A ‘healthy and fit’ father of four battles colon cancer after clumsy doctors dismissed his stomach pain as an iron deficiency.
Matt Jones, from High Halden in Kent, visited his GP in May after experiencing extreme cramps, diarrhea and nausea. But the 38-year-old’s doctor dismissed his symptoms as anemia.
The self-employed painter and decorator was rushed to hospital later that month after collapsing in pain at home, where hospital medics said he needed urgent tests.
But further delays saw him diagnosed with stage three colon cancer only six weeks later — during which time his wife gave birth to twins.
Mr Jones, who lost four stones within months, has since had surgery to remove the tumor and is about to begin chemotherapy.
The self-employed painter and decorator was rushed to hospital later that month after collapsing in pain at home, where hospital medics said he needed urgent tests.
Mr Jones made an appointment with his local practice in May when he experienced extreme cramping, diarrhea, and nausea.
After taking a blood test, the doctors told Mr. Jones that he was only anemic.
His wife Nicki, 37, who was pregnant with twins at the time, cared for him for the following days and weeks, during which he became so unwell that he could no longer eat.
But Mr. Jones collapsed at his home later that month with extreme abdominal pain.
When Ms. Jones called 911, she was told it would be 10 hours before the next available ambulance arrived as the service was ‘very busy’. An operator advised her to call a taxi to take him to William Harvey Hospital, 14 miles away in Ashford.
He was eventually driven to the hospital by a neighbor but spent 21 hours in the hallway as the excruciating pain continued to worsen.
When he was finally admitted to a hospital ward, a consultant told staff to urgently give him a colonoscopy – a test to check the inside of the intestines.
However, the procedure was not performed for another four weeks.
As a result, it wasn’t until July 6 — six weeks after he was first hospitalized — that he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer.
About 43,000 Britons and 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year. Blood in the stool, changes in bowel habits, and abdominal pain are the three main symptoms of the disease.
Colon cancer usually requires a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. About half of patients survive for 10 years or more after diagnosis.
Before Mr Jones’ cancer was noticed, his wife gave birth to the couple’s twins, Esme and Isla, the latter of whom has a serious heart condition requiring hospital treatment.
Mr. Jones’ younger sister, Claire Henderson, 32, told Mailonline she was ‘disgusted’ with the way he was treated by the hospital and is in the process of making a formal complaint to the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, the authority responsible for Willem Harvey.
She said, “I can’t believe they made him wait four weeks for the colonoscopy.
“It was clear that something was very seriously wrong with Matt and it could and should have been dealt with quickly.
‘The consultant wanted it done urgently and made it clear that it had to be done the first time while he was still in hospital, or within a few days at the latest.
“If they had, his colon cancer would have been diagnosed much sooner and he might have been spared a month of constant pain.”
She added: “He was crippled from the pain he was in and the doctors just fobbed him off.
“It was traumatizing to watch my fit, healthy brother suffer so much pain for so long when it was avoidable.”
Mr Jones was readmitted to William Harvey Hospital on 11 July where he underwent bowel surgery the following day to remove a significant tumour.
Mr Jones, who has lost nearly four kilograms since May, is now awaiting chemotherapy, which has been postponed due to an abscess he suffered after surgery.
Ms. Henderson added: ‘They have managed to excise the tumor which they believe is the tumour, but as it went beyond the gut it will require chemotherapy. Everything is fine before the treatment, but if he has lost so much weight, he needs to get fitter to cope.
‘He hasn’t been able to do anything with the twins in terms of feeding and changing. We all had to step in to support him and Nicki. He’s very thin and frail and has two older children – William, six years old, and Isabelle, four years old – so it’s very practical.’
As a result of his illness, Mr. Jones has been unable to work since the beginning of May and because he is self-employed, he is unable to provide an income for his family.
He has now set up a GoFundMe page to help pay the household bills while he is unable to work.
The call has so far raised £3,700 of the £5,000 target.
A spokesman for the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that Mr Jones had only had a colonoscopy on June 28 – more than four weeks after he was first admitted to hospital.
The spokesman said the doctors gave him a sigmoidoscopy and a gastroscopy on May 26 to take biopsies “as part of the diagnostic process, and when those biopsies were examined by the lab they raised concerns and on June 28 he underwent a colonoscopy. ‘
Jane Dickson, Head of Nursing and Obstetrics, said: ‘I am very sorry to hear about Mr Jones’ diagnosis and concerns about his care. We would like the opportunity to discuss this directly with him.’
