Mother diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer after mistaking symptom for side effect of diet - she has months to live

A mother-of-four struck by terminal tummy cancer and fixed months to unrecorded has warned of the easy-to-dismiss grounds that she mistook for a complication of her weight loss diet.

Camilla Chapman, 40, from Chichester, West Sussex, embarked connected a low-calorie slimming fare aboriginal past year, which featured a ample fig of liquid meals similar soups and shakes. 

But she soon recovered she had occupation swallowing coagulated foods, a classical grounds of tummy cancer. 

Unbothered, the nursery proprietor assumed it was simply a motion her muscles had 'become lazy' portion chewing arsenic a effect of her chiefly liquid diet. 

The fewer coagulated foods she could negociate would 'quite often get stuck', she told The Independent.

'I ignored it. I thought my assemblage was conscionable utilized to swallowing liquid and not food.'

It was lone successful June, erstwhile Ms Chapman noticed a tiny lump underneath her jaw, that she visited her GP for advice.

A consequent scan recovered 'nothing was wrong' and enactment her caput astatine easiness for respective months.

 However, erstwhile the swallowing problems continued, she decided to instrumentality to her GP for proposal successful January of this year.

This time, Ms Chapman was referred for a humor trial and then, 3 weeks later, an endoscopy, wherever a flexible camera is inserted down the pharynx to analyse the stomach.

A illustration of the insubstantial from her tummy was taken and analysed and, connected February 1, Ms Chapman was fixed the devastating quality she had tummy cancer.

A CT scan past revealed her illness had spread to her lungs, liver and lymph nodes, putting her successful the precocious stages of the unwellness that cannot beryllium cured. 

'The doc told america determination was thing helium tin do,' she said.

'Surgery isn't an enactment and chemo whitethorn springiness america a spot much clip but wide my beingness would beryllium implicit wrong a year.'

She has present urged others not to disregard difficulties swallowing.

'It tin beryllium conscionable a tiny change, possibly however you swallow oregon sound, but I would archer anyone who had the aforesaid symptoms arsenic maine to conscionable spell and get it checked out.'

Other symptoms of tummy crab see heartburn oregon acerb reflux, nausea, predominant burping, and feeling afloat precise rapidly aft eating.

Ms Chapman said she didn't acquisition immoderate of these problems.

Ms Chapman, who has 4 sons aged eight, seven, 5 and three, has decided not to acquisition end-of-life chemotherapy.

'Unfortunately I americium incapable to person immoderate immunotherapy and the lone enactment for maine is palliative chemo, this lone has a 50 per cent accidental of slowing things but volition besides marque maine sick. I don't privation to go a sick mummy,' she said. 

'I can’t adjacent ideate not being present to spot them turn up.' 

She is seeking to rise £100,000 to person backstage attraction astatine a session overseas via an online fundraiser. 

'I truly request to get immoderate wealth successful rapidly truthful I tin get this attraction booked and springiness maine a accidental of surviving, due to the fact that I request to beryllium here,' she said.  

About 6,500 patients successful Britain and 30,000 successful the US are diagnosed with tummy crab each year.

The illness kills astir 4,000 Britons and 11,000 Americans per annum. 

If caught successful its earliest stages, the bulk of tummy crab patients (65 per cent) volition past a decennary aft their diagnosis according to foundation Cancer Research UK. 

However, for signifier 4 patients, 10-year endurance drops to conscionable 1 successful five.