But it turned out she was actually growing a 2st cancerous tumour.
Becki Ward, from Great Yarmouth, started taking weight loss jabs in October 2024 after struggling to shift the pounds naturally.
Becki Ward started taking Mounjaro in October 2024 but was disappointed with the results (Image: Becki Ward / SWNS)
After three months, the 33-year-old had only lost one stone and knew others were seeing much quicker results.
“I assumed it was because I’m in my 30s, I was lazy, or I was overeating,” she said.
Around this time, she started experiencing “night sweats and stomach pains” and feared it was a side effect of the medication.
She went through five months of testing before being diagnosed with a very rare mucinous cancer called pseudomyxoma peritonei.
She was finally diagnosed with cancer after five months of testing (Image: Becki Ward / SWNS)
It causes a build-up of mucin in the abdomen, often leading to visible swelling.
Doctors believe Mrs Ward may have unknowingly lived with the cancer for five years.
“I was so shocked when I got the diagnosis,” the trainee education mental health practitioner said.
The tumour kept growing until it weighed almost 2st (Image: Becki Ward / SWNS)
“The thing I’ve always been most terrified of is getting cancer.”
In August 2025, she underwent 11 hours of surgery to remove a tumour which had grown to weigh 26.4lbs, or 1.8st.
The operation also involved removing her spleen, appendix, gall bladder, omentum and peritoneum, and completing a full hysterectomy, plunging her into early menopause.
Thankfully, Mrs Ward and her husband Ed, 36, had already made the decision not to have children before the diagnosis.
The surgery lasted 11 hours (Image: Becki Ward / SWNS)
“I can imagine it would be devastating for a lot of people as 33 is the age when so many people want to have a baby,” she said.
She spent five days in intensive care and two weeks in hospital before returning home.
Mrs Ward is now recovering and doctors believe she is cancer-free, although she will have regular checks for the next 20 years.
She is recovering but doctors believe she is now cancer free (Image: Becki Ward / SWNS)
What is Mounjaro?
Tirzepatide, better known by the brand name Mounjaro, is a type of medication known as a GLP-1 agonist.
The drug – typically taken as a once-weekly injection – reduces the user’s appetite, which helps them to lose weight.
It can also be used as a treatment for patients with type two diabetes.
Mounjaro was approved for use as a weight management medication in the UK in November 2023 and it has been sold widely by private pharmacies since then.
In June 2025, the NHS started rolling out Mounjaro prescriptions to those who need it most, and people currently need a BMI of 40 or more and several weight-related conditions to be eligible.
The NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board estimates more than 11,000 will meet the criteria over the next few years.