A woman who was misdiagnosed for months says doctors told her she had haemorrhoids, while cancer was “eating away” at her gut.
Doctors repeatedly told Lisa Snooks, 43, from Barry, South Wales, to continue treatment for her haemorrhoids until her pain became so severe she pushed for cancer tests.
Following an endoscopy and MRI in February 2022, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of anal cancer that had “eaten away” parts of her bowel and was protruding externally.
In March of that year, she was fitted with a colostomy bag and then underwent an 11-hour surgery to remove her pelvic floor, rectum and vagina, leaving her with a cavitated wound that nurses must re-patch daily.
Although she is now in remission, the treatment she underwent left her struggling with a low platelet count due to damage to her bone marrow.
Lisa Snooks, 43, from Barry, South Wales, who was misdiagnosed for months, claims doctors told her she had haemorrhoids, while the cancer was “eating away” at her bowel. Pictured in hospital after surgery
Tragically, she lost her brother to the same condition in February 2021 and says she is terrified of the future.
Lisa is now struggling mentally due to the stress and open wound left by the surgery.
Lisa said: ‘If I had been seen earlier and not treated badly for six months, my gut would not have been eaten away.
‘I had never heard of anal cancer: as soon as you notice the slightest symptom, you go immediately to the doctor.
‘I don’t remember much after I was told I had cancer. I started crying and thought I was going to die and my life was over; I was devastated.
“It’s scary, I lost my brother to a low blood platelet count, which I now have; I have the same defective gene.
“I wonder if I’m going to get through this or die the same way he did. It’s scary to beat cancer and still be in the same position.”
Lisa, who used to work as a rental branch manager, went to the doctor for the first time after experiencing hemorrhoid-like symptoms in June 2021.
Doctors repeatedly told Lisa to continue treatment for her hemorrhoids until her pain became so severe that she pushed for cancer tests.
In March 2022, she was fitted with a colostomy bag and then underwent an 11-hour surgery to remove her pelvic floor, rectum and vagina.
Following an endoscopy and MRI in February 2022, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of anal cancer that had “eaten away” parts of her bowel and was protruding externally.
However, after following prescribed treatments, such as suppositories, for five months, her symptoms only worsened and she pushed for more tests.
And in February 2022 she underwent an endoscopy before being rushed for an MRI scan, which confirmed her worst fears of a cancer diagnosis.
She was diagnosed with anal cancer that was deemed “aggressive” and was told it had “eaten away” large parts of her bowel.
Symptoms of anal cancer include bleeding from the anus, small lumps, itching and pain, mucus discharge, and incontinence.
In March 2022, she had a permanent colostomy bag fitted and shortly after began chemotherapy and radiotherapy – undergoing six weeks of radiotherapy seven days a week and chemotherapy four days a week.
However, the chemotherapy caused her to develop neutropenic sepsis, which caused her entire body to react to an infection.
After completing treatment in April, she was scheduled for surgery in October, but asked for the procedure to be postponed because she felt she was not mentally prepared.
Lisa, pictured, was photographed nine months after her life-saving surgery using a sleep pillow. She is now in remission
Lisa, pictured, spent 11 hours in theatre, followed by two further emergency surgeries. She admits she is now nervous about her future.
Lisa had long, blonde hair before starting cancer treatment, but it all fell out during chemotherapy.
Lisa’s hair fell out during chemotherapy and she was forced to wear a wig. She is now in remission.
In April 2023, Lisa was bedridden for her birthday after the long surgery. She says she is now “mentally exhausted.”
Lisa beamed as she rang the bell at the Velindre Cancer Centre after being discharged from the hospital.
Lisa has been in remission for a year, she was beaming with her boyfriend Gareth seven months after her surgery.
While waiting for surgery, Lisa said she experienced high levels of pain and was bleeding every day and needed regular blood transfusions.
In February 2023, she spent 11 hours on the operating table as surgeons removed her pelvic floor, rectum and vagina, leaving her with a cavitated wound that she says has not healed and must be re-patched daily by nurses.
Doctors also removed a large strip of muscle from under her right rib cage and skin tissue from her abdomen to try to reconstruct her vagina and create a covering for the wound, but the surgery was unsuccessful.
Now, Lisa has been in remission for a year, but says she is still afraid of the future.
She says she is waiting to undergo a second bone marrow biopsy to establish the cause and treatment for her low platelet count.
“It started out as something that looked and felt like hemorrhoids, it was painful to wear underwear and sit down, and eventually it was painful to walk,” Lisa said.
‘It started bleeding and then I had incontinence, which was horrible.
‘It’s been 16 months since I left the hospital, but I still see nurses every day to patch up the big gap between my legs that never healed.
‘I lost all my hair (during chemotherapy) and have been wearing wigs for two years.
‘Mentally I’m struggling now, the last two years have been traumatic and I’m still living it every day.
‘I’m exhausted, tired and scared of the future now, every day I’m afraid of what comes next.
“I’ve been in remission for a year, but I still don’t know what the future holds.”