Mum, 33, who put bloating and vomiting down to being pregnant dies weeks after doctors find true, devastating cause
A MUM has tragically died just weeks after mistakenly believing she was pregnant.
Fiona Gallacher, 33, had suffered from pregnancy-like symptoms for two months, including a severe stomach ache, bloating and vomiting.
But after a pregnancy test came back negative in January, the mum-of-four from Holytown in North Lanarkshire visited A&E.
Days later, tests revealed the mum-of-four had stage four adenocarcinoma – a cancer that grows in the glands of vital organ
Doctors originally gave her between six months and a year to live.
However, she died just 11 weeks later, on March 22.
Her devastated sister, Kellyann, 37, told the Daily Record: “Fiona started experiencing severe stomach pains but put it down to just feeling unwell.
“Her stomach suddenly swelled out, and she couldn’t keep anything down; she initially thought she was pregnant because of the way she was feeling.
“She was so swollen it did look as though she might be pregnant.”
Andecarcinoma is a disease that starts in the mucous glands inside your organs.
It’s responsible for around 90 per cent of all kidney and bowel cancers, 85 per cent of lung and a quarter of all cervical cancers, according to the Cancer Council, an Australian advice page.
It also causes most cancers of the breast, prostate and stomach.
I would urge anyone experiencing abnormal stomach pains not to think twice about getting it checked out
Kellyann
Because the disease can occur in several different areas of the body, there is no list of symptoms per se.
Many may not feel any pain in the early stages.
However, a person can experience pain, diarrhoea, bleeding, or fatigue, experts at WebMD said.
Depending on where the tumour is and how large it is, treatment options can include surgical removal, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy.
Fiona’s family have been left shocked by her sudden death.
Her other sister, Sarahann, is moving into the family home to look after her kids: 16-year-old Graham Hastie, Kevin Hastie, 15, Emmaleigh Goldie, seven, and three-year-old Charlie-May Mcfarlane.
A GoFundMe page has also been started in memory of the mother to help cover the cost of her funeral.
At the time of writing, it had raised over £2,500.
Writing on the page, Kellyann said: “Fiona said that on the day of her funeral, she wants all of the kids to go and do something fun once they say their final goodbyes.”
What is adenocarcinoma?
Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that begins in the lining of the glands inside an organ.
The disease can affect areas such as the colon, breasts, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, or prostate.
An overgrowth of cells that line the glands can cause adenocarcinoma and harm healthy tissues.
Adenocarcinoma is a subtype of carcinoma, a type of cancer which forms tumors.
Nearly 40 percent of lung cancers and 85 percent of pancreatic ones are due to adenocarcinoma
Her family are now urging people to get regular health checks and not to ignore unusual symptoms in light of how quickly Fiona fell sick.
Kellyann added: “We all play down our symptoms and always think it will never be you, but it isn’t worth taking that chance.
“I would urge anyone experiencing abnormal stomach pains not to think twice about getting it checked out.”
