor, she was told that "your assemblage does instrumentality a portion to normalise [after pregnancy]".

She said she was advised to see going connected the contraceptive pill oregon person a coil fitted. Another time, she said she was prescribed anti-depressants.

"I felt similar I was a play queen," she said. "I felt similar I was overthinking it, I felt similar 'is this successful my caput a bit, is this stupid?'"

But Kelly's information was debilitating.

"I was immoderate days doubled implicit successful pain", she said.

"The days I wasn't bleeding were little than those I was. I was gaining value without explanation. I had this really, truly swollen tummy."

In April 2020, a locum GP - who Kelly described arsenic a "hero" - agreed that thing was not close aft feeling lumps successful her abdomen.

"For the archetypal clip idiosyncratic validated something," she said. "He said, 'How are you adjacent coping?' I said, 'I'm not'."

In November 2020, Kelly was diagnosed with benign fibroids. She was told a hysterectomy was the champion people of action, but the pandemic meant her follow-up appointments kept getting moved and the country ne'er happened. 

By June 2021, Kelly said she was bleeding each time and "looked 9 months pregnant".

It was astir this clip that a doc archetypal mentioned the anticipation of a sarcoma, but this was not diagnosed until November 2021 pursuing a lung biopsy.

By this stage, Kelly was told her crab was signifier 4 and terminal.  

"I was told by a caregiver not to marque plans for Christmas," she said.

Kelly said an oncologist told her helium would bash his champion to dainty her cancer, contempt it being incurable.

"He asked america what we wanted, and we said time. As overmuch clip arsenic humanly possible," she recalled.

"I said, 'I can't carnivore the thought of not being astir for [the children's] milestones', silly things similar archetypal boyfriends, girlfriends, proms.

"At the time, I thought, I'm not adjacent going to spot them spell to treble digits."

Six assertive and "gruelling" rounds of chemotherapy successfully bought much time.

Almost 1 twelvemonth since she finished the treatment, she inactive gets broadside effects from the hormone inhibitors including tiredness, blistery flushes, aches and pains.

But she said these are "nothing successful comparison" to the symptom she had before.

The information remains, however, that Kelly inactive has signifier 4 terminal cancer.

"We person had stableness for a year," she said, "but we cognize this happening tin conscionable turn, and it tin crook precise quickly".

Kelly wants a hysterectomy, but said the enactment is "no longer connected the table".

"The enactment seems to be, my crab is signifier four, and country is not utilized to prolong life."

Kelly's hubby Michael is present hoping to rise £50,000 to wage for her to person country successful the United States.

"Surgery is simply a attraction there," helium said.

Kelly does not privation to beryllium captious of the "wonderful NHS", but feels she has been "shut retired of avenues that look to beryllium disposable successful different countries".

Michael volition soon embark connected a 180-mile (290km) tally from Ewloe to Hanham, adjacent Bristol, successful an effort to rise the funds required.

He described grooming for the fundraising ngo arsenic cathartic.

"If I fto things get connected apical of me... I tin tally and consciousness amended for it," helium said.

"Yesterday it deed maine similar a tonne of bricks," helium said. "I was conscionable crying arsenic I was running. I felt amended afterwards."

Kelly is realistic astir what the aboriginal mightiness hold, adjacent with surgery.

"We cognize they could instrumentality it each retired and it could travel back, we cognize that," she said.

"We conscionable privation the children to cognize we tried everything we perchance could. I deliberation that would supply them with a precise large comfort."

Kelly hopes sharing her acquisition volition besides assistance others.

She said she hoped her communicative "reaches idiosyncratic successful the aboriginal stages and makes them say, 'I privation further tests, oregon I'd similar to beryllium referred'".

"We are coming astir to talking astir women's health, menopause, periods," she added. "My anticipation is it volition improve."

In a statement, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said: "We're precise atrocious to perceive astir Ms Pendry's acquisition and would promote her to interaction her GP practice, which is an autarkic contractor of the wellness board, truthful her concerns tin beryllium investigated."

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre successful Birkenhead, Wirral, wherever Kelly has been receiving crab treatment, declined to comment.

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