A woman says doctors repeatedly told her she didn't have cancer and her extreme tiredness was due to being a busy mum - until she paid for a private scan to find out the truth. Kerri Laird says she started suffering symptoms including extreme fatigue, hair loss, heart palpitations, trouble swallowing and lumps on her neck last June 2025.

The 35-year-old says she visited her GP six times in June and July - but says her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed as a 'virus', and blamed on her being a 'busy mum'. She says one doctor even told her that her swollen lymph nodes were a result of her children, aged six and nine, 'picking up germs' and bringing them home.

Eventually the mum-of-two paid to have a private ultrasound scan carried out on her neck at the end of July, which revealed she had 'multiple thyroid nodules' and 'suspicious' lymph nodes in her neck. Kerri returned to her GP with the results and was referred for a lymph node biopsy at the end of July.

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When the biopsy results came back clear, Kerri says doctors told her they would see her again for a repeat scan in six months. Kerri says the pain continued to worsen in the following months and she went back to her GP a further 12 times.

Frustrated that she still wasn't getting answers, Kerri paid to have a second private ultrasound on her neck last December. She says the results of this flagged that her thyroid nodules and lymph nodes had gotten bigger.

Kerri returned to her GP who referred her to see an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist, who carried out a biopsy of her thyroid at the beginning of February this year. On February 16, Kerri received the devastating diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

Kerri, who has since undergone surgery have her thyroid removed, says she was 'relieved' when she received the diagnosis after months of visits to doctors. She is now encouraging other people to 'trust their gut' and 'push for answers' if they feel like something is wrong with their body.

Kerri, who lives near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, said: "Last June I was experiencing extreme tiredness, my hair was falling out and I just wasn't right. I kept on going back to the doctors and they just kept saying that I was fine.

"Halfway through June, I noticed that I had multiple lumps all over my neck. I went to the doctors about that and they didn't do anything. They said you've probably got a virus and sent me away.

"I kept on going back and I must have gone back five or six times with these lumps, saying that I have pain in my neck going up to my jaw and severe headaches. It got to the beginning of July and I went and paid for a private scan because I just wasn't getting anywhere."

Despite the private scan revealing 'very suspicious' lymph nodes and multiple nodules on her thyroid, the NHS lymph node biopsy came back clear and doctors said they would see her again in six months. But Kerri says the pain continued to worsen over the next few months and she returned to her GP with the neck pain a further 12 times.

She claims doctors brushed off her symptoms, which included extreme fatigue, as her being a 'busy mum'. Kerri said: "In the next few months, the pain kept getting worse. I went back to the doctors again about 12 times - but they just kept telling me there was nothing they could do and I would have to wait for my follow up scan.

"I was just getting ignored and it was just really annoying because obviously they just weren't taking it seriously at all. I knew something was wrong but the more they were telling me, I was starting to think it was in my head because they were making out it was."

In December 2025, Kerri paid to have a second private ultrasound scan which revealed the thyroid nodules and lymph nodes in her neck had enlarged. Kerri said: "I took results back to the doctors and they put a referral in again. I ended up at the hospital, having an ultrasound and seeing an ENT consultant. They basically said to me I don't think it's cancer - you're tired because you're a mum, your lymph nodes are swollen because you've got kids and they're picking up germs.

"I said to them can you just do the biopsy, even if it's just for peace of mind."

Kerri said: "I felt a little bit relieved because I finally knew what was wrong with me after it taking so long. It wasn't all in my head. Obviously I was upset but I was relieved at the same time weirdly enough."

Kerri has since had surgery to have her thyroid removed and is now waiting for the pathology results to come back before she finds out what the next steps are in terms of her treatment. Kerri said: "I'm waiting for the pathology results to come back from the thyroid that's been sent off before I know what stage the cancer is. I think the recommended treatment is normally iodine therapy or radiation treatment."

Kerri believes paying for the private ultrasound scans helped her to get her diagnosis earlier and may have helped to save her life. Kerri said: "Paying to get the scan done privately may have potentially saved my life because it's helped me to get the diagnosis sooner.

"I think if I hadn't paid for it myself the cancer could have spread to other places and been a lot worse than what it was."

Kerri is now encouraging other people to 'trust their gut' and 'push for answers' if they feel like something is wrong with their body. Kerri said: "I would say to keep pushing as much as you possibly can. A lot of people will probably just walk away and ignore it but you have to trust your gut if you think something is wrong. You just have to push and push and push for it [a diagnosis], I think that's the only way sometimes."