A mum was told the devastating news she had terminal cancer after her "gut instinct" turned out to be true.
Lisa Dearnley, 41, was set to celebrate five years of being cancer free this December, having previously been diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2017. But the mum-of-two from Little Neston, Wirral, feared something wasn't right when she began wheezing all the time and she went to see her GP.
Doctors initially believed Lisa had adult onset asthma and she was given an inhaler, before undergoing a chest x-ray and further tests. However, it wasn't until Lisa's oximeter showed she had low levels of oxygen that she was told to go straight to A&E.
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Lisa was admitted to Arrowe Park Hospital where doctors found she had blood clots - but it was her gut instinct that led her discover the real cause of her symptoms. Lisa told the ECHO: "I said 'I really want a CT scan. I know you're checking for blood clots but I can't shake this feeling that there's a tumour on my lung.'
"My partner Gavin said 'she's just going to be worried at home if you don't.' So they said 'right we'll do a scan for peace of mind.'
"A few hours later they came in and asked if my partner was coming back in and I said no because I said I was being discharged. I knew when they said 'do you want to come into a private room?'
"They said there's a tumour on your lung right where you felt it. I could even have pointed to where I thought it was. I said to Gavin even though I had a feeling that it was, it was still a shock because you don't know if you're just being paranoid.
"I had this gut instinct but at the same time it was a shock because you think 'am I being stupid?'"
The results of further tests showed Lisa had tumours in her right lung, shoulder, neck, ribs, pelvis, spine, and leg, and she was told the devastating news she had stage four incurable cancer. A Gofundme page has been set up by Lisa's sister Lindsey, to help support the family at this difficult time.
Lisa said: "They said they can't cure it because it's too far advanced and wide spread through my body to cure it. They said they're going to try and control it for as long as possible to stop it from spreading and growing."
Lisa said it was "awful" breaking the news that her cancer had returned to her daughters Kiahna and Sienna Dane, who are aged 12 and ten. She added: "It's been hard for them because they've always been terrified of me getting cancer again.
"It was just awful they just cried and cried. I haven't said anything to them about it not being curable but they know it's there and they said 'you beat it last time.'
The mum-of-two is still awaiting the results of a bone biopsy to determine whether the cancer is a reoccurrence of breast cancer or a new type of lung cancer, following a two month waiting list at Arrowe Park Hospital. Lisa has now begun treatment at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Wirral while she awaits the results.
Lisa said: "I didn't expect to wait three months. Last time five years ago it was so different. I got diagnosed in a day and it was all done within a week, so I just thought it would be the same again. They said they've got staff shortages - it's been a nightmare."
Lisa said her "biggest inspiration" is her Aunty Val, who has lived with breast cancer for nearly 30 years. She added: "I just have to hope really that something works.
"I've got this hope, I don't know if I'm just being naïve because the treatment worked so well last time."
A Wirral University Teaching Hospital spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for the delay and we are looking into the cause of this. Our aim is to provide the best possible care for patients and we will investigate where we have not met this expectation.
"Cancer patients are given priority and there are national standards for treatment times. We sincerely wish Lisa well as she continues her treatment and would like to offer her the opportunity to speak to our Patient Experience Team so we can learn any lessons from her experience.”
To visit or donate to the Gofundme page for Lisa click here.
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