I Knew My Cancer Was Back, But My GP Insisted It Was Just A Gym Injury

I know you can’t cure secondary cancer; but if it had been picked up sooner, would it be so widespread now?

You know your body better than anyone – but what happens when no one listens? Welcome to Ms Diagnosed: a HuffPost UK series uncovering the reality of medical gaslighting. With new stats showing that 8 in 10 of women have felt unheard by medical professionals, we’re sharing the stories of seven whose lives were nearly lost to the gap between their symptoms and a system that refused to listen. As the UK introduces Jess’s Rule – a new mandate for GPs to ‘rethink’ after a third visit – we’re exploring why the medical system is still failing women and how we can start to fix it.

The pain was absolutely unbearable.

By January 2024, the pain that had started in my forearm had spread to my neck; and it was agony.

On the way to pick my daughter up from school, I’d be in tears because it was so excruciating. As I approached the school gates, I’d think, ‘Just power through!’.

I’d been contacting my GP surgery for a year; but, while tendonitis and a nerve conduction test were floated, the real cause of my symptoms wasn’t picked up. And it really should have been; because I had a history of cancer.

Eventually, in February 2024, I was diagnosed with incurable secondary breast cancer, which had spread to my lungs, liver, lymph nodes and bones; among other areas.

And I can’t help wondering whether the cancer would have spread so much if it had been picked up earlier.

I was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 2016; and it’s worth saying that my treatment, from my first appointment with my GP onwards, was fantastic. I had a lumpectomy, followed by three weeks of radiotherapy. Subsequent test results showed my chance of recurrence was low, so my oncologist said I didn’t have to have chemotherapy.

Fast forward to January 2022, and I started getting a deep, dull ache in my left forearm.

It was strange. I did go to the........

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