Woman’s cancer was missed for THREE YEARS because doctors assumed her low mood and bloating was because of postnatal depression

A mother claims she was misdiagnosed with postnatal depression instead of cancer for three years even though she visited doctors over 20 times.

Claire Thompson, 38, of Conway, Wales was believed to have PND after complaining of low mood and bloating after the birth of her daughter, Eirwen, now six, in 2013.

She dismissed her worries after trusting medics, until she began suffering periods so heavy she had to take a spare set of clothes to work every day. 

Visiting A&E in fear she would 'bleed to death,' Mrs Thompson was finally referred for further tests as her bloated stomach made her appear pregnant.

Doctors eventually detected a 10cm mass on her left ovary and fallopian tube but Mrs Thompson claims they reassured her that it was likely to be a cyst.

Believing it was more sinister, Mrs Thompson insisted she had surgery in April 2016, which is when doctors discovered she had, in fact, ovarian cancer. 

The civil servant underwent a full hysterectomy to save her life six weeks later, with the removal of three tumours.

She said: 'I wanted to scream from the rooftops, "I have been telling you this for years, why didn't you listen?"'

Mrs Thompson is now sharing her story to raise awareness for the disease, after celebrating her three years of being all clear last month.   

About 80 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease and symptoms are difficult to spot. 

Mrs Thompson said: 'I also want women to know that, just because the person in front of you has a doctorate of medicine, it doesn't mean they know more about your body than you do.

'If you know something is wrong, go back and question things. You know your body better than any doctor. I didn't have postnatal depression, I had cancer.

'I'm not angry about my misdiagnosis but I hope my story helps other women in the future.'

Mrs Thompson said something changed after the birth of her daughter, and she explained her symptoms, including extreme tiredness and low mood, to her doctor.   

She said: 'At the time I was told it was postnatal depression and was just part of me getting used to being a new mum.

'I felt really low and my stomach was extremely bloated and even when my periods stopped for a short while I was told I was probably just depressed.

'Looking back, I had all the symptoms of ovarian cancer but it was all just passed off as part of my new life as a mum.'

However, Mrs Thompson's periods returned extremely heavy, causing concern.

She said: 'Gradually my periods became heavier and I was using two layered maxi size incontinence pads every hour. 

'At one point I was visiting my A&E department every two to three weeks for around 18 months.'

Finally, Mrs Thompson was referred to gynaecologist when she was diagnosed with a mass in April 2016.

The mass - believed to be a cyst - was sent for tests, which was when the cancer was detected. In June 2016, Mrs Thompson had her hysterectomy.  

She said: 'It took weeks before I was actually diagnosed with cancer as they thought it was just a cyst and it was so frustrating. 

'The word cancer is such a huge thing. After the initial diagnosis, my whole world crashed around me, I didn't know where to turn.

'Thankfully my husband, Mark [38], was really supportive and we got through it together.'

After a full hysterectomy, Mrs Thompson experienced an early menopause. She was cancer free and given three years all clear in May.

Mrs Thompson was told she had three tumours removed after her life-saving surgery but was thankful it hadn't spread.

She said: 'My biggest tumour was 10cm by 6cm, we named him Gerald.

'I couldn't believe it when they told me I had two other smaller tumours too, it's a miracle it didn't spread in two years.

'When I got told I was in remission, we threw a Christmas party to celebrate - in September.

'I decorated the entire house and left it up for the rest of the year. I want my daughter to look back and remember that as the year her mum was crazy enough to celebrate Christmas for four months, rather than the year mummy was ill.'

Mrs Thompson has been supported by Target Ovarian Cancer - a leading UK charity for the disease.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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