Woman Had Appendix Removed, Next Scan Found Stage 4 Bowel Cancer
A medical secretary from Ireland says surgeons removed her appendix in August 2024 without a scan. Months later a CT scan revealed a mass around her bowel, and biopsy results confirmed stage 4 bowel cancer. She describes the weeks between.
A medical secretary from Ireland, who was 33 when she had her appendix removed in August 2024, says a CT scan months later found a mass around her bowel and colon that was diagnosed as stage 4 bowel cancer.
She said the appendix surgery came without any scan. Her case turns on how long her symptoms went unexplained afterward.
She had always suffered from bad period pains, she said. In August 2024 the pain was so severe she could not move and had to call in sick. She went to the emergency room that day.
Doctors diagnosed suspected appendicitis without scanning her and removed her appendix. When she woke, she was told it looked fine and that a burst cyst in her ovary had caused the pain.
Symptoms that did not clear
She went home to recover but said she got worse. Fluid from the cyst caused an infection, and she was put on antibiotics with blood tests every few days for three weeks.
Once the infection cleared she still did not feel herself. She described lethargy, night sweats, weight loss and a pulling sensation in her abdomen on the side where the appendix had been. She had no appetite.
She put it down to healing after surgery. Then one day in October her sister told her, "you don't look well."
She booked a doctor's appointment. The doctor pressed around her abdomen and said she could feel something on the side. She could not believe there had been no scan in August, the patient said, and urged her to go to the emergency room.
The scan
Doctors at the hospital told her they had not scanned her in August because she was only 33. They took blood and sent her for a CT scan.
She was sedated but aware of the room. At one point, she said, the doctors went quiet and the atmosphere changed, and the nurse could not look at her.
They told her they had found a mass around her bowel and colon that would be biopsied. About 30 minutes later a doctor said: "Based on your symptoms, we think it's lymphoma."
Gastrointestinal lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system that starts in the digestive tract, such as the stomach or intestines. Symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping along with weight loss.
She was with her mother and both broke down. One of the first things she said was "I can't be a bald bride," because her wedding was planned for October 2025.
The biopsy results came back six weeks later, after Christmas. She was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.
She said around 1 in 20 people get bowel cancer in Ireland. Over 158,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer this year, according to figures in her account.
