A mum-of-three has been told she has two years to live after doctors found her excessive bloating was down to metastasised bowel cancer.
Louisa Irvine, 35, from Novar Gardens, Adelaide, underwent keyhole surgery for endometriosis earlier this month when doctors found suspicious nodules on her liver.
“I never had so much bloating as I had in the last six to 12 months previously,” Ms Irvine told the Adelaide Advertiser.
After tests doctors delivered the devastating diagnosis.
“We weren’t expecting to hear those words, not only cancer, but the fact it’s obviously spread quite significantly,” she said.
Ms Irvine said it was easy to explain away her symptoms as they were similar to those associated with endometriosis.
However some were indeed different such as increased nausea, weight gain, bloating and stool changes.
“I was devastated and absolutely gutted,” Ms Irvine said.
“I couldn’t really wrap my head around the fact that I was likely not going to see (my children) grow up … that hit the hardest straight away.”
Ms Irvine has two children, Charlie, two, and Lexie four, and stepson, Harry 12.
Tragically, having suffered with endometriosis, she struggled to have children making her diagnosis seem even crueller.
“They are still so little, what would this mean (for them),” she said.
Ms Irvine, who is a paramedic, says she has taken a step back and is enjoying time with her family.
She has started fortnightly chemotherapy sessions to try and prolong her life as much as possible. She has also had a meeting with palliative care.
If you would like to donate to Ms Irvine’s GoFundMe page please visit here.