Chronic hiccups were sign of tumour for Blackpool mum
Kayla Pennington has shared her experience and treatment for oesophageal cancer
A supermarket manager from Blackpool has told of how chronic hiccups when she ate were a warning sign for cancer.
Kayla Pennington, aged 37 at the time, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer - rare for someone of that age.
The store manager at Bispham Tesco Express was diagnosed in late 2022.
She found whenever she ate she was getting bouts of hiccups which would only subside when she drank water.
Following an endoscopy she was told she had a large tumour.
Kayla said: “I’ll never forget the look on his face – the consultant knew it was cancer but was also slightly confused because of my age, I don’t think he expected it because it’s unusual. It was awful – I remember thinking ‘did he actually say that?’ and going home to my friend saying it was cancer. It was all a bit overwhelming and went very fast from there.”
She began chemotherapy at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in early 2023 and had to tell her daughter Frankie the news.
Kayla said: “Frankie is so resilient, she stayed with my best friend, who told her she needed to talk to her about mummy, and Frankie said, ‘Mummy’s going to be fine, she’s got her big girl pants on!’ She’s really positive, it wasn’t an issue, she’s been incredible, for nine years old.
“She held my head when I was sick, she’s made breakfast, laid next to me when I was in so much pain from chemo, she’s helped me get dressed, telling me I was still beautiful without my hair – she’s been amazing.”
Following chemotherapy, Kayla had surgery at Royal Preston Hospital, which involved removing the tumour and creating a new oesophagus and stomach, which involved deflating one lung. After nine hours in theatre, there were complications as she developed ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and spent over three weeks in critical care at Royal Preston.
And she said: “Dr Jeremy Ward was my surgeon, he was incredible. I felt really sick and was in critical care on a ventilator. He came to see me quite often and checked on me. Everyone was incredible, and there’s no way he could have done it on his own, but he was the one person I really remember seeing and being involved.
“He was a really important part of my care. The nurses were incredible as well, but he was the one face who was most consistent. I wouldn’t be here today without him, and my daughter wouldn’t have her mum, without him and his team. The work they do is incredible, and I can’t thank them enough, I’ve said it thousands of times, I’ll never forget it and I’ll always be grateful.”
Kayla was discharged 11 days after moving out of critical care and is now cancer free and back at work.
Spotting the early warning signs
Kayla said: “I know there aren’t many early warning signs for this type of cancer, and it has poor outcomes but get yourself checked as soon as you can - the earlier the better.
“I was really lucky, it was a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m trying to help people understand that, actually, if anything at all doesn’t feel normal, get checked.
“I was very positive, that’s my character, I’m very determined, strong, outgoing, confident, and I believe a positive mindset helps, if you genuinely believe you want to get better, it goes a long way to helping you achieve that.
“Everyone plays a part, the district nurses coming out, the surgeons, the anaesthetists, everyone did so much, the GI team at Blackpool – Preston did all my surgery and Upper GI work, but Blackpool rang me, checked in on my daughter and they were incredible. I don’t think people really appreciate how much the NHS does until you really need them.”
Sharing her treatment experience
Kayla was speaking about her experience during the Upper GI study day organised by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Vinutha Shetty, Consultant General Surgeon, Upper GI & Colorectal, said: “This was yet another successful education event covering various aspects of upper GI cancer diagnosis and treatment. The event was well attended by healthcare workers from all domains, and as always received excellent feedback.
“Our key speakers included surgeons, radiologist, pathologist anaesthetist, physiotherapist, and specialist upper GI nurses. Our guest speakers were GASSUP patient support group representative David Critchley and our cancer patient Kayla Pennington who spoke on her personal experience. Their talks help us to improve our cancer services to deliver a patient-centred personalised care.”
Trust Cancer Education Manager, Lyndsay Wiggans, added: “We are very grateful that staff in our area have access to these free education events, which have been supported by the Rosemere Cancer Education Hub for the last six years. We’re really lucky to have the education hub, which provides free cancer education to the cancer workforce across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
“Thank you also to Kayla for sharing her remarkable story – we learn so much from patient experience.”