Mum with cancer sent home with painkillers by GP dies just before being able to spend final Christmas with family
A MUM who says she was sent home with painkillers by her GP when she had cancer has died.
Brave Ashley Meehan, 30, lost her battle with cancer just two days before she could have her final Christmas with her family.
The mum-of-five, herself a former nursery nurse, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, was diagnosed with cervical cancer last May.
Earlier this year, her partner Peter Potts proposed to Ashley in front of their children as she was being treated.
Heartbroken Peter paid tribute to her in an emotional Facebook message, saying her “final wish/dream” was to have one last Christmas with her family.
“Unfortunately Ashley’s fight is over and passed away peacefully in her home last night surrounded by family and friends everyone she loved,” he said.
“There’s no words that can describe how wonderful a person she was and everyone who knew her would say the same.
“She was my soul mate my everything – love at first sight and she was the person I was meant to be with the rest of my life – life is so cruel so unfair and she never gave up and was so so brave and fought to the end for her babies.”
Symptoms of cervical cancer
The devastating thing about cervical cancer is that there are no obvious symptoms during the early stages.
But vaginal bleeding can often be a tell-tale sign – especially if it occurs after sex, in between periods or after the menopause.
Women are offered smear tests from the age of 25 which look for any abnormalities in the cervix, but if you are under the age bracket, and you notice any of the following symptoms, you’ve got to push for testing.
Other warning signs include:
- pain and discomfort during sex
- unusual or unpleasant vaginal discharge
- pain in your lower back or pelvis
And if it spreads to other organs, the signs can include:
- pain in your lower back or pelvis
- severe pain in your side or back caused by your kidneys
- constipation
- peeing or pooing more than usual
- losing control of your bladder or bowels
- blood in your pee
- swelling in one or both legs
- severe vaginal bleeding
Ashley had given the all-clear after having radio and chemotherapy in December.
But earlier this year, she started to suffer “unbearable pains” in her bladder and legs – and went to her doctors for help.
She claims that her GP sent her away with painkillers, including morphine.
Crippled with pain and almost unable to walk, she went to A&E at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Despite her history of cancer, she wasn’t given any scans and it was only in May that a second opinion resulted in the devastating diagnosis.
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Earlier this year, Peter said: “We’re not suggesting that had this second round of cancer been caught sooner, she’d definitely be able to survive it.
“But it’s frustrating to think that, had GPs not sent her home with painkillers, or had A&E doctors done a scan, we might have had a bit longer with Ashley.”
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We are very sorry to hear that Ashley has passed away. Our thoughts and sympathies are with her family at this difficult time.”