A woman aged 51 from Morecambe, Lancashire, has been given the devastating news that she has only a few months to live, after initially attributing her serious symptoms to side effects from Mounjaro.
Dawn Clegg had been using the injections for their primary purpose, which is to manage her diabetes. However, by March of this year, she began experiencing chest pains.
Initially dismissing these health issues as typical side effects of Mounjaro, Dawn did not seek medical attention until the symptoms became too severe to ignore.
It was then that doctors in the emergency department made a heartbreaking finding.
According to The Sun, Dawn underwent several X-rays which revealed shadows on her lungs, breast, and kidneys.
She was diagnosed with soft tissue cancer, known as sarcoma, and was informed that her prognosis was less than 12 months.
Her husband, Arron Clegg, is currently planning a ‘living wake’ for her this November.
“We were devastated on hearing news of cancer in these areas – there is no cure and she is now terminal,” he expressed.
“The wake will mean she can spend quality time with friends and family whilst still alive rather than after the funeral. That way, she can see how much people care about her,” he added.
The receptionist’s living wake will be succeeded by a funeral at Lancaster and Morecambe Crematorium, where Dawn will be interred next to her late daughter Isobel, who tragically passed away during childbirth.
Dr. Jack Ogden from The Lagom Clinic, who has encountered similar cases where patients mistook cancer symptoms for injection side effects, told the publication: “As a clinician, hearing about cases like this is always sobering.”
“It’s important to monitor persistent symptoms, keep a log of side effects, and seek prompt medical advice if anything unusual arises,” Dr. Ogden emphasized.
Ana Carolina Goncalves, a superintendent pharmacist, highlighted that symptoms such as heartburn, abdominal pain, and persistent indigestion, which are associated with weight loss injections, might conceal more serious conditions like liver, bladder, or stomach cancer.
“Thyroid swelling or a lump in the neck might be dismissed as an injection side effect, but it could also indicate thyroid cancer,” she cautioned.
“The risk of thyroid swelling has been confirmed as a potential side effect by the manufacturers of both Mounjaro and Wegovy. Nausea is another common side effect of weight loss jabs that can also indicate liver, bladder, or pancreatic cancer.”
“There’s a lot of overlap between the symptoms of different organ cancers (like liver and pancreatic cancer) because they affect similar areas of the body.”
“This can make identification of cancer symptoms difficult, especially when side effects of weight loss injections are also present.”
When asked for a statement, Eli Lilly, the makers of Mounjaro, commented: “Mounjaro (tirzepatide) should only be used when prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional, and prescriptions should be fulfilled and supplied by registered pharmacies or providers. We encourage patients to consult their doctor or other healthcare professional to discuss any possible side effects they may be experiencing and to ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine.”