A ‘brave’ dad says he ‘refused to leave A&E’ without vital blood tests - which led to a devastating terminal diagnosis. After being not being able to get GP appointment, claims the dad, he endured a nightmare 20-hour wait in A&E before being told to go back to his GP.
Gareth Dixon, 40, from Warrington was taken to hospital earlier this year after reportedly being unable to get a GP appointment at his practice, Fairfield Surgery in Manchester Road for worsening symptoms of fatigue, thirst and aches and pains.
The dad-of-two said he kept trying to get in to see a doctor but was unable to get a face-to-face appointment. He says he could only get through on the phone, at which point he claims he was just told to go for blood tests several days later.
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When he started suffering from chest pains 24 hours later, his family insisted he call 111, reports CheshireLive . During a 20-hour wait in Warrington Hospital’s A&E department, Gareth, who had been suffering from hip and rib cage pain, says he was seen by a doctor who reportedly told him to chase up an appointment with a GP.
“I just refused to go anywhere until they had given me a blood test,” said Gareth. “They basically told me there was nothing wrong with me. I wasn’t going to sit there for hours to be told nothing was wrong.”
Gareth's bloods were finally taken, he says, but he wouldn’t see another doctor until the following morning when a consultant arrived to inform him that he was suffering with an aggressive form of cancer - plasma cell leukaemia. Dr Paul Fitzsimmons, Executive Medical Director at Warrington and Halton Hospitals, said: "We are extremely sorry to learn of Mr Dixon’s diagnosis and do hope that he is keeping as well as possible under the circumstances.
"Upon presentation to us on March 6, 2022, some 48 hours after he had been in contact with his GP, Mr Dixon spent a total of 20 hours in our Ambulatory Care unit. During this time we were able to carry out physical examination, a full range of tests and provide a definitive diagnosis, arrange referral to the consultant haematologist and an inpatient treatment plan for his condition.
"We have not received any complaints from Mr Dixon but do urge him to contact our PALS team on whh.pals.nhs.net if he wishes to raise concerns about any element of his care."
Following Gareth's long ordeal in the hospital's emergency department, he would not leave the hospital for another five days. He was kept in as an inpatient while a plan for his care was put in place.
He says following the diagnosis, the treatment and care he has received has been 'amazing'. He added: “I had gone in thinking I was either diabetic, as everyone in my family is, or that it was prostate cancer with the symptoms that I had. So I sort of had that mindset - but it was a shock for it to be leukaemia.
“With prostate cancer if you catch it early enough you can make a full recovery, but with leukaemia there isn’t really a cure as such we just have to try and keep it at bay.”
Starting on chemotherapy just days later, Gareth immediately started to feel tired and poorly, parking his job as a sign fitter while he underwent the intense treatment course. His wife, Laura Dixon, says she was ‘heartbroken’ on hearing her husband’s diagnosis and still has ‘breakdowns’ every couple of days when the reality hits her that he is terminally ill.
“He is amazing,” said Laura, who married Gareth back in 2016. “I am so proud of him because he is just getting on with it. He is being really brave. I break down every few days - it just gets on top of me. But he is so strong.
“I couldn’t stop crying when we found out. It was just heartbreaking.”
As part of his treatment, Gareth will undergo a stem cell transplant, which doctors hope will put him into remission for a few months to allow him to make precious memories with Laura and his sons Lewis, 12, and Dom, 19.
The treatment entails Gareth going into isolation for a month before receiving intense chemotherapy, to kill the cancer cells, before his stem cells are reintroduced into his body.
“The last week or so I was ready for giving up. I felt that bad,” he said. “The drugs I was on so they could harvest the stem cells made me feel really ill.
“I feel a lot better in myself now. I still need to nap every day but I am feeling better. It was almost instant after I had the procedure done.”
Starting on chemotherapy just days later, Gareth immediately started to feel tired and poorly, parking his job as a sign fitter while he underwent the intense treatment course.
His wife, Laura Dixon, says she was ‘heartbroken’ on hearing her husband’s diagnosis and still has ‘breakdowns’ every couple of days when the reality hits her that he is terminally ill.
“He is amazing,” said Laura, who married Gareth back in 2016. “I am so proud of him because he is just getting on with it. He is being really brave. I break down every few days - it just gets on top of me. But he is so strong.
“I couldn’t stop crying when we found out. It was just heartbreaking.”
As part of his treatment, Gareth will undergo a stem cell transplant, which doctors hope will put him into remission for a few months to allow him to make precious memories with Laura and his sons Lewis, 12, and Dom, 19.
The treatment entails Gareth going into isolation for a month before receiving intense chemotherapy, to kill the cancer cells, before his stem cells are reintroduced into his body.
“The last week or so I was ready for giving up. I felt that bad,” he said. “The drugs I was on so they could harvest the stem cells made me feel really ill.
“I feel a lot better in myself now. I still need to nap every day but I am feeling better. It was almost instant after I had the procedure done.”
To donate to Gareth’s bucket list, head here.
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