Google helped diagnose Hull father’s cancer after doctors mistook his symptoms for a YEAR

tunisante June 24, 2016 Health

Kevin Everett, 60, found he had nasopharyngeal cancer after quick search
Doctors diagnosed him with asthma, bronchitis and even sleep apnoea
Set to start radiotherapy and has complained to Care Quality Commission
He claims to have seen the very best and worst of NHS following treatment

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
06:02 EST, 24 June 2016

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Updated:
07:05 EST, 24 June 2016

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A desperate father-of-five turned to Google to diagnose himself with cancer after doctors failed to spot the disease for over a year.

Kevin Everett’s doctors suspected asthma, bronchitis and even sleep apnoea when he visited them with breathing difficulties and problems with his sinuses.

After his condition worsened, the 60-year-old, from Hull, took to the search engine to investigate the symptoms of his illness.

To his horror, the engineer discovered he had nasopharyngeal cancer – where the nose meets the throat – after looking on the NHS Choices website.

Kevin Everett’s doctors suspected asthma and bronchitis when he visited them with breathing problems – but a quick search on the NHS Choices website revealed he had nasopharyngeal cancer – which starts in the nose

Now, Mr Everett is about to start intensive radiotherapy and has made an official complaint to the Care Quality Commission, an independent regulator of health and social care services.

He said: ‘I have no faith in GPs any more. I just wonder if they’d picked it up earlier, would I be going through all this now?

‘I was told that had it taken any longer to diagnose, it could have spread further and would have been incurable.

‘I know diagnosing yourself is not the best thing to do and it must drive the doctors batty.

‘But if it took me 15 minutes to look at NHS Choices, why couldn’t they, as trained GPs, find out what was wrong with me?

‘It caused everybody in the family quite a lot of worry and stress over the past year.’

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When Mr Everett visited the Calvert Practice last year to complain of wheezing he was given inhalers, but then developed problems with his hearing and sinuses.

A different GP diagnosed bronchitis, but a chest X-ray proved clear.

He was given different types of antibiotics and then steroids, but the problem was never resolved.

Despite being diagnosed with sleep apnoea and given a special machine to keep his airways open while he slept, he was still suffering.

The 60-year-old is about to start intensive radiotherapy and has made an official complaint to the Care Quality Commission

Mr Everett, who plays in a band, says his deteriorating health affected his singing.

After searching on the NHS Choices website he realised his symptoms were identical to those of the cancer.

He went back to his GP and asked for a referral to the Ear Nose and Throat department at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, East Yorkshire.

Mr Everett said: ‘They put a camera up each of my nostrils for about 30 seconds, took it out and said immediately there was tissue growing in my post-nasal cavity (the inside of the nose).’

A biopsy confirmed a malignant tumour and he started his chemotherapy in April, spending five days in hospital after each course.

He completed the cycle at the beginning of June and is now preparing for intensive radiotherapy lasting six weeks from the start of next month.

Doctors have also warned a feeding tube may have to be fitted into his stomach for six weeks, while recovery from the treatment could take up to three months.

Mr Everett added: ‘I received fantastic care at Castle Hill so I’ve seen the very best and the worst of the NHS.’

A full statement from City Health Care Partnership CIC (CHCP), which owns the Calvert Practice, said they were unable to comment on individual cases.

They said: ‘City Health Care Partnership CIC take all concerns and complaints seriously. We are unable to comment on individual cases however, any received complaint will be investigated thoroughly.

‘We would always encourage any patient or service user who is unsatisfied with their level of care or treatment to contact our customer care team, so that we can discuss their concerns in more detail.’