Becky was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
A mum-of-three who was left looking and feeling “nine months pregnant” has spoken of the terrifying moment she discovered the real cause of her swollen stomach after she says two GPs failed to spot the warning signs.
Becky Small, 33, from Hampshire, first noticed severe bloating in April, initially believing it was linked to her polycystic ovaries, a condition she had lived with since her teens.
But within days, the swelling became so severe she could no longer fit into her clothes, struggled to sleep and found even rolling over in bed agonising.
The mum of three was dismissed by two GPs (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
“My stomach was going really hard all the time,” Becky said.
“I couldn’t fit any trousers on and it was just really uncomfortable. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t even roll over in bed because it was so painful and so big.”
She also developed pain in the right-hand side of her back and visited her GP on April 27.
After examining her, the doctor suspected inflammation, ordered a urine test and prescribed anti-inflammatory medication. When the test came back clear and the medication failed to work, Becky sought a second opinion just days later.
She claims the second GP neither examined her abdomen nor carried out any tests before diagnosing suspected gastroenteritis and prescribing medication.
Instead of improving, Becky’s condition continued to deteriorate.
By 5 May, she said her stomach had become “rock solid”.
“The only way to describe it was like I was nine months’ pregnant,” she said.
“I couldn’t breathe or walk properly too.”
Fearing something was seriously wrong, Becky took herself to A&E, where doctors carried out blood tests and a CT scan after she says they were surprised no investigations had previously been done.
“Two doctors actually examined me properly and were shocked that I hadn’t had tests done,” she said.
Becky said her three children are her ‘world’ (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
Later that evening, Becky was taken into a side room and told scans had revealed two lesions on her ovaries and another on her kidney.
“My three children are my world, so thinking that you’re going to die is a horrible feeling,” she said.
A biopsy later confirmed the devastating diagnosis of stage four metastatic ovarian cancer, with doctors identifying her ovaries as the primary site of the disease. Becky received the news on June 1 and began chemotherapy just four days later.
She has since undergone two rounds of treatment and is due to complete another four cycles before undergoing a full hysterectomy in August.
Becky said she does not want to know her long-term prognosis because she wants to focus on spending time with her husband, Paul, and their three children, Logan, 10, Harley, eight, and Iris, four.
“My daughter starts school this year and that is the bit that scares me the most – that I’m not going to see her start school,” she said.
“I just want to be a mum to my kids and to be a wife to my husband.”
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of ovarian cancer include persistent bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain, loss of appetite, feeling full quickly, needing to urinate more often and back pain.
Looking back, Becky believes she should have pushed harder for further investigations.
“I think I probably should have pushed to have extra tests done,” she said. “If they had just run some more tests before, then I may be further along than where I am now. If I hadn’t taken myself to A&E, then I probably wouldn’t be here now.”
She is now urging other women not to ignore persistent symptoms and seek medical advice if they have concerns.
“I don’t want other women or even my own daughter to have to go through what I’m going through,” she said.
A fundraising campaign has been launched to help Becky and her family while she undergoes treatment, allowing them to spend precious time together during her cancer battle. You can donate to her GoFundMe here.
