Mum’s terminal cancer symptoms dismissed as a STI for a year

A mum-of-three has been diagnosed with terminal cancer following a year-long delay where medics dismissed her symptoms as an STI.

Steph Washington, 38, was left in constant pain with ‘classic’ cervical cancer symptoms – but was never offered a smear test and was ‘repeatedly’ failed by the NHS and her GP surgery.

She was forced to wait more than 12 months for her diagnosis, after undergoing eight appointments with her doctor and multiple emergency hospital visits.

Stay-at-home mum Steph said numerous medical specialists failed to ensure appropriate examinations and tests were carried out to rule out any serious condition back in 2022.

Instead, she was repeatedly prescribed antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis and suspected Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

But in August 2023, a biopsy revealed she had stage four terminal cancer and may only have years to live.

Greens Health Centre in Dudley, West Midlands, has since admitted medical negligence and accepted she would have received earlier treatment and potentially been cured with an appropriate level of care.

Steph, of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, is now calling for increased smear testing after her heartbreaking diagnosis and 12 months of telling people ‘she wasn’t right’.

Steph, who is currently receiving around-the-clock care from her parents, said: ‘I’m so angry and frustrated. My life has been completely turned upside down, I can no longer look after my two younger children and I’m still in constant pain.

‘Having a smear test in April 2022, when my symptoms first started, would have confirmed my diagnosis or at least started the process that led to the diagnosis. Instead, I kept being told I had vaginal infections – all the treatments unsurprisingly failed to work, the pain was getting worse, and I was constantly going back and forth to my GP and, later on, emergency visits to the hospital.’

Steph said she even told her mum she had cancer, but medical professionals kept telling her it was ‘all in her head’.

‘Then, nearly a year on from first having the symptoms, I was given the devastating news that I had stage four cervical cancer – a hammer blow in every sense of the word,’ she said.

Since her diagnosis, she’s rallied for DIY home cervical screening tests on the NHS, which she believes would help the number of women screened each year and ‘save lives’.

Steph said: ‘It would also take away some of the anxiety and make smear tests a lot easier to access. If I’d have been offered a smear test in April 2022, my outcome could have been a lot different.’

Steph began suffering persistent symptoms such as pelvic and lower back pain, offensive discharge, irregular periods, unusual vaginal bleeding, fatigue and unexplained weight loss in April 2022.

The NHS website lists lower back pain, heavier periods and changes to vaginal discharge as main symptoms of cervical cancer.

Despite completing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Steph’s condition has worsened, and she is now reliant on her parents to help her complete everyday tasks.

She remains in constant pain, barely leaves the house apart from medical appointments and has lost 10 stone in weight.

Two of her three younger children, aged 20, 15 and 13, also now have to live with their father.

Next week, the determined mum is set to have complicated exenteration surgery that, if successful, could potentially increase her life expectancy.

Rajni Kandola, senior solicitor at Talbots Law, representing Steph, said: ‘It has been a privilege to support Steph throughout her journey and I’m in awe of the strength and resilience she has shown whilst dealing with such a life-changing diagnosis.

‘Despite the turmoil she has been put through, she joins us in remaining committed to ensuring that lessons are learnt. We are now working with the NHS to reach a settlement, which will ensure Steph receives the specialist care and support she needs to continue to navigate life with a life-limiting disease.

‘The NHS’ admission of liability and apology is bittersweet for Steph. Whilst the admission is welcome, it’s vital that improvements are made to patient safety to prevent other women from going through what she unfortunately has.’

With the NHS aiming to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, it’s undoubtedly a massive win for women’s health; however, some patients, like Rosie, claim to face long-term side effects that massively impact their sex lives after having pre-cancerous cells removed.

Every year, pre-cancerous cells are removed from 50,000 cervixes in the UK via a large loop excision of the transformation zone, commonly known as LLETZ. 

It’s become a standard procedure typically done under a local anaesthetic, designed to remove cells often caused by high-risk strains of the HPV virus before they develop into cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer in women globally and 14th in the UK. 

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.