A 39 year-old woman diagnosed with deadly stage four cancer has claimed medics dismissed her disabling pain as ‘just a heavy period’.
Emma McQuitty, from North Belfast, visited A&E in February after suffering constant bleeding and aches that even left her unable to walk.
But after 15 hours at Mater Hospital, the mother-of-one, says she was sent home with strong painkillers. Four additional visits over the next six months also saw her dismissed and given co-codamol, she claims.
It was only after the pain worsened in July that she was urged by her worried family to attend Ulster Hospital, run by a separate NHS trust.
Emma McQuitty, from North Belfast , visited A&E in February after suffering constant bleeding and aches that even left her unable to walk. But after 15 hours at Mater Hospital she says she was sent home with strong painkillers. Four additional visits over the next six months also saw her dismissed with co-codamol, she claims
Here, medics discovered she had stage four cancer and the large tumour that had formed on her cervix had spread to her bladder and uterus.
An MRI weeks later showed it was also in her lymph nodes.
The single mum-of-one also says as she prepared to undergo treatment, she suffered kidney failure and life-threatening sepsis.
Recalling her nightmare ordeal, Ms McQuitty told Belfast Live: ‘I feel that if doctors listened to my concerns earlier I may not be in the horrendous situation I am now in having to have treatment for stage four cancer and multiple tumours.
‘I had been going to A&E for six months and every time I was sent home with co codamol and doctors telling me that I just had a heavy period, when in reality I needed urgent tests and treatment.
‘I am just so grateful for the care that I am now receiving at the Ulster Hospital, who have been going above and beyond.
Elimination would technically be achieved when fewer than four women per 100,000 are diagnosed (blue dotted line). For comparison, 9.5 women per 100,000 in England are told they have cervical cancer (pine line), equating to 2,626 annually
Cervical cancer symptoms to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex and lower back or pelvic pain
NHS cervical screening data, which goes back to 2011, shows uptake was at its highest that year (75.7 per cent) and has fallen over time
‘But I know that I have a very tough road ahead of me with my treatment.
‘My condition has deteriorated so much that I can barely walk on my own now and need assistance to go anywhere. I just wish that I had been listened to in the first place.’
As it stands, around 3,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. This is about a 25 per cent drop since the early 1990s.
It leads to around 685 deaths in England annually.
But just 15 per cent of those diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer survive five years or more after diagnosis, Cancer Research UK says.
A combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is often offered at stage four, to shrink a cancer down to reduce symptoms and help you feel more comfortable.
Surgery is only normally recommended if the cancer is causing a blockage in the kidneys or bowel, according to the charity.
Experts have credited the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine — which became available on the NHS in 2008 — for helping to reduce the number of women impacted by the disease.
However, the jab, like all vaccines, does not offer 100 per cent protection.
Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by an infection with HPV — a common group of viruses transmitted through sexual contact that usually cause no symptoms.
Cervical screening — offered to women aged 25 to 64 — provides another form of defence against the cancer, checking for changes to the cells in the cervix caused by HPV.
If found, these cells can be treated before they turn into cancer.
Ms McQuitty’s daughter Codie and a friend have now launched a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of a mobility scooter and other home aids to help her during treatment.
Since its launch a week ago it has already raised more than £5,000.
The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has been contacted for comment.
Cervical cancer screening uptake overall remains low in the UK. Only around 70 per cent of eligible women, roughly 4.6million, turn up for their scheduled test.
Embarrassment is a factor, according to research by cervical cancer charities.
This can be particularly as issue for women from certain cultural backgrounds.
For half of the 1.3 million no-shows every year, getting time off work and finding a convenient time to fit in an appointment are the other reasons they miss it.
Last month, however, NHS England revealed women could soon be offered DIY cervical screening tests, after research found self-testing at home significantly improved screening rates.
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