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The Sun
a day ago
- Health
- The Sun
My GP refused to see me because my persistent mouth ulcer ‘wasn't urgent' – now I've got just months to live
WHEN Emma Byron was told she had only a few months to live, she went into shock. The 45-year-old had tried and failed to get a GP appointment for a mouth ulcer for three months straight - and now, it was too late. 7 7 The teacher, who says she was left 'crying in frustration', developed the sore on her tongue in May 2023. She initially thought it was due to a condition she'd been diagnosed with years earlier, called lichen planus. The common, non-infectious itchy rash usually takes a few months to years to treat. But this time, her usual steroid spray wasn't working to clear it. When the mouth sore didn't go away for a month, Emma repeatedly tried to book an appointment with her GP, but the surgery's online triage system did not deem her case urgent. Emma, from Rochester, Kent, tells Sun Health: 'I tried to get an appointment with my doctor, but it was rejected as non-urgent. 'I put in several e-consultations and phone calls, but simply could not get an appointment. 'By the end of July, I was continually ringing them. 'I had classic mouth cancer symptoms - an ulcer that does not heal, red and white patches, and pain. 'The biggest giveaway was that after two months, it was not healing, and the pain was actually getting worse. 'Finally, my GP called [in July] and told me to contact the hospital, which I did. 'I pleaded for an appointment, but was told the earliest I could be seen was the end of September. 'At that point, I cried out of frustration and desperation.' Emma was squeezed in for an appointment at the end of August and was given a biopsy in early September. She says: 'I then had the results two weeks later. My mouth ulcer was cancerous." She had stage 1 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a type of mouth cancer that develops in the squamous cells lining the mouth. Emma, who has been with her partner Jorge Quintero, 58, a driver in the transport sector, for 10 years, was admitted to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex. Part of her tongue was removed, alongside 42 lymph nodes, but serious complications left her in intensive care for weeks. She had a chyle leak, a rare complication of head and neck surgery in which fluid from lymphatic vessels leaks into the body's cavities after the lymphatic system is damaged. It was such a shock. It was just not what I was expecting. I felt like a train had hit me Emma Byron Emma says: 'These leaks can lead to serious complications like pneumonia and sepsis if not managed properly. 'I had to be transferred to Guy's Hospital in London to have surgery to stop the leak, as mine was life-threatening.' Afterwards, with her cancer apparently in remission, Emma went back to work. However, in May last year, she found a lump in her neck, and that June, she was diagnosed with stage 3 oral cavity sarcoma cancer. 7 7 'It was such a shock,' Emma says. 'It was just not what I was expecting. I felt like a train had hit me. 'I was told that they had found something else on my scan and that my cancer was horribly aggressive. 'They said they were going to have to remove half of my tongue and part of my jaw, which was one of my biggest fears. 'I could either accept the surgery or I could opt for chemotherapy to prolong my life. 'It would impact my speech, my ability to eat, my appearance and the nerves in my arm, as my tongue would be reconstructed with skin from my arm. 'I knew this was likely to end my teaching career. 'I had to make the decision that evening so that they could organise the surgery.' 'INTRUSIVE' SURGERY Emma decided to have the operation two days later, again at the Queen Victoria Hospital. 'It was intrusive,' she says. 'I had 40 per cent of my tongue removed and replaced by the skin on my arm. '[I had] more lymph nodes and part of my jaw removed and replaced with a titanium plate. 'I also needed a tracheotomy (a procedure to create a hole in my neck) to enable me to breathe afterwards. 'I was in intensive care for two-and-a-half weeks and then was moved to another ward on the head and neck unit. 'During this time, I had a feeding tube fitted into my stomach, which I still have today.' Despite everything she had been through, Emma then got the devastating confirmation that her condition was now incurable stage 4 head and neck cancer. 7 7 'It had metastasised to my lymph nodes and my lungs and, as I would later discover, my leg,' says Emma. 'My mum, Julie, came to the appointment when I received the news that it was incurable. 'I'm her only daughter, so the worst bit was for her really. I really felt for her. 'I think that must be a parent's worst nightmare. When they gave me the diagnosis, I turned to her and said, 'I'm sorry'. I was quite calm really. Then I went into shock.' Her doctor said patients normally live between a year and 18 months after such a diagnosis. 'The average life expectancy for my type of head and neck cancer is 12 to 18 months, which is grim. But I intend to live longer than that,' Emma says. Head and neck cancer - what you need to know HEAD and neck cancers encompass a group of cancers that originate in the mouth, throat, voice box (larynx), sinuses, and salivary glands. They share common risk factors and often present with similar symptoms. As with any cancer, early detection is crucial for successful treatment. More than 90 per cent of head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, arising from the flat, thin cells that line structures like the mouth and nose. Key risk factors for all types include: Tobacco use (smoking and smokeless) Excessive alcohol consumption Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV-16 Prolonged sun exposure (for lip and skin cancers) Epstein-Barr virus (for nasopharyngeal cancer) Avoiding smoking and excessive drinking can help lower your chances. The HPV vaccine offers protection against HPV-related head and neck cancers. It is offered to school children in year eight. Regular dental check-ups can also aid in early detection of oral lesions. Symptoms vary depending on the cancer's location but often include: Non-healing sores in the mouth (or an ulcer that won't go away after three weeks) Persistent sore throat A lump in the neck Difficulty swallowing Changes in voice (hoarseness) Unexplained weight loss Treatment options depend on the cancer's stage and location but can include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. She is now urging people to push their GP harder if they have signs of head and neck cancer. These include an ulcer that doesn't go away after three weeks, red or white patches in the mouth, a lump in the neck or around the mouth, a sore throat or tongue, problems swallowing and hoarseness. 'An early diagnosis is absolutely essential with this type of cancer, because it's so aggressive,' says Emma. 'So if you've got sore in your mouth and it doesn't go after a couple of weeks, go to the doctor. 'That's the same advice if you have a continuous sore throat - get it checked out. 'And the same with any lumps or soreness in your neck that you haven't noticed before. 'Please, just go and see your doctor. Don't put it off.' FINDING PURPOSE Emma has now had five surgeries, including those to save her life from complications, and a raft of radio and chemotherapy, which landed her in hospital twice due to side effects. Despite all this, she has committed to living her life as fully as possible. Her speech has been affected, but she'd like to return to part-time work and do what she can to support Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK. Emma says: 'There are certain sounds that are difficult to make and I have a lispy sound when I speak. 'I struggle to raise my voice, which, as a teacher, is a problem because you need to be able to project to a class. 'The food I eat has also changed. I now have lots of mash, stews, soups and pasta - basically foods with lots of sauce. 'I can eat bread or steak if I want - but honestly, it's so much effort for not enough enjoyment that I don't bother. 'Also, my taste buds have changed. Strong flavours work best - for example, fish, curry or garlic.' She supports her health through nutritious meals and tries to stay as fit and stress -free as possible. Emma emphasises that this won't cure her, but it will help her body fight the cancer. She fills her time with fundraising, recently returning from a trip to Slovenia with Jorge, where she flew down seven zip lines over Lake Bled to raise money for Queen Victoria Head and Neck Unit and Maidstone Oncology. 'The challenge went really well, though it was tough because I have a tumour in my leg,' Emma says. 'I want to raise money because I can honestly say that every single doctor, nurse, dietitian, surgeon, physiotherapist and cleaner treated me with such kindness and warmth and made me feel safe at a difficult time in my life. 'Everyone went above and beyond and I am so grateful to every single person who helped me.' She adds: 'I also want to raise awareness about this devastating condition. 'Head and neck cancer is on the increase, and there really is not a great deal of research into this area. 'There has been a 47 per cent rise in cases between 2013 and 2020 and while mortality is declining in most other cancers, it's increasing in head and neck. 'This type of cancer has only just had its first breakthrough in decades, but unfortunately, that was too late to help me.' Emma's mum Julie has also been raising money where she works at Chatham Marks & Spencer. Emma says: 'I have been really lucky to have had such amazing love and support from my mum and partner Jorge and an amazing group of friends, without whom, I would not have got to this point. I'm so grateful to them.' 7
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Charge £20 for GP appointments, says former health secretary
Patients should pay £20 for a GP appointment as part of an insurance-based NHS, a report backed by a former health secretary has said. Sir Sajid Javid said Britain was 'long overdue' a 'serious conversation' about how the NHS was funded in the introduction to the report by Policy Exchange, the London think tank. The paper advocates a Dutch-style social insurance model that would provide universal care to all who need it, but without the foibles of the US private healthcare system. It claims switching to a largely insurance-funded NHS would halve the tax burden needed to pay for healthcare in the UK from 9 per cent of GDP to 4 per cent, saving about £128 billion per year. This could reduce the average amount of tax paid by the public by around £2,400 a year, the paper argues. Some of which would then be used to pay a health insurance premium for those who could afford to do so, with wider taxation covering the rest. The authors of the report also argue that additional charges such as £20 for a GP appointment, scrapping free prescriptions for over-60s and introducing fines for missed appointments, would further raise funds – as well as incentivise a reduction in the wasteful use of the NHS and further limit the tax burden. They also advocate charges for 'more luxurious hospital accommodation', which they say could raise £700 million. Sir Sajid said the NHS spent its 'original yearly budget every month' and its funding was 'the size of the GDP of Portugal', accounting for 18 per cent of day-to-day government spending. He wrote: 'We've come to a crossroads. A serious conversation with taxpayers about how we continue funding their favourite national institution is long overdue. 'We have two options. The first is to make an active choice to continue putting more and more money into healthcare, funded by yearly tax rises and by diverting essential investment into everything from education to defence towards the NHS. 'The second is reforming how we do healthcare. What we cannot afford to do is to bury our heads in the sand.' The report says that 'under no circumstances should the UK consider moving towards the US model ', which is the only developed country with worse health outcomes than Britain, it says. It notes that other countries 'with some sort of insurance-based model do much better', such as France, Germany and Singapore. It spotlights the Netherlands model as one to which the UK could aspire. The Netherlands' 2006 health insurance Act merged a national health system with private insurance markets to create a universal social health insurance program. It continues to provide universal coverage but has integrated a competitive, market-based insurance system. Waiting times were shorter for the majority of treatments and procedures in the Netherlands while the country recovered from the Covid pandemic than they were in the UK before it hit. The Dutch offered faster access in 2023 for various surgeries as well as hip and knee replacements than the NHS did in 2019. Since then, waiting times have soared in Britain. The report says: 'We believe that better quality healthcare with universal coverage and improved long-term funding sustainability could be secured by moving from our present entirely socialised model to a hybrid model with a significant social insurance component.' 'An economic drag' Policy Exchange advocates a system in which universal healthcare coverage is available and a basic model can be supplemented by other policies. Outlining how the reform to the NHS would work in the UK, the report says the Government would regulate insurers and healthcare providers. The think tank says the system should still be called the NHS – with the main change being 'about the way the system is financed'. Roger Bootle, the head of Policy Exchange's policy programme for prosperity, and lead author of the report, said the 'NHS's economic drag is plain for all to see'. He said: 'Waiting lists are longer, productivity is lower, and the burden on taxpayers has become intolerable. 'Worse still, UK health outcomes continue to stagnate, despite pouring billions more into the system, and are generally worse than other developed nations. 'We need a serious debate about not only the structure but also the funding of the NHS. Social insurance offers the only realistic way forward: a fairer, more sustainable system that delivers better outcomes for less money.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'We remain absolutely committed to ensuring the NHS remains a publicly funded service, free at the point of use. 'We are taking bold action now to reform the health service to get it back on its feet and to make it fit for the future through our 10 Year Health Plan. 'We will seize the opportunities provided by new technology, medicines and innovation to deliver better care for all patients – no matter where they live or how much they earn – and better value for taxpayers.'
