Quick blood test result diagnoses stomach tumour (From Echo)

Quick blood test result diagnoses stomach tumour

5:00pm Friday 1st March 2013 in Local News

A GRANDMOTHER who was being treated for inflammatory bowel had a routine investigative blood test which revealed a huge tumour.

Carmel Palmer, 68, had been having stomach pain for a few weeks and was being treated by her GP for possible diverticulitis an infection of the inner lining of the intestine.

A blood test was taken for routine screening and came back promptly.

She is an example of exactly why the Echo is campaigning to keep the service local rather than plans by NHS Midlands and East to move screening to a hub laboratory based 90 miles away at Bedford Hospital.

Mrs Palmer said: “I had a call from the hospital asking me to come in. I had a scan and they found a huge tumour in my bowel.

“I had to have 19 inches of my bowel removed, so that tells you how big it was.”

It was confirmed as cancer and Mrs Palmer spent four weeks in hospital.

More than six months on she is still recovering but fortunately it had not spread to her lymph nodes and was a type that meant she did not have to have chemotherapy, so after seeking advice she decided to avoid the rigourous treatment.

Mrs Palmer said: “The staff were just fantastic and the after care is great. I have to have a blood test every three months for the next eight years.

“It’s very important to me to have blood testing local and have a quick response.

“I can’t for the life of me get inside the head of somebody who wants to send our blood tests to Bedford”

She is fully supportive of the Echo’s campaign to keep our pathology services at Basildon and Southend Hospitals and collected more than 30 signatures for our petition.

Mrs Palmer, of Welbeck Road, Canvey, added: “I went around my neighbours and family to get them to sign, absolutely everyone was more than happy to sign it.”

The campaign has almost 10,000 supporters both online and paper petitions.

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