Mum urges GPs to listen to patients after disease warnings were missed

A MUM is highlighting how doctors need to be more aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer after she was told her tumour was "trapped wind".

- BY CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

Linda Callinan, 53, from Carlow, is now undergoing her third round of chemotherapy.

She had to endure a hysterectomy and the cancer spreading to lymph nodes.

Her pain and symptoms were shrugged off by doctors, who put it down to constipation and menopause.

Speaking to mark the Gynaecologic Oncology Awareness Day, Linda said: "I went to the doctor a couple of times and she didn’t say an awful lot.

STOMACH

"I was saying my stomach was huge and I don't usually have a big stomach.

"She told me to stand on the weighing scales and said you are overweight but not obese.

"I remember lying on my back doing yoga and something popped in my stomach and I was screaming. It was a really weird sensation.

"I went to the doctor and he told me I had trapped wind, so he gave me tablets."

Linda was then referred for an X-ray and it was discovered she had blocked bowels.