Medics missed terminal chest tumour 11 times

The grim catalogue of cancer errors.

A terminally ill man claims doctors failed to spot his cancer despite 11 appointments.

Davie Robertson, 52, went to his GP with a sore chest at the beginning of October last year.

But it took until January for medics to detect a tumour in his oesophagus, and a further two months to reveal it was cancerous and terminal.

“I went to the GP about six times with pains in my chest,” Davie said. “I was also being sick, had real difficulty swallowing and could hardly hold any food down.

“They kept telling me it was a chest infection and giving me tablets, then I went back with worsening symptoms, saying the tablets weren’t working.

“I think by the time it got to the January, they were just fed up with me and referred me to hospital for tests. By the end of January, they told me I had a tumour.”

But it wasn’t until March two months and five hospital appointments later that medics revealed the tumour was cancerous and Davie had just six months to live.

“They said it was cancerous, aggressive and had affected my adrenal gland and kidneys, and that there was nothing they could do,” he said.

Davie, from Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, added: “Cancer can be a hard thing to diagnose so I wouldn’t say I was angry. But it was certainly frustrating going back repeatedly, knowing something serious was wrong.

“I’d had chest infections before and I knew myself that’s not what it was. Sometimes I was so sick I couldn’t even make it to the doctor.”

Former chef Davie says daily life is a struggle as he battles the terminal illness.

“It’s hard because I’m getting weaker every day. I can only stay on my feet for two hours, then I’m exhausted,” he said.

“I can’t even stand long enough to cook and that’s a real shame because that’s what I love doing the most. I get sad about it sometimes, but I guess it’s just my time.”

He’s currently living with his sister Lorna Charnick, who is caring for Davie in what are expected to be his final months.

But his plight has inspired pal Chris McMillan to take on a charity challenge, raising funds for Macmillan. He plans to cycle 600 miles from his home Cleethorpes to Clackmannanshire to see Davie.

“We met when I was a chef and he was a waiter,” Davie says. “It’s a long way to cycle just to catch up with a pal, but I think he’s doing a great thing.”

A spokesperson for NHS Forth Valley said: “Oesophageal cancer is relatively rare and some of the symptoms are similar to common conditions which can make it difficult to diagnose.

“Once a patient is referred to us with suspected cancer we aim to carry out tests and start treatment within 62 days in line with national targets.”

Davie is not alone in having to make repeat visits to GPs and hospital doctors before his cancer was diagnosed.

Leigh Naylor, from Ripon, North Yorkshire, claims doctors failed to spot terminal cervical cancer on 16 occasions. She eventually received the news in March along with the prognosis that she had nine months left to live.

Leigh, 32, is currently raising funds for alternative cancer treatments in Germany.

Julie Rogers attended 19 NHS appointments before medics spotted her pancreatic cancer. Julie, 58, from Devon, said she only found out she had an inoperable tumour after she went to a private hospital and paid £600 for a scan.

She went to her GP in September last year complaining of severe back pain and was sent for a scan but it came back clear. After being sent home from hospital with painkillers, she booked in for a private scan and the cancer was detected.

To support Chris visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/A-Ride-for-Davie

Have you had to visit your GP several times before being diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness? Call Tracey on 0141 567 2757 or email trbryce@sundaypost.com.