Woman Discovers 12kg Cancerous Tumour After Blaming Herself for Mounjaro Weight Loss Failure
Becki Ward, a 33-year-old trainee health practitioner from Great Yarmouth, had always struggled with her weight. Like approximately 1.6 million other adults across the United Kingdom, she began taking the weight loss medication Mounjaro in October 2024, hoping to finally achieve her desired results.
'At first, the medication appeared to be working effectively, successfully suppressing my appetite,' Becki explains. 'However, I soon noticed that I wasn't losing weight at the same rapid pace as others. Some individuals were shedding half-a-stone weekly, while I only managed to lose one or two pounds during the same timeframe.'
The Hidden Diagnosis
What Becki didn't realize during those initial months was that her body was fighting something far more serious than weight management challenges. Unbeknownst to her, a massive 12kg cancerous tumour was growing inside her stomach, caused by an extremely rare form of cancer that only two hospitals in the UK are equipped to treat properly.
Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) affects merely 400 new patients annually in Britain. This particular cancer typically originates as a small growth, known as a polyp, in the appendix, though it can also begin in the bowel or ovaries, which represents an even rarer occurrence.
'I assumed the weight loss injections weren't working because I'm in my 30s, perhaps being lazy, or possibly overeating without realizing it,' Becki recalls. 'Then I started experiencing night sweats and persistent stomach pains. Having read news reports about people developing pancreatitis from Mounjaro, I began panicking, convinced that was my issue.'
Medical Investigation Reveals Shocking Truth
Mounjaro manufacturer Eli Lilly lists acute pancreatitis as an 'uncommon' side effect that may impact up to 1 in 100 users, updating their information leaflet with increased detail on October 31, 2025. Concerned about her symptoms, Becki visited her doctor for comprehensive blood tests and organ examinations.
The results delivered a shocking revelation: tumour markers had flagged during testing. Medical professionals initially suspected ovarian cancer but conducted further investigations to confirm the diagnosis. They discovered a substantial 22cm cyst on Becki's left ovary, yet it took five additional months to finally diagnose her with pseudomyxoma peritonei.
'I was utterly shocked when I received the diagnosis,' Becki remembers. 'Cancer has always been my greatest fear. I simply wasn't expecting it, and my mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusions.'
Understanding Pseudomyxoma Peritonei
PMP typically grows slowly but can eventually spread to other abdominal areas and the peritoneum, which lines the abdomen. The cancer cells produce mucus that collects in the abdomen as a jelly-like fluid called mucin, earning the condition the nickname 'jelly belly.'
Unlike many other cancers, PMP doesn't spread to distant body parts but will expand within the abdominal cavity. This cancer occurs more frequently in women than men and can be mistaken for ovarian cancer, which also causes abdominal swelling.
Common symptoms of PMP include:
- Pain in the abdomen or pelvis
- Inability to become pregnant
- Swelling and bloating in the abdomen
- Changes in bowel habits
- Hernia development
- Loss of appetite
- Persistent feeling of fullness
The primary treatments involve surgery and chemotherapy, according to Cancer Research UK.
Extensive Surgical Intervention
Doctors believe Becki may have had the cancer for approximately five years without detection, based on the severity of her symptoms. They scheduled her for an eight-hour surgery in August 2025, though the procedure ultimately extended to eleven hours as the cancer had spread more extensively than initially anticipated.
'My stomach continued expanding, and days before the surgery, I appeared as though I was about to give birth to twins,' Becki describes. 'By the time surgeons removed the tumour, it had grown to enormous proportions, weighing a staggering 12 kilograms.'
The surgical team removed all visible signs of cancer, extracting Becki's spleen, appendix, gall bladder, omentum (a fold of fatty tissue in the abdomen), peritoneum (the protective abdominal lining), and performing a total hysterectomy.
Life-Altering Consequences
'The surgery plunged me into early menopause,' Becki adds. 'Doctors prescribed hormone replacement therapy, which provided significant relief, but finding support or information for women experiencing menopause at my age has proven exceptionally challenging.'
Becki will never be able to have biological children, though she and her 36-year-old husband Ed had already decided against having children before the diagnosis. 'I can imagine this would be devastating for many people, as 33 is precisely the age when numerous individuals wish to start families,' she explains thoughtfully.
Immediately following the tumour removal, medical professionals circulated heated chemotherapy inside her abdomen to eliminate microscopic cancer cells invisible during the surgical procedure.
Recovery and Ongoing Vigilance
After five days in intensive care and a total of two weeks hospitalized, Becki returned home. She's currently recovering gradually, managing reasonably well despite struggling with energy levels and restrictions on lifting heavy objects.
Doctors believe Becki is currently cancer-free, but she must undergo regular medical checks for the next twenty years, as this particular cancer carries a 30% recurrence risk. For now, however, she remains in the clear, having survived an extraordinary medical ordeal that began with self-blame for weight loss medication results.
