If you thought a GP had missed your cancer would you do anything about it?

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I've just been diagnosed with cancer and apparently have a 7cm tumour in my chest. My main symptom is chest pain, which I went to the GP about in 2016. She did a blood test, which found I was anaemic, and an ECG which wasn't normal but which she said was probably because my large chest was making it difficult for the sensors to get a reading. At the appointment to discuss the results, I distinctly remember her saying 'I don't know what's causing your chest pain'. I chalked it up to being fat/unhealthy/a stressed out mum and have lived with the pain ever since. It's got steadily worse to the point I couldn't stand it any more and went back to the GP a couple of weeks ago. He ordered blood tests, X-ray, then CT scan and overall it looks like I now have pretty advanced cancer. I honestly don't know if it's realistic that I've been living with this for 7 years but I understand that lymphoma can be very slow growing for a long time and then suddenly ramp up. It's a question I'll ask the consultant when I get an appointment (I'm only at early diagnostic stage so far).
I don't have access to my medical records from 2016 and need to figure out to get them, because I'd like to know if the blood tests at the time should have indicated anything more serious or if the GP should have followed up any further. But maybe I just need to let it go? What would you do? The GP in question has since retired and this is not necessarily about making a complaint - definitely not about compensation - more just about me wanting to know.

A GP missed my family members various symptoms of bowel cancer despite repeated appts over a few years, the cancer was not treatable by the time it was eventually found. There was a big meeting at the GP surgery but family member didn’t want to know the outcome because or wouldn’t have made any difference.

From what I understand, it’s very difficult to prove medical negligence.

You can get your hospital records via a subject access request. The details
of how to do it will be on the hospital
website. There is a statutory limit to how long it can take although my hospital had a note saying they were running behind. It is a very straightforward process. I assume the same for GP.
I requested my child’s from hospital as I think her cancer was missed. I found via the data request that A&E wrote to my GP requesting follow up tests that were not communicated to me. At best it is poor practice for the GP to ignore hospital letters. At worst a diagnostic opportunity was missed. I will never know but I can make changes so other children don’t have to go through this.
Learning from errors is essential. If you don’t tell them they can’t know.

To answer the question of whether I have been to the GP since 2016: yes, many times. Never solely for chest pain although several times for pain that went right through my chest and into my back. It was always diagnosed as general back pain and I was given more painkillers. I've been on a lot of painkillers for a long time now.
I've also been for dizziness (told it was low blood pressure, now I know it was anaemia); heart palpitations (told it was age/peri); blood thumping loudly in my ears (told it was glue ear). I never went for the brain fog, mouth ulcers, fatigue, itchiness, sweating, cough, shortness of breath because I just expected all of these things to be blamed on my age and weight like everything always seems to be.

To be clear though I am not looking to place blame and I don't necessarily think any of the GPs I saw were wrong to make the conclusions they did. I didn't connect any of my symptoms until now. I just have a strong desire to know how long I've been living with this - and I wonder if it would be useful for diagnostic purposes. But it seems to be a bit of a battle to even get hold of my records and I can't help but wonder if I should just drop it and focus on whatever treatment/recovery is to come. I like one PPs suggestion to try & get hold of the records now, while I have the energy, then set them aside until later.

Whether there were any red flags is actually the main thing I want to check. Both in 2016 and now I went to the GP with the same symptom (chest pain). Both times the GP did a blood test and I was anaemic. This time, I've seen the full results and it's very clear that something is very seriously wrong. I'd like to know exactly what blood tests the original GP ordered and what they showed. If she did a full blood count and it was normal other than the anaemia, I would feel reassured that maybe everything was fine at the time and it progressed much later.

I'm waiting for an appointment to discuss treatment options.

My advice is if you're unsure with any results get a private check up / diagnosis etc and then you can use those results if positive for cancer etc to then get the correct treatment via the NHS

and I can't help but wonder if I should just drop it and focus on whatever treatment/recovery is to come.

I personally would focus on getting better and then deal with it.

We only have so much energy and so many battles we can fight.

Your health is more important than passing blame.
If once you’re better you think mistakes have been made then you’ll be in a much better head space to deal with it.

Oh and the GP I saw in 2016 was a lovely female doctor who I'd been seeing for many years and who retired shortly afterwards. I've seen many different GPs since (large practice) and most of them have been reasonably sympathetic, attentive and professional. As much as I'm worried things might have been missed, this isn't a criticism of GPs in general or of one specific arrogant male doctor as many seem to have assumed/experienced!

Also, I'm sorry for all of those who have been through such awful experiences themselves or seen it happen to loved ones. to all

The first thing I was asked when I went for an uLyra sound on a breast lump was ‘can you show me where you think this lump is’. How they were looking in the wrong area is very odd.

I remember going for a D&C and there had been so many stories at the time of errors, I went under the anaesthetic shouting, don't chop anything off. Can't be too careful.

Seriously? Small mistakes can be overlooked, but this is kind of a pretty big one if it’s found that the prognosis is poor, and proven that there was medical negligence. OP, ask to see your records, mention it to your consultant, and you will be able to tell by his response/reaction whether there has been some sort of negligence here. Just get all the information you can, which will help you get an idea of whether they have a case to answer. It’s not, like you say, about compensation, but if mistakes were made people need to learn from them, and be accountable.

All your stories are why I joined Benenden healthcare for 11 quid a month.

They immediately allot you 1500 to spend on scans/investigations or suspicious symptoms, instead of the ENDLESS fobbing off of GPs.
When my dear friend and dear dad died of late diagnoses to cancer it seems worth it.
Had an emergency hysterectomy on it five years ago, after NHS wouldn't give me a gynae appt for over a year. Had an op two weeks after being scanned..

I'm sorry for all of your great losses. Some really sad stories here.

After going to the GP for postpartum bleeding for months after having my daughter, I was told it was normal. I then went on to start coughing up blood, to be told it’s probably a burst blood vessel and I was too young for it to be something sinister. (I was late 30’s)

It turned out to be cancer, although rare. Yes I did complain, mainly to raise awareness and to properly check symptoms.

I'm so sorry you are going through this op. It must be messing with your head. Cancer is full of what-ifs. I hope you have still caught it in time. It is great that you posted to warn others. GPs can make mistakes so can we as patients. I had a similar experience in that i went in and was told no it's ok and 2 years later went back and immediately got surgery in 2w. Cancer is not called the silent killer for nothing. It's a sneaky hider. Don't despair yet, some are very slow growing and you may yet be ok. Focus on what your dr days not us muppets online. Hugs xxx

I just want to wish you well with any treatment they are able to offer you OP. What an awful shock this must be for you. Sending you a hopefully comforting cyber hug.

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis, OP; and I hope you get whatever treatment you need now.

I can understand wanting to know how long you've been ill. I think it's natural. I want to know the same thing about my child's illness, but no one can say when his tumour started growing.

As to whether I would do anything if a GP missed a cancer diagnosis, I personally wouldn't have the energy to do anything. (Particularly as I don't believe anything will change.) At most I may write a single complaint to the relevant body, but it's really hard dealing with the NHS for serious illnesses requiring long, intensive treatment like cancer. I found it rapidly saps all your energy and strength, which you will need to be on top of the Drs responsible for your treatment moving forward.

However, if you have the energy and it will give you some kind of comfort, then do raise the issue.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-complain-if-you-re-unhappy-with-your-gp-or-doctor-s-surgery-a2fyc8v0Q7Nj

None of these things are mutually exclusive, unfortunately. It's unlikely they'd have said low blood pressure, unless you had low blood pressure. Were you the age people experience peri menopause, when that explained a lot of your symptoms?

Unfortunately a lot of these are very general symptoms, most of which would not be explained by cancer in very early stages. It's a lot more likely you had both low blood pressure and a tiny cancer cell starting to divide, which didn't cause problems yet.

People with complex health needs are also a higher risk of cancer, it is more likely you had risk factors for both other issues and cancer than cancer causing the other issues 7y ago.

I'd focus on the future for now, purely for your sake. It doesn't sound like a symptom was overlooked, rather that your body had a lot to cope with that was hard to pull apart into separate causes.

Good luck.

Ask for a copy of your notes.
Ask for a meeting with the Practice Manager of your GP surgery.

I'm so sorry you're going through this op.

It should be really easy to get your medical records. I requested mine from the GP and they had them all printed out ready for me to collect within a week. It'll show you everything.

I understand your desire to find out answers - I went through it for issues I had. It's really easy for people to say they'd leave it and focus on the future when they've not experienced medical negligence.

I had lymphoma it was slow growing so I could have had it some time and it then transformed into high grade. If it is lymphoma it isn’t easy to diagnose and all my bloods were fine. I was diagnosed following a ct scan and biopsy. The treatments are very good so please try not to worry x

For anyone who is scared shitless by the posts about cancer being missed, which it clearly has been in the cases outlined above, I'd like to share my (well, one of) my cancer story.

I woke one morning with a slight ache in my shoulder blade and a tingling I my little finger. Thought I'd just slept "funny" but for reasons unconnected, I decided to see GP. surgery

After exam, she sent me for an xray. A week later, got a call from the surgery that "something" had shown up in my lung, probably scarring from chest infections.

But, because I'd previously had cancer, they thought it better that I go for a ct scan.

I had lung cancer. No cough, no blood, just a tingling sensation.

because they caught it early (and because of the type of lung cancer it was) I had an operation, and no further intervention was needed.

So, GPs do sometimes get it right, though my sympathy is with those of you who were not quite so lucky.

In case anyone comes back to this, I did get my full medical records and it's very unlikely I had the cancer back in 2016. I've probably had to for about 18 months based on my symptoms, and honestly I don't think any doctor along the way has done anything wrong. I think the biggest mistake I made was being influenced about all the hype about perimenopause. I'm 43 and had never thought about it until a couple of years ago, but I had many minor symptoms that I assumed were peri because I was hearing so might about it in the press/on Mumsnet/from friends - things like night sweats, heart palpitations, aches & pains etc. I think in my case they were probably all due to the lymphoma. Either way, I should have gone to the GP with a full list of all the little niggles in one appointment and maybe they'd have put two and two together. As it is, my cancers now quite advanced but I think that is common with lymphoma. I'm facing 6 months of quite intense chemo but the good news is that the chance of complete cure is 90%. I'm feeling quite at peace and positive about things, and glad I saw my medical records so I could put my curiosity to the side.

Good luck with your treatment it is intense but the good news is lymphoma can be cured and I speak from experience! X

Great to hear, thank you!

Thanks for update. :)