Father Diagnosed With Lung Cancer After GP Misdiagnosed His Cough Five Times

Father's Persistent Cough Turned Out To Be Lung Cancer

Chris Rowe visited his GP five times in the space of two months because he was suffering from a persistent cough.

The father-of-one, whose wife Kate is pregnant with their second child, claims doctors dismissed his cough as a simple virus, despite it bothering him for six months.

But after a trip to A&E, the 31-year-old was diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer that has now spread to his bones and liver.

"I began coughing up blood which was really frightening but after visiting my doctors I felt relieved as they were adamant that I had a virus, and I was advised to keep taking ibuprofen," said Rowe, according to the MailOnline.

"I trusted that I must be okay but when I started suffering from a dull ache in my ribs and I coughed up more blood, I ended up in A&E two months later."

An X-ray at the hospital uncovered that Rowe had a tumour in his lung. As a non-smoker who lives a healthy lifestyle, the news was shocked the couple.

Rowe, from Gloucester, is now having chemotherapy in the hope that it will shrink the tumour and prevent further complications before his wife is expected to give birth to a baby boy in June.

The pair already have a three-year-old daughter, Sophia.

Rowe sold his plastering business as his cancer treatment has made it impossible for him to continue working.

His friend of 20 years, Lee Bowtell, is planning to cycle from John O'groats in Scotland to Land's End in Cornwall to raise money for Rowe and his family.

Bowtell has set up a GoFunMe page, asking for sponsorship and donations.

Rowe suspects his cough would not have been dismissed by doctors if he had been older.

The NHS advise that anyone should see their GP if they've had a cough for more than three weeks after a viral infection, or if the cough is progressively getting worse.

Rowe said: "I hope other people read my story and look out for the symptoms of lung cancer so they can get an earlier diagnosis."

Having a cough most of the time

Lung Cancer Symptoms

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