A woman 's life was saved after her doctor discovered she had stomach cancer during prep for gastric bypass surgery . Rachel Sandridge , 29 , from Maryland , says she was shocked at the unexpected diagnosis but thankful to her diligent doctor . Sandridge was due to undergo the surgery after her weight reached 430lbs . Rachel Sandridge , 29 , from Maryland , was due to undergo the surgery after her weight reached 430 pounds.. but durring the prep her doctor discovered she had cancer . Pictured : Sandridge ( left ) before surgery and after . She had to lose weight to qualify for the surgery and then underwent a routine endoscopy , to examine her digestive tract to ensure it was all healthy . But it was during the procedure her doctor was concerned at signs of inflammation and took a biopsy to sample . Sandridge was then told cancer had been found in her stomach . The cancer diagnosis was even more devastating as only two years earlier her father has died from cancer . Pictured , at his funeral in 2012 . Sandridge before the operation . She is now cancer-free and has dropped her weight from about 430lbs to about 288lbs , including about 50lbs before her gastric bypass . Stomach cancer is a relatively rare form of the disease , with fewer than 25,000 cases annually in the US . The early symptoms are vague and easy to mistake for other , less serious conditions . They include : persistent indigestion and heartburn , trapped wind and frequent burping , feeling very full or bloated after meals , persistent stomach pain . As the disease develops , more advanced symptoms include : blood in your stools , or black stools loss of appetite weight loss . In many cases , due to the face the early symptoms are so similar to other conditions , the disease is often advanced by the time it is detected . It is vital people suffering the early symptoms get checked by their doctor as soon as possible . There are different types of stomach cancer - 95 per cent of cases develop in the cells of the stomach lining - known as adenocarcinoma of the stomach . Less common forms of the disease include lymphoma of the stomach , which develops in the lymphatic tissue and gastrointestinal stromal tumours , which develop in the muscle of the stomach wall . Around 15 per cent of stomach cancer patients live at least five years after diagnosis , and around 11 per cent live for 10 years . Source : NHS Choices . Stomach cancer is a relatively rare form of the disease , with fewer than 25,000 cases annually in the US . The early symptoms are vague and easy to mistake for other , less serious conditions . 'It did n't fully click . I was scared and really nervous , ' Sandridge told ABC . The news was even more devastating as only two years earlier her father has died from cancer . ' I know the toll it puts on you , ' Sandridge said . She underwent a second during which the tumor itself and further cells were scrapped . The tumor was reviewed and Sandridge was told the cancer had been caught at an early state and it had not spread through the muscle wall . Sandridge did not need any chemotherapy or radiation and is now cancer-free . She has dropped her 10 dress sizes and weighs about 288lbs , and has more energy than before . Sandridge has had to adjust her diet following the operation as gastric bypass is a major surgical procedure , which changes eating and dietary habits dramatically . After surgery , the patients can no longer hold large quantities of food , but need to eat smaller amounts at regular intervals . The patients also need to eat in a different way as foods rich in fat , sugar and fibre may cause discomfort in the smaller stomach . 'If I 'd not gone through with the [ weight loss ] surgery when I did , things would be 100 percent different , ' she said to the Baltimore Sun . 'My cancer would have probably spread and it would have been too late to have had anything done about it . '
Rachel Sandridge , 29 , from Maryland , says she was shocked at the unexpected diagnosis but thankful it was discovered . Sandridge was due to undergo surgery after her weight reached 430lbs . News was even more devastating as only two years earlier her father has died from cancer . She had been a healthy and active woman before this illness took hold of her life.