A mum claims nurses dismissed her and made her feel 'vain' for getting a giant growth on her scalp checked - only for skin cancer to leave her with a gaping hole in the head. Jo Lambert said that her eldest daughter Maisie Lambert, who was aged ten at the time, was playing with her hair when she noticed a flat red spot on the top of her scalp.
The 43-year-old claims that as it got larger, she mentioned it to a nurse who assured her it was a cyst that couldn't be removed given it was cosmetic, and therefore 'nothing to worry about'. But as it had grown even larger after she fell pregnant with her youngest Louie, Jo says she brought it up again some three months later but was rudely dismissed by another nurse who deemed her 'lucky it wasn't on her face'.
The mum-of-five eventually had the necessary referrals by her GP and had the 10 pence piece-sized lump removed - but claims it was only while in theater that she was told she had skin cancer. After the 'petrifying' news, the catering manager had a 'chunk' extracted from her head before a 15cm skin graft was also taken from her arm.
The devoted mum had the results a week later confirming that she had basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, but was over the moon to discover she didn't need any further treatment. Six years on from the ordeal, Jo is now keen to raise awareness of the importance of getting any lumps and bumps checked out to push for second opinions if you're not satisfied with health professionals' initial responses.
Jo, of Wantage, Oxfordshire, said: "My daughters used to play with my hair by brushing it and putting it in plaits. My eldest Maisie said 'mum you've got a spot on your head'. At that point it was just a red spot and I didn't know what it was.
"And then it was a round little lump that was pearlish in colour. I was at the doctors one day and asked them to check my head and one of the nurses said 'oh, it's just a cyst, it's fine, it's just cosmetic. They won't remove that, it's nothing to worry about'. And then I became pregnant and noticed it was getting bigger and thought that wasn't right. I was at the doctors again having my bloods checked and asked if it was anything to worry about.
"She said 'you're lucky it's not on your face. It's just cosmetic, we don't remove them, it's nothing to worry about'. She was quite rude and made me feel like I was being vain and a bit stupid for asking."
The peculiar lump started off flat but grew and as she kept knocking it, would scab over. She said it was never hard and almost felt like a blister as it was soft to touch. When she was around eight months pregnant with her fifth child, Louie Lambert, who's now age five, she mentioned it to her GP as by this point the lump was visible through her hair.
He advised to wait until she'd given birth and to remind him at her six week check up to get it looked into. During that appointment she was referred to a plastic surgeon and was eventually booked in to have it removed. By the date of her surgery the lump was about the size of a ten pence piece but a strange shape.
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Jo said: "I didn't even know what to expect, I had no idea, I thought I'd just be in and out but I was in the theater for about two and a half hours. The surgeon asked if I knew why I was there and I told him I was having it removed and he said 'it's skin cancer'. I felt sick and petrified. I was really shocked because no one had told me it was cancer. He said I needed to have a skin graft and I was like 'pardon?' I hadn't been told anything at this point.
"He asked me if I wanted it from my neck or arm and I had to make a decision there and then. I had it off my left arm, which is the side Louie's head rested on when I bottle fed him. I didn't even think about that and afterwards trying to feed him was an absolute nightmare. They basically took a chunk out of my head and put a skin graft over it. I remember coming out and I was just a complete emotional wreck because they shaved my hair at the top, I didn't know what they'd done to my head - I didn't even want to look at it.
"I remember going to see my husband and he was like 'where the hell have you been? You told me you wouldn't be long and I didn't know what was going on'. I was like 'they've just cut a massive hole in my head, given me a skin graft and now I look like I'd been shot in the head' and all I wanted to do was to get some Percy Pigs from Marks and Spencers."
Jo claims the surgeon said they were 99% sure she had skin cancer and this was officially confirmed when she received the results the following week. She's unsure how and why the cancer was triggered but was advised by a doctor that the hormones in her body during pregnancy likely made the lump bigger.
Jo said: "When I officially had the diagnosis I couldn't believe that it had happened to me but I was happy that it had been removed. Thank God my doctor referred me and that I went with my gut instinct and said 'look I'm not happy, I'm not going to listen to what the nurses told me'.
"It left a massive dent in my head. We laugh in our house and say we can put a GoPro in my head because it's quite deep. I'm happy to share [what happened] because I'd rather people have a look and check things. As maybe if I'd been seen earlier, it wouldn't have been so dramatic, I wouldn't have gone through that, I'd have less scarring and may not have a bald patch.
"People should be more vigilant and check themselves. If you're concerned go back and if you don't like what you hear, keep returning because at the end of the day if you know that it's not normal and doesn't feel right, then generally it's not, is it?" NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board said they are unable to comment on specific cases.
