A mother from the UK has been given a prognosis of only one year to live after her concerning symptoms were overlooked by doctors on nine separate occasions, according to her account.
During the previous summer, Georgia Gardiner began experiencing unexpected nausea and stomach cramps. Her general practitioner prescribed her medication for acid reflux.
Despite treatment, the 28-year-old’s condition deteriorated significantly. The resident of Leeds, UK lost almost three stone over several months due to her inability to consume food.
“Last year in the summertime I was being sick quite a lot. I couldn’t keep food down and lost my appetite completely,” Georgia explained.
“I could only eat small amounts. I love food, I’m a massive foodie. My body was just rejecting everything. Then I was experiencing pains in my upper stomach. It was really intense, it was a sharp constant pain.
“I rang the doctors to get an idea about what was going on. They gave me an appointment after four weeks of waiting and gave me some anti-acid reflux medication, then sent me home.”
Despite these efforts, Georgia’s health continued to decline. Upon further testing initiated by her GP, she was diagnosed with cancer.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Georgia had linitis plastica, a rare cancer originating in the glandular lining of the organs.
“After the first appointment, we were full of hope that they could just remove it,” Georgia recounted. “Then when they said it was incurable, I went into a complete shock state.
“I didn’t speak or leave the house for three days, my whole world just crumbled around me.
“They don’t understand where this has come from. None of my immediate family have cancer and this type of cancer usually affects 70 to 80 year olds.”
She added: “I asked ‘older people that get this, how long do they live?’ And he said roughly 12 months. It doesn’t feel real, it’s an out-of-body experience.
“I feel physically fine. I was fit and healthy. It’s just baffling.
“I get angry sometimes because I think if I’d been taken seriously and they’d caught it before it had spread, then maybe we could’ve done more to prevent it getting to the stage it’s at now.
“I never thought I would have cancer, I’m 28, I thought I was invincible.”
A GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds for any future medical treatments Georgia might need.