NHS worker shock cancer diagnosed after symptoms blamed for ‘exacerbation of irritable bowel syndrome’ –

A brave NHS employee claims he has cancer after his symptoms were initially ruled out as his irritable bowel syndrome worsened. John Clegg was shocked when he was told he had stage 4 bowel cancer that had spread to his liver last year.

Doctors said that of Clifton, 37, it was unlikely that Nottinghamshire would survive until the end of the year, and insisted that proper recognition of his signs by his doctors was “not urgent”. Mr. Clegg, who worked as a medical secretary, became ill and noticed a change in IBS symptoms in late 2019, just two months after he married his wife Claire.

Mr. Clegg had always been able to manage his irritable bowel syndrome since his 2005 diagnosis, but he suspected something was wrong when he started losing weight 10 to 15 times a day. He visited his clinic, Castle Healthcare in West Bridford, more than 20 times from 2019 to 2021.

He recalls: “It was really, really, bloody stool. Some were just blood, filling the pan. Every time I looked worse, I lost weight and looked like a skeleton.” Mr Clegg said he was initially told he had an exacerbation of irritable bowel disease (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), NottinghamshireLive reports.

“Because of my age, I have not been diagnosed with bowel cancer. At some point you have to turn around and say ‘something is wrong here.’ to survive and it is easier to fight.”

After undergoing a colonoscopy in January 2021, Mr. Clegg received the horrific news of having cancer of the intestine, liver and lymph nodes. He added, “I was able to maintain my strength enough, but it was tough internally, it was one of the hardest days of my life, if not the hardest.

“I don’t know how you managed to stay strong like me. But my wife and dad broke up – I was inside with them, but in these situations you have to be strong and positive.”

Doctors warned that if treatment was not started immediately, he would die within 10 weeks. Mr. Clegg initially responded well to chemotherapy, but was later reported to have had it off. In March of this year, he was told he was unlikely to see him in 2023.

He is currently undergoing chemotherapy with a 25% chance of working, but he hopes to raise funds to help pay for private care abroad. Mr Clegg has so far raised 4,000 000 from his target of 25,4200 on GoFundMe, which will pay for a course of proton beam therapy, a form of radiotherapy.

He said, “Every new day I wake up is a gift, and it is my responsibility and my family’s responsibility to keep fighting until it takes time. I’m still here and I’m still fighting, so I will keep fighting until today.”

Claire’s wife said her husband was “really strong” as he battled the disease. The 31-year-old quit her job to become her complete caregiver.

Jack Eyre, director of Castle Healthcare Practice, said he could not comment on Mr Clegg’s case “for privacy reasons”. “We are saddened by his diagnosis and wish him all the best in his continuing treatment,” he said.

.