Consultant omitted to tell me I had fibroids, following an investigation

[Redandbluespots]

I had a laparoscopy in August due to pelvic pain. The consultant has admitted that he did see 4 fibroids but failed to report at the the, as he doesn't believe they are causing issues. 1 of them is 7cm. An mri since has shown them. Thankfully I am now under a new consultant, who will be doing a hysterectomy shortly.
Where do I stand?
Thank you 🙏 xx

Lovemusic - I'm sorry to hear what you are going through. Have you asked why?

I have an appointment with my consultant on the 8th after talking to the surgeons secretary. I managed to get my notes from my appointment but they don’t really tell me much. Apparently because I have symptoms or uterine cancer and they were unable to do a biopsy it’s just safer to do a hysterectomy ASAP, they said my uterus is too large for keyhole but all my past ultrasounds have been clear other than the small cyst so I don’t understand why in ten months my uterus is suddenly very enlarged. My tummy is pretty flat but they are saying my uterus is the size of a grapefruit. Maybe they are right but I feel I should have been offered a scan to actually measure my uterus and see if there’s any mass inside it. I have been battling with gynae issues for over ten years and have been pretty much ignored until now, I have lost faith in the NHS and find it hard to trust what they tell us.

Thank you, I’m going through chemo at the moment and hoping for the best.

Honestly I think in the case you mention. Youll struggle to 'prop e' that the delay in mentioning the fibroids caused you 'harm' since they are relatively common . Doctors rarely testify against each other even if they disagree and while your current doc does think they're causing an issue, it's a whole other ball game to get him to say it in court against a colleague .
It might not be worth the stress

You would need to prove 1. Actual harm and 2. That an act or omission by the consultant directly led to this harm.

From what you have said I don't think you meet this criteria.

The report of the USS scan would have been written by the radiologist who reviewed it. You can ask for a copy of this report.
Fibroids are benign growths in the uterus ( various types). It’s rare that they cause symptoms other than excessive bleeding.However as they grow they can lead to pressure on surrounding structures.
Mostly they are dealt with conservatively and hysterectomy is the last resort.
The good news is that post menopause as your hormones decrease they stop growing and start to shrink. I was diagnosed with fibroids after 4 yrs of HRT, apparently the oestrogen is like Miracle Grow.
Mine were pressing on my sciatic nerve, I have a lot of adhesions and scar tissue due to endometriosis.
By the time I saw the gyni I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had stopped HRT and been put on hormone blockers.
The fibroids have shrunk in response to the hormone blockers so the symptoms improved. I’d rather not have a hysterectomy, I didn’t enjoy the c section I went through and with large fibroids you are not guaranteed a laparoscopic hysterectomy.
Also the scar tissue I have would make a hysterectomy complicated with a high risk of complications. It’s major surgery and there are longterm risks such as prolapse, urinary incontinence, nerve damage the list is rather long. It’s why gynis are much more reluctant to carry out hysterectomies nowadays. The complications are the same whether you have laparoscopic, abdominal or vaginal surgery.
There is also some evidence that women without reproductive organs are more prone to heart disease and obesity ( not sure why but probably because they have some function post menopause).

If you are after compensation then you'll need to prove that you have suffered as a result.
It doesn't sound like you have suffered. Just a wrong diagnosis.

Any findings during a scan are reported.
Ever had a pelvic USS and read the report after. It details everything, from the thickness lining of the endometrium, to how many ovarian cysts are there.
Fibroids are not normal. They may be common but they are not normal. Any fibroid, regardless of size must be marked up. 7cm isn't even that small.
Imagine if the OP went back 3 months for an ultrasound, and the fibroid had grown to 10cm. Now a fibroid growing 3cm in a month is concern enough, but going by the consultants report there wasn't any at all, so OP officially now has a 10cm fibroid that came from no where.
Do you see the issue yet...

This is obviously true, but I'm not sure from the OP whether the consultant failed to make any note of his findings, or just didn't tell the OP that they had fibroids? It might not be a particular issue if the second one, if they genuinely believed the finding was incidental and they didn't lie if specifically asked

I've had the full reports now and it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the detailed one. They have admitted in a letter they saw them but haven't noted them anywhere on the report.
The reason I am upset is that this fibroid has caused havoc in my body. The delay by not telling me and treatment has harmed me. I'm not after compensation but I don't want anyone treated the way I have been.