A mom of three was devastated after doctors dismissed her cancer symptoms as a hernia — because she was too “fit and young” to be seriously ill.
Lydia Southam made ten visits to her GP complaining of heavy periods, stomach lumps, bloating and frequent urination – but says her concerns were brushed off.
The 37-year-old, from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks., was only sent for urgent tests two years later after a female doctor realised “something wasn’t right”.
Lydia was referred to Warwick Hospital in June 2023 and was diagnosed with Stage 4 low-grade serious ovarian cancer (LGSOC).
She said: “I did naively believe them, I was relatively fit and well. I was still going to the gym and doing everything normally.
“As a woman you’re just told to deal with these symptoms, you have to power through. Because the GP wasn’t concerned I wasn’t concerned.
“The potential outcome is that it could have been really quite bad for me.”
Lydia first raised concerns back in 2021 after noticing changes to her body.
She said: “I’ve always struggled with heavier periods but they were getting heavier at the time.
“I’d gone in to see the GP about that initially but I was dismissed.”
During pregnancy, her pain worsened but again her concerns were brushed aside.
She added: “When I was pregnant there was a lump on my tummy and they said it was due to the pregnancy.
“I’d gone in with a lot of pain and I felt like the baby had no space. I was saying it doesn’t feel like she has any room to move.
“After that I had symptoms, like frequent urination, pain, and bloating.
“I had those symptoms but didn’t go in for those symptoms straight away.”
Months later, more unusual signs appeared but Lydia says they were misdiagnosed yet again.
She said: “Fast forward another six months I had some spots that turned up on the right hand side of my abdomen.
“I then went back in when I found a lump, which looked like a hernia on my tummy. They just told me it was a hernia, they did no scans, and booked me in for an operation.”
Despite finding more lumps, she says doctors continued to reassure her.
She added: “Then I went back in and had a lump on my groin and something wasn’t right. I knew something was wrong and ended up going in around 10 times.
“I finally went back to the GP but this time I had a female doctor who noticed something wasn’t right.”
Lydia pushed for further investigation after being repeatedly told ovarian cancer was unlikely.
She said: “They said ovarian cancer happens to older ladies and that I was too young and fit for that, but I pushed for further investigation.
“I saw a doctor who did a further biopsy of those lumps.
“It transpired that it was stage 4b low grade, so it was very advanced.
“It was awful to be honest.
“My first thought was I need to be here for my kids. The nurse said she didn’t know if there was much they could do.”
After being told surgery might not remove all of the cancer, Lydia chose go to a private London hospital.
She said: “We found an expert surgeon.
“She did a full hysterectomy, my spleen, part of my bowel, part of my tummy button, part of diaphragm, it was a very extreme operation.
“The way it was described is that it spread far, like seeds had sprinkled everywhere.
“It was on the surface of a lot of the organs but the surgeon managed to get it all.”
When she was allowed home, Lydia had gruelling chemotherapy sessions until she was deemed to be in remission.
Lydia is now campaigning to raise awareness of LGSOC, a rare form of ovarian cancer that often affects women between 40 and 60.
She has teamed up with a charity to mark World Ovarian Cancer Day and even appeared on a billboard in Piccadilly Circus.
She added: “It was weird seeing myself up there because you saw Jude Law and all these other famous celebrities and then I just came up.
“It was a big thing, it was confronting seeing yourself and the scar. It’s empowering to know I’m helping others.”
