A Hamilton mum is urging other women to follow their gut instinct when it comes to their health after being diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer just weeks after giving birth.
Nicola Cameron started to experience continual spotting and cramping back in January 2021 and was in significant pain for several months leading up to her pregnancy.
Doctors at first thought that the then 27-year-old initially had a cervical ectropion, where cells that line the inside of your cervix grow on the outside, causing such symptoms.
However, just weeks later Nicola then discovered she was expecting a baby and the symptoms were put down to her pregnancy. But, in January of this year after giving birth to a healthy baby girl, Nicola was still experiencing symptoms including horrific back pain and lower abdominal pain that was put down to having had a C-section.
Nicola and her family then began to notice weight loss, triggering her to once again make another appointment with the doctor.
The 29-year-old told Lanarkshire Live : "The pain was getting worse and worse by the day and I just knew it couldn't be down to the pregnancy as I had never heard of anyone feeling this way before, throughout and after the birth. It just didn't feel right at all.
"The doctors and health visitor put it down to scar tissue after my daughter was born but when I started to lose weight rapidly I was beginning to get worried.
"I had been on about 16 painkillers a day since the middle of May and eventually ended up in A&E one evening where they thought I had an abscess, but then discovered the tumour."
Heartbreakingly, health care professionals then told Nicola the tumour had spread to the wall of her womb, her pelvis and possibly her lymph nodes and she would require months of treatment including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Former Hamilton Grammar pupil Nicola added: "They think that my pregnancy hid the tumour for all those months. I had so many blood tests done and was in constant pain and on medication and it's hard to think that it was missed for all that time. But I feel positive and I'm embracing the whole process - I even shaved off my hair before it started to fall out from the treatment.
"I've had lots of fantastic support from my partner and our families and my work colleagues at Hamilton Nando's have been amazing too. They've raised around £3000 for the Beatson Cancer charity who are supporting me, and its support like this that is helping me fight through this - of course I have to fight this for my daughter too.
"I urge anyone who knows that something is not right with their body to listen to their gut instinct and keep pushing for answers. I dread to think what would happen to me had I not gone to A&E that night back in May of this year.
"I just knew that it was more than scar tissue and pregnancy related and I'm now dealing with the biggest fight of my life so please if you recognise any of these symptoms, arrange a doctors appointment asap - it could be a matter of life and death!"
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