A mum who thought the pain in her ribcage was caused by a stomach ulcer has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Lynsey Marie, 33, started feeling the excruciating pain, which "radiated" to her back" in March.
On an initial trip to the doctor, she was treated for a stomach ulcer. She also provided a stool sample to check for a stomach bug, h.plyori.
But when everything came back clear, Lynsey was left searching for answers.
The mum-of-two from Kirkby in Merseyside continued to battle through the pain until July, when her symptoms got worse.
Vomiting and losing weight, and she knew something wasn't right.
"I remember speaking to the doctor again because something did just not feel right," she recalled.
For more of the news you care about straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here
"I thought it was something to do with my pancreas because it was in my back, but doctors assured me the inflammation markers in my blood were fine."
She was given more medication and booked in for a CT scan and endoscopy. After her scan, she was sent home to wait for the results.
But before she could receive them, Lynsey was rushed to A&E in excruciating pain. When she arrived, the mum-of-two told the A&E doctor she'd recently had the CT scan at the same hospital.
"She looks on screen there and I saw the scan and this horrible feeling came over me, it was written all over her face she told me she was just going to check something and I knew something wasn’t right," she said.
When the doctor came back into the room, she asked Lynsey if she'd come to A&E alone, or if she had anyone else with her.
The terrified mum asked: "You're going to tell me I have cancer, aren't you?"
Knowing it was bad news, Lynsey recalled a heat rising in her, causing her to kick off her shoes and socks. She became hysterical and threw up in the sink, before calling her mum to come to the hospital.
When Lynsey's mum arrived, the doctor went through the results of the scan with them.
"I was told they had found a mass tumour in my stomach and spots in my liver," she said.
Then the young mum asked a heart breaking question: "Am I going to die?"
Lynsey was sent for an endoscopy straight away, which found her stomach was actually clear of cancer - but there were signs of the disease in her oesophagus.
After the endoscopy, Lynsey also had biopsies, which she said was the "scariest time."
She said: "Not knowing is the scariest because you don't know what stage and you don't know what cancer [you have].
"And you can only hope and pray that they have caught it on time."
Do you have a real life story to share? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
When she received her results, her diagnosis was confirmed - she had an aggressive form of cancer and would need to start treatment immediately.
In a meeting with her oncologist, Lynsey said they discussed treatment options which gave her "hope."
She said: "I have every hope and faith that I’m going to get through every second of this and fight this every step of the way for my babies, family and friends."
The determined mum is due to start chemotherapy on 6 October and wants to share her story to raise awareness of cancer symptoms that could be mistaken for something else.
She said: "The quicker you put the story out the quicker you find out the symptoms and quicker you can get the help."
Lyndsey's family set up a JustGiving page to aid her recovery. To donate, click here
