Chelsea Lewis speaks about dad’s cancer after three trips to Rockhampton Hospital

It took three hospital trips and a ruptured spleen for a Rockhampton dad to receive a cancer diagnosis. His daughter speaks about the terrifying ordeal.

It took three hospital visits, a seizure and a ruptured spleen before a Rockhampton dad was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of Leukaemia, despite multiple visits to hospital.

Christopher Lewis, 51, has been in Brisbane receiving treatment for Plasma Cell Leukaemia since October and isn’t expected to get back to Rockhampton until, at least, February.

PCL is a rare and aggressive form of multiple myeloma which is characterised by plasma cells circulating in the peripheral blood.

The ordeal has lead to Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service launching a review into his care.

His daughter Chelsea Lewis said right up until her Dad was diagnosed he continued working, but was now unable to due to treatment and recovery.

It was a day like any other for Christopher on August 27.

Christopher Lewis was in severe pain on all three occasions he went to Rockhampton Hospital before being diagnosed with Leukaemia.

He had gone to work at his job with QBuild but returned home with severe back pain.

It was that night he made his first trip to Rockhampton Hospital where a doctor said it was likely he had just pulled a muscle.

“It all started with a bad back, which is one of the symptoms of this cancer,” Chelsea said.

“The doctor was really nice, but no scans were done.

“They gave him some medication and told him to go home and rest.”

But things didn’t get any better and it resulted in another trip to the Rockhampton Hospital ED on September 19.

“Dad called my sister crying and said ‘I think I’m dying’,” she said.

“He was severely sick and vomiting...Dad was slumped over in a fast track chair and the senior doctor said he had gastro.

“We tried explaining we didn’t think it was gastro and thought it was related to his back pain, but no bloods were taken.

Christopher went to the emergency department three times before he was diagnosed after his spleen ruptured.

“It wasn’t until I cracked up about how sick my Dad was that he got a bed and fluids.”

But things got even worse in October.

Christopher suffered a seizure and had a ruptured spleen which had to be removed.

He also had to begin dialysis due to his kidneys starting to shut down.

“It was terrifying, he thought he was going to die,” Chelsea said.

“The spleen rupture was caused by the cancer, but at first Rocky Hospital didn’t know that - they thought his internal bleeding was coming from his bowel.

“We got more blood tests back which gave every indication he had cancer.”

Chelsea said she was in the emergency department with her dad when she got a call from the hospital about a complaint she had made about his treatment.

“They said ‘he’s only 51, we didn’t expect him to have this’,” she said.

“Regardless, 51 year olds can get cancer too, so can little kids, it shouldn’t go off the stats it should be the symptoms.”

Chelsea said she was now worried about taking her own children and for other people in the community to attend the hospital out of fear for the same thing happening due to understaffing.

“Dad went to the base on three occasions, they were more concerned about getting patients out as fast as they can,” she claimed.

“It is so worrying, I’m worried about taking my kids up there if they don’t have the time or staff, I don’t want the same thing happening to young kids or the elderly.

Rockhampton Hospital Executive Director Andrew Jarvis said the hospital’s emergency department was “well staffed”.

“I do feel sorry for the staff too, most of them are really lovely and caring but they don’t have the right amount of staff they need to care for patients the way they should.

“Less staff means less time with a patient or to hear about a patient.”

Chelsea said at the moment the earliest her Dad would be able to return home to Rockhampton would be February.

She said so far he had been responding “surprisingly well” to his treatment.

“He’s handling the chemo quite well, he wasn’t able to start that until he had recovered from having his spleen removed,” she said.

“He’s still doing dialysis every three days but his kidneys are recovering.

“We’re unsure if his chances of beating the cancer but the doctors are amazed at how he went from being deathly ill to now being able to walk around with a wheelie walker.”

Rockhampton Hospital executive director Andrew Jarvis confirmed a review had been undertaken into Christopher’s care.

He also said the Rockhampton Hospital’s emergency department was “well staffed”.

“I am unable to comment about an individual patient’s clinical treatment due to patient privacy,” he said.

“A review was undertaken into Mr Lewis’s care and these details were provided to him.

“Our team works with patients and their families to address any concerns about their treatment.

“Our hardworking Rockhampton Hospital Emergency Department is well staffed and works hard every day to provide great care to the community.”

Chelsea set up a GoFundMe page to help ease the financial strain on her parents while Christopher was undergoing treatment.

“Thankfully Dad does have income protection, but it can take up to 90 days before they receive any pay through that,” she said.

“What money they don’t use from the GoFundMe will be donated to the Cancer Council because they have just been amazing.

“Dad really wants to thank all his doctors and surgeons, it’s all been very traumatising and they’ve worked very hard to save him.”