A mother of three from Warwickshire has spoken of her devastation after doctors repeatedly dismissed her cancer symptoms, telling her she was too 'fit and young' to be seriously ill.
Lydia Southam, 37, from Stratford-upon-Avon, made ten visits to her GP complaining of heavy periods, stomach lumps, bloating, and frequent urination. Her concerns were brushed off until a female doctor finally realised 'something wasn't right'.
She was referred to Warwick Hospital in June 2023 and diagnosed with stage 4 low-grade serious ovarian cancer (LGSOC).
Dismissed as a Hernia
Lydia first raised concerns in 2021 after noticing changes to her body. 'I've always struggled with heavier periods but they were getting heavier at the time,' she said. 'I'd gone in to see the GP about that initially but I was dismissed.'
During pregnancy, her pain worsened and a lump on her tummy was attributed to the pregnancy. After giving birth, she continued to experience symptoms including frequent urination, pain, and bloating.
Months later, more unusual signs appeared. 'Fast forward another six months I had some spots that turned up on the right hand side of my abdomen,' she explained. 'I then went back in when I found a lump, which looked like a hernia on my tummy. They just told me it was a hernia, they did no scans, and booked me in for an operation.'
Pushing for Answers
Despite finding more lumps, doctors continued to reassure her. 'I went back in and had a lump on my groin and something wasn't right,' Lydia said. 'I knew something was wrong and ended up going in around 10 times. I finally went back to the GP but this time I had a female doctor who noticed something wasn't right.'
Lydia pushed for further investigation after being repeatedly told ovarian cancer was unlikely. 'They said ovarian cancer happens to older ladies and that I was too young and fit for that, but I pushed for further investigation,' she said. 'I saw a doctor who did a further biopsy of those lumps. It transpired that it was stage 4b low grade, so it was very advanced. It was awful to be honest.'
Devastating Diagnosis
'My first thought was I need to be here for my kids,' Lydia recalled. 'The nurse said she didn't know if there was much they could do.'
After being told surgery might not remove all of the cancer, Lydia chose to go to a private London hospital. 'We found an expert surgeon,' she said. 'She did a full hysterectomy, my spleen, part of my bowel, part of my tummy button, part of diaphragm, it was a very extreme operation. The way it was described is that it spread far, like seeds had sprinkled everywhere. It was on the surface of a lot of the organs but the surgeon managed to get it all.'
She underwent gruelling chemotherapy sessions until she was deemed to be in remission.
Raising Awareness
Lydia is now campaigning to raise awareness of LGSOC, a rare form of ovarian cancer that often affects women between 40 and 60. She teamed up with a charity for World Ovarian Cancer Day and even appeared on a billboard in Piccadilly Circus.
'It was weird seeing myself up there because you saw Jude Law and all these other famous celebrities and then I just came up,' she said. 'It was a big thing, it was confronting seeing yourself and the scar. It's empowering to know I'm helping others.'
Lydia's message to other women is clear: 'As a woman you're just told to deal with these symptoms, you have to power through. Because the GP wasn't concerned I wasn't concerned. The potential outcome is that it could have been really quite bad for me. If something doesn't feel right, keep pushing.'
