A dad has been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer - two years after he raised symptoms with his GP. Richard Scott, 41, started experiencing blood in his stool and severe tiredness and first went to his doctor in March 2021.
At the time, no referral or further investigation was made and Richard was sent on his way. It wasn't until his third visit that he was referred to the gastroenterology team for checks.
Following further tests in August 2022, the dad of two daughters, aged six and 10, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer and was told it had spread to his liver. Richard, who is married to Anny, is currently recovering at home after having his tumour removed.
The charity worker, from Bristol, told the Mirror: “As the months went on my symptoms persisted, I trusted my GP’s advice and because they didn’t seem worried about my symptoms, I was reassured. [But] Anny was worried.
“The last few months following my diagnosis have been a real mix of emotions. My treatment, particularly while trying to come to terms with my diagnosis and how the cancer was very advanced, has been difficult - not just physically but also emotionally and financially."
Richard initially visited his GP in March 2021 after experiencing blood in his stool and extreme tiredness. He underwent tests to check for inflammatory bowel disease, the results of which initially identified high levels of calprotectin, which returned to normal on further testing.
He returned to the doctors in April 2022 with the same symptoms as well as aches, pains and more frequent visits to the toilet. The test showed high levels of calprotectin again which can indicate cancer.
A diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease was considered and a referral to gastroenterology was made - after 13 months of going back and forth. Following tests, Richard was diagnosed with bowel cancer last August. He has undergone six months of chemotherapy and recently had surgery to remove a tumour from his liver.
He is recovering at home and awaiting advice on the next steps in his treatment, which he expects to involve further surgery which will leave him with a stoma.
Richard said: "We used to do everything as a family - go on holidays, trips, days out but that’s all on hold at the minute because of my illness. I’ve tried to remain as positive as I can, not only for myself and my recovery but for Anny and the children.
"However, it’s hard especially as I’m now reliant on Anny and she’s had to drop hours at work to help look after me. I face an uncertain future but am determined to give everything I can to fight this disease and spend as much time possible with my family.
“I can’t change what’s happened to me but as well as wanting answers I hope that my story can potentially help others by them being aware of the signs of cancer and access care as soon as they can. It’s vital that people don’t think they have to go through a cancer diagnosis alone as help and support are available.”
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