A mum has been told she had terminal cancer during a C-section – following doctors dismissed her symptoms as “anxiety” and labelled her “hypochondria.”
Lois Walker, 37, has been suffering from stomach pains for more than 12 months but will not be diagnosed with stage 4 cancer until her son Ray is born by C-section in 2021.
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The mum-of-three made 20 calls to her GP during the lockdown and made multiple trips to the emergency room only to be given anti-anxiety medication and told to stay away from dairy.
Heartbreakingly, surgeons found cancer in her ovaries, abdominal lining and lymph nodes following her son was delivered by C-section.
Although she has undergone six rounds of chemotherapy and two surgeries, doctors now say there is no way to stop the disease from killing her.
“It was absolutely diabolical,” Lewis said.
“They call themselves health professionals who are supposed to provide us with care, but it’s an oversight.
“I just feel like it might have been found earlier so I wouldn’t have had a diagnosis so late – I’m leaving three kids behind.
“I feel bad for everyone and anyone if the NHS doesn’t recognise that things need to change.”
Lois, a buyer for an engineering firm, first experienced discomfort in June 2020 when she experienced odd toilet habits and swelling around her diaphragm.
She made frequent calls to doctors at the Worth Brudorf Valley Clinic and visited Barnsley Hospital but was told she might have irritable bowel syndrome.
Lois kept calling her GP as her symptoms worsened, but the doctor only prescribed medication for her hypochondria.
In December 2020, Lois found out she was pregnant, but 14 weeks later she was in agony following a gender reveal scan.
She said: “I mightn’t cope with the pain, the longer the pregnancy got, the more painful it got. It got to the point where I mightn’t walk or eat.
“The doctor said I was the same weight as I was 12 months ago when I was nine months pregnant – that didn’t seem to set any alarm bells.”
Lois said she eventually slammed doctors for not taking her concerns seriously when the pain became unbearable.
She was taken to hospital for pain treatment and given morphine, but doctors are said to be reluctant to investigate the cause of the pain.
“It’s absolutely diabolical.
louis walker
In excruciating pain, Lois’ doctors eventually investigated her concerns thoroughly and discovered a lump behind her uterus – leading them to deliver her baby the next day.
When she was in labor with her third son, Ray, in September, she learned from the doctor who treated her that she likely had cancer.
Louise said: “When they opened my body, he said, ‘I thought you said you didn’t have any abdominal surgery?’ I said I didn’t.
“I knew then that something had been found because they called in a couple of doctors.
“They just said, basically, my belly is so sick that they need to do some biopsies and I have to wait. But I know anyway.
“The doctor literally grabbed my hand and he cried and said he had let me down.”
Shock diagnosis
Despite undergoing chemotherapy shortly following her diagnosis, Lois soon discovered her cancer had spread and would be terminal.
Recalling the life-changing moment, she said: “I had devastating news and it was in my intestines, stomach and liver. Obviously, it was never a good thing – they were the major organs I needed.”
“It’s just a comfortable life, no matter how long I’m gone, and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the Dove Valley Practice said: “We are sorry to hear Ms Walker’s concerns regarding her care and she does not feel she is being heard.
“We conducted a review of Ms Walker’s care and referral when we shared these findings with her.
“We welcome anyone with concerns regarding the care we have received to contact us so we can investigate.
“Unfortunately, due to our confidentiality obligations, we cannot comment further.”
A spokesman for Barnsley Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added: “Barnsley Hospitals is sorry to hear that Ms Walker is concerned regarding her care.
“We welcome any patient who has concerns regarding the care they receive to get in touch with our Patient Advice and Complaints team, which investigates patient concerns to ensure prompt and appropriate action is taken.”
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