Doctors dismissed a mum’s back pain as a muscular problem from ‘lifting her kids’, but scans revealed it was terminal cancer.
Jennifer McNeill, 34, said her symptoms started when she began experiencing ‘stabbing pain’ in her back and could barely walk.
The mother-of-two from Gourock, Scotland, went to her GP who recommended her to do physiotherapy for three weeks.
But it got worse and after several other tests and scans in July 2021 she was told she had stage four breast cancer which had spread to her spine.
Because her cancer had already spread medics were unable to operate to remove the cancer and Ms McNeill was told her illness was terminal.
Jennifer McNeill, 34, pictured with her husband Kevin McNeil and Millie, who is now 6 and Aidan who is now 4, said her symptoms started when she began experiencing ‘stabbing pain’ in her back and could barely walk
The mother-of-two from Gourock, Scotland, went to her GP who recommended her to do physiotherapy for three weeks. But the pain got worse
‘The pain was so bad that it forced me to the ground and my partner had to lift me up because I could not stand up,’ Ms McNeill said.
Despite being in ‘agony’ doctors at the hospital assumed it was just muscular pain from lifting her young children.
When her back pain first started in 2021, her children Millie, who is now 6 and Aidan who is now 4, were only age two and one at the time.
‘The doctors said I had probably strained it whilst lifting them. It went on for months and got so severe that I could barely walk,’ she said.
Ms McNeill said she was forced to go private to get an MRI scan of her lower back — which identified two fractures in her spine.
Symptoms of breast cancer to look out for include lumps and swellings, dimpling of the skin, changes in colour, discharge and a rash or crusting around the nipple
After several tests and scans in July 2021 she was told she had stage four breast cancer which had spread to her spine
But when the pain spread down her legs and she was unable to pass urine, she attended the A&E department at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in July 2021.
Doctors ordered a CT scan and discovered a cancerous tumour on her spine.
‘I just couldn’t believe that after many visits to the hospital and to many doctors that it was terminal cancer and it was too late to do anything — it had already spread to my back and I haven’t had any issues with my breasts,’ she said.
When Ms McNeill received her diagnosis all she could think about were her young children.
She said: ‘As soon as I was diagnosed I didn’t know if I would see the next couple of weeks. I was scared — they were babies at the time.
‘There were plans I was making ahead, family holidays and looking into schools.
‘I was devastated and in shock — I never thought I had cancer — because obviously it never showed up when I had my scans and when I went private so there were lots of unanswered questions that I had.’
Ms McNeill was offered several rounds of radiation, chemotherapy and has been taking the chemo drug Enhertu
Ms McNeill explained that her kids ‘don’t know anything’ about the cancer or that she has a terminal timeline
Ms McNeill was offered several rounds of radiation, chemotherapy and has been taking the chemo drug Enhertu.
She explained that her kids ‘don’t know anything’ about the cancer.
‘By telling them that I have a sore back they know that I won’t be able to lift them and it is the truth because I am restricted to what I can do,’ she said.
‘You don’t want to tell them that you have cancer and that you have got a terminal illness and a timeline.’
Around 55,000 women and 370 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, says Breast Cancer Now.
Meanwhile, roughly 300,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in women every year in the US.
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
However, changes to the skin such as dimpling or a rash on the beast can also be a warning sign.
In some cases breast cancer can cause discharge and a rash or crusting around the nipple.
Ms McNeill was ‘nervous and scared’ when she was first admitted to Ardgowan Hospice for one-to-one care In 2021.
‘I thought the hospice is end of life and there was something they were not telling me,’ she said.
When she first arrived she was in so much pain she was unable to walk, but the hospice changed her medication and helped to reduce the amount of pain she was experiencing.
‘I went in a wheelchair and I left it by walking through the door and that was due to the daily physiotherapy and support from the doctors and nurses,’ she said.
‘But as soon as I have arrived staff were incredible and warm to me — I was spoilt,’ she added.
Ms McNeill confessed support from the hospice has been a ‘lifeline’ for her husband and children.
‘My life is completely different now. It’s been turned upside down. All I can do is put on a brave face and pretend I’m okay for the sake of my children,’ she said.
Checking your breasts should be part of your monthly routine so you notice any unusual changes. Simply, rub and feel from top to bottom, feel in semi-circles and in a circular motion around your breast tissue to feel for any abnormalities
She added: ‘I don’t want to scare them, but the sad reality is this is how they know their mummy.
‘They expect me to be in bed, to be in pain and to be unable to walk. This is our life now.
‘I want to live each day to the max for my children, but I cant due to pain and mobility. It kills me.
‘I have so many wonderful people in my life who have supported me so much. Honestly if love you save me, I’d be cured already.’
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, Ms McNeill who’s receiving ongoing treatment for breast cancer stresses how important it is to get checked regularly.
Over the last few years Kevin McNeil, her husband of eight years, and several friends have raised over £30,000 for the hospice to show their appreciation and are planning to do more events and activities to collect more funds.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
