I was accused of just being vain but I’ve been left with a gaping hole in my head | The Sun
WHEN Jo Lambert's little girl was playing with her hair, she noticed a flat red spot on the top of her scalp.
As it got larger, the mum mentioned it to a nurse who assured her it was a cyst that couldn't be removed – given it was cosmetic, and therefore 'nothing to worry about'.
Three months later, the now 43-year-old fell pregnant with her youngest Louie Lambert.
The mum-of-five said she bought it up again, but was rudely dismissed by another nurse who deemed her 'lucky it wasn't on her face'.
She eventually had the necessary referrals by her GP and had the 10 pence piece-sized lump removed – but claims it was only while in theater that she was told she had skin cancer.
After the 'petrifying' news, the catering manager had a 'chunk' extracted from her head before a 15cm skin graft was also taken from her arm.
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The devoted mum had the results a week later confirming that she had basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, but was over the moon to discover she didn't need any further treatment.
Six years on from the ordeal, Jo is now keen to raise awareness of the importance of getting any lumps and bumps checked out.
Jo, of Wantage, Oxfordshire said you must push for a second opinion if you're not satisfied with the initial response you get from medics.
Recalling her experience with the nurse she said: "She was quite rude and made me feel like I was being vain and a bit stupid for asking."
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By the date of her surgery on September 13, 2017, the lump was about the size of a ten pence piece but a strange shape.
Jo said: "I didn't even know what to expect, I had no idea, I thought I'd just be in and out but I was in the theater for about two and a half hours.
"The surgeon asked if I knew why I was there and I told him I was having it removed and he said 'it's skin cancer'. I felt sick and petrified. I was really shocked because no one had told me it was cancer.
"He said I needed to have a skin graft and I was like 'pardon?' I hadn't been told anything at this point.
"He asked me if I wanted it from my neck or arm and I had to make a decision there and then. I had it off my left arm, which is the side Louie's head rested on when I bottle fed him. I didn't even think about that and afterwards trying to feed him was an absolute nightmare.
What is basal cell carcinoma?
Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world.
Non-melanoma skin cancer refers to a group of cancers that slowly develop in the upper layers of the skin, the NHS states.
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), also known as a rodent ulcer, starts in the cells lining the bottom of the epidermis and accounts for about 75 in every 100 skin cancers.
It usually appears as a small, shiny pink or pearly-white lump with a translucent or waxy appearance. It can also look like a red, scaly patch. There's sometimes some brown or black pigment within the patch.
The lump slowly gets bigger and may become crusty, bleed or develop into a painless ulcer. Basal cell carcinoma does not usually spread to other parts of the body.
"They basically took a chunk out of my head and put a skin graft over it. I remember coming out and I was just a complete emotional wreck because they shaved my hair at the top, I didn't know what they'd done to my head – I didn't even want to look at it.
"I remember going to see my husband and he was like 'where the hell have you been? You told me you wouldn't be long and I didn't know what was going on'.
"I was like 'they've just cut a massive hole in my head, given me a skin graft and now I look like I'd been shot in the head' and all I wanted to do was to get some Percy Pigs from Marks and Spencers."
Jo claims the surgeon said they were 99 per cent sure she had skin cancer and this was officially confirmed when she received the results the following week.
Jo is unsure how the cancer is triggered but was advised by a doctor that the hormones in her body during pregnancy likely made the lump bigger.
Jo said: "When I officially had the diagnosis I couldn't believe that it had happened to me but I was happy that it had been removed.
"Thank God my doctor referred me and that I went with my gut instinct and said 'look I'm not happy, I'm not going to listen to what the nurses told me'.
"It left a massive dent in my head. We laugh in our house and say we can put a GoPro in my head because it's quite deep.
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"I'm happy to share [what happened] because I'd rather people have a look and check things. As maybe if I'd been seen earlier, it wouldn't have been so dramatic, I wouldn't have gone through that, I'd have less scarring and may not have a bald patch.
NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board said they are unable to comment on specific cases.
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