Laura Nixon, 59, was told she had a UTI by doctors when she complained of stomach pains and said antibiotics did not help
A woman who was told she had a urinary tract infection (UTI) discovered her stomach pains were actually stage four pancreatic cancer. Laura Nixon, 59, from Windsor, Berkshire, had been suffering from intense pain in her stomach after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in April 2024.
Despite antibiotics not working and the pain persisting, Laura was repeatedly told by doctors that she likely had a UTI. She “assumed” medics had been checking for cancer markers because she’d previously had her gallbladder removed.
After taking herself to A&E in April due to the persistent pain, she was told she would have to wait for a CT scan. Instead, she decided to have some health checks done with her GP before going on a cruise with her mum.
Her GP immediately arranged for a scan of her colon. By 3.30pm that day, Laura was given the devastating news that she had stage four pancreatic cancer and had five years to live.
She is now in Germany, preparing to undergo alternative private transarterial chemoembolization treatment after choosing not to undergo chemotherapy on the NHS. Laura said: “I don’t think I have ever processed it. I go to bed at night and think if I wake up in the morning, it’s a bonus.
“See people every day, catch up with people. I can’t allow myself to be sad. There’s no point in being angry with people as you can’t go back, but I worry about people going through the same thing.”
Following her diagnosis, Laura believed the five-year estimate wasn’t accurate – instead, she reckoned she had just months left.
She explained: “I researched it with the condition and the size of the tumour and I thought it was more like three months, no way was it going to be five years. I got an appointment with the oncologist at the beginning of August and I was diagnosed on July 11. My first chemo would have been on August 29 and I feared maybe I might have lasted eight months.”
Rather than accepting this, Laura investigated alternative private treatments and started fundraising to cover some of the £65,000 expense. Much of the therapy was paid for by her mum, who dipped into her life savings.
She said: “I did more research, I looked into a clinic in Germany, and I’ve paid £60,000 for private treatment, which will aim to starve the tumour, which should relieve some of the pain.
“On Wednesday (September 3) in Frankfurt they’re going to take some blood to produce hormones from it and then they block oxygen to my pancreas and suffocate it to stop it getting any bigger. Then in Munich I’ve got two treatments on my lungs and the last day they do my liver.
“They are going to do intensive injections on the tumours as they’ve spread around my body. It’ll be two-and-a-half weeks in Frankfurt and then two weeks in Munich.
“I’m going on my own, I can’t take my mum with me as she needs to look after the cats and my house is on the market. I’ve borrowed the money off my mum to pay for this and that’s her entire life savings gone now.
“The treatment should give me a 40% to 60% chance of living two years. It’s still palliative, but I’m not worried about dying, I’m worried about who I leave behind. My oncologist said they don’t offer this treatment on the NHS because they don’t know if it works.”
Despite the uncertainty, Laura isn’t dwelling on the past.
She said: “It’s been a complete mess. I don’t blame my GP at all – he’s been so good and pressing for answers for a long time.
“He’s amazing – I feel so sad for him as he’s completely devastated. I just have to accept it and hope for the best.”
The standard NHS procedure involves chemotherapy and surgery, and while transarterial chemoembolization treatment is available privately in the UK, it can cost significantly more than what Laura is paying in Germany.
You can support Laura via GoFundMe.