A cancer patient was told by her GP that she was “fine” before being diagnosed.
Despite losing six stone in less than a year and experiencing daily vomiting, Abby Maxwell, 25, from Blantyre, was reassured there was nothing wrong and told her symptoms were likely caused by anxiety.
Abbey visited her GP four times between February and July 2022, repeatedly raising concerns, but doctors maintained her illness was anxiety-related.
She said: "I remember going in on one appointment and the GP said, 'You look healthy, so you must be fine.'
"At that point, I was being sick a lot. It was pretty much daily.
"And I’d lost a substantial amount of weight – around six stone – in a very short time.
"So, I knew something was wrong."
Despite a previous anxiety diagnosis, Abbey insisted her symptoms were unrelated.
She said: "I'd been previously diagnosed with anxiety, so the GP linked the nausea and sickness with that, even though I said I wasn't feeling any particular increase in anxiety when I was being sick.
"When I was dismissed by multiple GPs, it made me feel belittled, discouraged and frustrated.
"I knew I was ill, and I knew that the symptoms I had weren’t normal, but they made me question my own thoughts and feelings to the point that I disregarded the first physical sign of cancer for months before going back to them.
"I went to the GP in February 2022 and that’s when they said my folic acid was low so they put me on tablets."
After developing a lump under her arm in December 2022, she returned to the doctor and was referred for an ultrasound.
A biopsy was taken, and doctors told her they suspected lymphoma.
Abbey, who had dropped from 13 stone to seven stone, was diagnosed with high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma in January 2023.
She said: "I had no inkling [of cancer].
"I knew there was something wrong, but never in a million years did I think it was cancer.
"When I was told it was most likely lymphoma, I just started crying and wanted to leave immediately.
"I just needed to go home and be away from there."
She began six cycles of chemotherapy at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, describing the care she received as "exceptional."
Abbey said: "I actually felt vindicated that I wasn’t making it all up.
"And it was almost a relief, as I could now process what was coming."
Now two and a half years cancer-free, Abbey, who is currently training as a complementary therapist, wants to raise awareness of cancer in young people.
She said: "There are all kinds of long-term effects from treatment like chronic fatigue and fertility issues.
"And with my joints and my bones, I feel like I can't move the same way that I used to."
She also described the psychological toll of treatment.
Abbey said: "There are the psychological effects after treatment ends, too, because you're coming to terms with what's just happened to you, and for me, the physical changes I had.
"I’d gained a lot of weight at the time because of the steroids I’d been on for treatment and I had no hair, so I was very self-conscious for a good while.
"There needs to be a certain level of compassion for young people who have been through cancer."
Ashley Ball-Gamble, CEO of The Children and Young People’s Cancer Association, said: "We’d like to say a huge thank you to Abby for sharing her story, which highlights why we’re working to support healthcare professionals by educating them on cancer in young people to improve diagnosis times.
"The earlier a diagnosis is made, the better chance there is that treatment will not only be effective but will come with fewer short- and long-term side effects."
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