Scots mum's mild stomach pain turned out to be stage four cancer

A Paisley mum has told how her “whole world stopped” when she found out the mild stomach pain she had been suffering from was stage four bowel cancer.

NHS radiology medical secretary Kirsty Laing, 34, said she began experiencing unusual cramping last August.

Describing herself as “fit and healthy” and seldom unwell, she visited her GP to get the symptoms checked.

“I am never unwell, I never had to see a doctor, so when this pain started, I knew it wasn’t normal for me”, she explained.

Initial tests suggested a possible cervical polyp, but her GP insisted on further investigations, including blood tests, an ultrasound and a FIT stool test at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

“I can’t fault my GP at all,” she said. “She literally put me through every single test to get to the bottom of it. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be now.”

Kirsty’s FIT test returned a score of more than 400, indicating a high likelihood of a serious condition.

Kirsty is undergoing chemotherapy treatment

Despite being worried about the result, Kirsty said friends of her mum, who works in haematology services, tried to reassure her.

“They told me not to worry because I was 34, young and fit. They said it would just be a coincidence.”

Bowel cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Scotland, with around 4,000 diagnosed every year.

While the disease is typically associated with older age groups, diagnoses among younger people are rising.

Recent data shows that between 2013 and 2023, the rate of colorectal cancer in adults under 50 in Scotland increased by around 49%, rising from approximately six to nine cases per 100,000 people.

Although Kirsty works in healthcare and is familiar with urgent cancer referrals, Kirsty said nothing prepared her for becoming a patient.

Her colonoscopy had to be abandoned due to severe pain, and she was then scheduled for a CT colonoscopy. She said the preparation for the procedure proved gruelling.

“The tablets were making me throw up, and I had to cancel the appointment,” she said.

After another bout of sickness, her partner James took her to A&E on October 9. From there, she was sent to the Surgical Assessment Unit for further scans.

After undergoing two CT scans, she was called in to a private room.

“They took me into a private room and started shutting the blinds,” she said. “I saw a staff member in a shirt and tie. I just knew it wasn’t good news.”

The consultant broke the news that there was a large tumour in her bowel that had spread to her liver – and that it could perforate at any time.

“It’s like when you’re watching a film and the whole world stops,” she said. “My world just stopped. You don’t know what to say.

“I was thinking about my two-year-old son, Max, at home.”

Within hours, Kirsty was whisked away for emergency surgery and underwent a right-sided hemicolectomy to remove part of her bowel. Surgeons were able to avoid the need for a stoma bag.

“The surgeon told me it went really well, which was a relief,” she said.

Kirsty faced weeks of agonising uncertainty as doctors assessed whether her liver tumour could be removed.

“They were the worst weeks of my life,” Kirsty said. “In my head, I was thinking the cancer was growing overnight and spreading everywhere. I was wondering if it was even operable. I was sending myself into overdrive.”

A consultant at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre later told her that the aim of treatment was to cure the cancer, provided it had only spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

“That was music to my ears,” she added.

A PET and MRI scan revealed the cancer is contained to Kirsty’s liver, where there is a seven-centimetre tumour doctors say is operable.

She began a 12-week course of chemotherapy in December, involving intravenous treatment followed by oral medication.

Aside from fatigue, loss of taste and heightened skin sensitivity, Kirsty has avoided severe side effects.

“You take everything in life for granted – going to work, eating, having a shower. I used to think, ‘Ugh, I’ve got work,’ but I would do anything right now to just be back at my desk and not in this situation.”

Liver surgery is planned later this year, followed by further chemotherapy as a precaution.

She said her partner, family and friends have been an “amazing” support network.

Her dad also lives with cancer and takes oral chemotherapy.

“My dad probably never thought his daughter would have stage four bowel cancer at 34.”

Kirsty says her son does not fully understand her illness, but knows to be more careful around her.

“I couldn’t pick him up for six weeks,” she said. “He knows not to touch ‘the line on mummy’s tummy’.

“He had been sleeping through the night for six months, but that stopped when I came out of the hospital.

“You don’t realise how much little ones pick up on – he’s so loving and affectionate. He’s my biggest blessing.”

Kirsty with family members at Christmas STV News

Kirsty hopes she will return to her normal life by late summer – and is making the most of feeling well enough to spend time outdoors with Max.

“We try and get out every day for fresh air – there may be dips, especially after my liver surgery, so I’m making the most of the good days.

“I count my blessings. I’ve been given the best outcome, so I need to focus on that and stay positive.”

Across the UK, around one in 20 bowel cancers are now diagnosed in people under 50.

Although the disease remains far more common in older age groups, the upward trend has prompted growing calls for greater awareness of symptoms and potentially earlier screening among younger adults.

Kirsty has written to local MSP George Adam calling for the bowel screening age to be reduced to 30 to improve early detection.

“I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through. The question I keep asking myself is, what could I have done to find this sooner? I had zero symptoms until August. Anything we can do to prevent someone from getting to stage four – I’m all for.

“My advice to anyone is: Don’t stop until you get an answer. Don’t get ‘palmed off’ as just having IBS or a dietary issue. If something doesn’t feel right, push for the tests.”