'My daughter was diagnosed with incurable cancer after GP kicked her off patient list'

Stephanie Thomas, 28, was left suffering from serious stomach pain for two years after complaining to her GP - she has now been diagnosed with cancer after her condition was 'brushed off'

A woman was diagnosed with incurable cancer after her GP kicked her off the patient list for requesting medication to help ease her painful symptoms.

Stephanie Thomas, 28, from Cheshire, endured severe stomach pain for over two years before her symptoms were taken seriously. She began to notice unusual pains around 2021 an 2022, so confided in her GP at Hope Farm Medical Centre in Ellesmere Port.

However, her condition was "brushed off" as Fowler's Syndrome, a rare condition that causes urinary retention in young women. She had previously been diagnosed with this condition but felt that it was different.

She continued to beg for answers after her condition worsened despite being prescribed strong painkillers. In January 2024, she was struck off the patient list by her doctors. Speaking about her history at the GP, her mother, Stacey, said: "Stephanie had been with the practice since birth, this left her having to register with a new practice and start again to try and explain her worry for her health.

"Her new GP tried lots of different treatments to try and treat Steph's symptoms until September when things were so bad she attended A&E, to yet again be discharged and told it was her condition."

It wasn't until her third visit to the Countess of Chester Hospital A&E in October, where she requested a second opinion, that she underwent CT scans and biopsies. Her worst fears were confirmed and she was diagnosed with aggressive stage four cancer, reports Liverpool Echo.

The cancer had already progressed, affecting her stomach, spleen, pelvis, ovaries, and small bowel, and was deemed incurable. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool to prevent further spread.

Stacey, from Ellesmere Port, said: "If Stephanie had been listened to may be her cancer would have been detected sooner with a better outcome." Hope Farm Medical Centre declined to comment to the Liverpool Echo, citing patient confidentiality. However, a letter sent to Stephanie from the practice in May 2023, shared with the Liverpool Echo, warned that she would be removed from the practice due to her repeated requests for painkillers.

It stated: "This is an action which is taken when there have been repeated early requests for medication. We are also going to be aiming to reduce your morphine by 5ml every two weeks with the eventual aim to stop this completely. If you continue to request prescriptions early after this letter this will result in your removal from the GP practice list due to a breakdown in GP/patient relationship."

Fowler's Syndrome, a rare bladder disorder mainly affecting women in their twenties and thirties, is known to cause abdominal pain similar to what Stephanie was experiencing. However, Stacey said her daughter "felt her symptoms had changed... and suggestions of her symptoms being due to something else going on being the cause of this were brushed off."

Stephanie's best friend, Leah Woods, shared her heartbreak: "I am devastated. It's a lot to take in. I knew Stephanie was in hospital, but receiving that message saying 'I've been diagnosed with cancer and it's spread', it's heartbreaking. It's the not knowing as well. With the primary source of the cancer being unknown, we still don't feel like we've got anywhere.

"They say they can do chemo to try and stop the cancer spreading. But it's incurable and they can't operate. We don't know how long she has. Because the primary source of the cancer is unknown, they can't give a life expectancy." To support Stephanie remaining in her own home, Leah initiated an online fundraiser. Stephanie is currently receiving care at a hospice.

Leah also expressed her frustration with the earlier treatment Stephanie received, saying: "I think if Stephanie was listened to two to three years ago, it could have been a different outcome. I feel like young people especially are brushed under the carpet when they go to the doctor with any kind of symptoms. I feel like young people need to be listened to more."

To donate to the fundraiser visit here.

The Mirror has contacted Hope Farm Medical Centre for comment.