Cancer-stricken mother, 33, who thought she was pregnant dies weeks after doctors discovered her bloating and vomiting was stage-four tumour

A young mother has died from cancer just weeks after mistakenly believing she was pregnant. 

Fiona Gallacher, from Holytown in North Lanarkshire, suffered from severe stomach ache, bloating and vomiting for two months. 

After a pregnancy test came back negative in January, the 33-year-old visited A&E. 

Test results days later revealed she was suffering with stage-four adenocarcinoma, an aggressive cancer of the glands that secrete mucus. 

Doctors originally gave her between six months and a year to live when Ms Gallacher was diagnosed in January. 

She died just 11 weeks later, on March 22. 

Her family and friends are now urging people to get their health checked and not to ignore any worrying symptoms. 

Her heartbroken sister Kellyann told the Daily Record: ‘Fiona started experiencing severe stomach pains but put it down to just feeling unwell.

‘Her stomach suddenly swelled out and she couldn’t keep anything down, she initially thought she was pregnant because of the way she was feeling. 

‘She was so swollen it did look as though she might be pregnant.’

The 37-year-old added: ‘Days later, we were told she was suffering from cancer and that she didn’t have long left. It was such a shock for us all, it didn’t feel real.’ 

Adenocarcinoma, nicknamed the ‘cancer of the cavities’, is often only discovered during tests or treatments for other conditions.

It accounts for around 90 per cent of all kidney and bowel cancers, 85 per cent of lung and a quarter of all cervical cancers, according to the Cancer Council, an Australian advice page. 

It is also responsible for most cancers of the breast, prostate and stomach. 

Because the cancer can occur in several areas of the body, there is no single list of symptoms of the disease and will depend on the organ affected. 

Some patients may not also experience any signs until the cancer is more advanced. 

Depending on where the tumor is and how large it is, treatment options can include surgical remove, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy. 

Ms Gallacher’s family has been left in shock by her sudden death.

Her other sister Sarahann moving into the family home to look after her kids — 16-year-old Graham Hastie, Kevin Hastie, 15, Emmaleigh Goldie, seven, and three-year-old Charlie-May Mcfarlane.

A GoFundMe page has also been started in memory of the mother, to help cover the cost of her funeral. It has raised almost £2,000 in just three days. 

Ms Gallacher said: ‘Fiona said that on the day of her funeral, she wants all of the kids to go and do something fun once they say their final goodbyes.’

Her family and friends are urging people to get regular health check ups and not to ignore symptoms, in light of how suddenly Fiona’s health deteriorated. 

Ms Gallacher added: ‘We all play down our symptoms and always think it will never be you, but it isn’t worth taking that chance. 

‘I would urge anyone experiencing abnormal stomach pains not to think twice about getting it checked out. 

‘Don’t leave it until the last minute — get it checked by your GP as soon as you possibly can.’