Cancer patient details alarming symptom doctors ignored as she shares advice

A mother of two who survived breast cancer is urging other women to attend their cervical screenings and have any bodily changes investigated promptly.

Roisin Pelan was heavily pregnant when she noticed a lump on her left breast, prompting her to get in touch with her GP.

Much to her relief, she was initially told that changes during pregnancy were to be expected, leaving the lump to go completely unexamined.

Despite the good news, however, Roisin felt a tinge of doubt about being sent away without being thoroughly checked.

“I google the symptoms and was reassured to read that this was normal,” she said. “Back in 2014, there was hardly any information around on breast cancer – both during and after pregnancy.”

READ MORE: ‘I’m a gynaecologist – here are four early signs of cervical cancer’

Despite doctors insisting all was well, the size of the lump grew persistently over two weeks. When Roisin booked another appointment a doctor expressed concern about the hardness of the growth.  

She explained: “Within a week I had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was 32 years old and 34 weeks pregnant and it was the worst time of our lives.

“Our daughter was born two weeks later after I was induced. Six days after Ivy arrived, I had a mastectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy.  

Roisin questioned: “What if I hadn’t pushed for that second appointment? What if I had taken the first doctor’s work for it and accepted it was normal?”

The brave mother explained that symptoms of breast cancer are frequently mistaken for changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

As such, she is stressing how important it is for women to “know your normal” and be prompt in checking out any unusual changes in the body.

Unfortunately for Roisin, the ordeal didn’t end there. She revealed: “My cancer returned in 2018 after I had been telling my team that something wasn’t right in my left arm and underarms area.”

Doctors told Roisin her pains were related to her mastectomy, and she was sent home, only to discover a large lump under her collarbone a few days later.  

Today, the mother-of-two is urging other women to remember that “no one wants you to live more than you do”. 

She added: “Doctors and nurses won’t lose sleep over you insisting on follow-ups and referrals… but you will if you don’t push for them. And remember, most cancers can be cured when found early.”

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