A coroner’s inquest into the death of 47-year-old Jeanette Scully heard that she had made 58 medical visits in the five months leading up to her death. Ms Scully died from an aggressive form of cancer and was in extreme pain due to the rare malignant tumour that spread throughout her pelvis and abdomen. The hearing in Sunderland Civic Centre was told that Ms Scully had first approached her GP in 2012 suffering from abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. She was also experiencing pain in her back, hip and thighs.
Diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and sent home
Her GP, Dr Victoria Middleton from Dr Weatherhead & Associates Surgery in Southwick Green, acknowledged that she had been adhering to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) regulations that stipulate that any bleeding must have been ongoing for two weeks before referral to a specialist. As this did not apply to Ms Scully, she did not refer her. She advised her to go to Accident and Emergency where she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and sent home.
During her months of suffering, Ms Scully saw musculoskeletal and gynaecological specialists and had received surgery to remove the lining of her uterus. She was prescribed medication to temporarily induce an early menopause and was told she had harmless fibroids.
By the time her cancer was discovered in June 2015 it was too late to operate or to treat with chemotherapy and Ms Scully lost her battle on 11 August.
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