NSW woman got bowel cancer after ‘urgent’ colonoscopy delayed by seven months

Elaine Short is a victim of severe public hospital underfunding which left her diagnosis too late to prevent bowel cancer.

Elaine Short with her grandchildren Lawson 5, Riley 1 and 3-month-old William. Picture: Tim Hunter

Elaine Short’s bowel cancer was preventable but she developed it because severe public hospital underfunding saw her “urgent” colonoscopy delayed by seven months.

When the grandmother’s bowel habits changed in September 2020 her doctor asked for a colonoscopy within 30 days because there was a family history of bowel cancer.

But it was seven months before Blacktown Public Hospital could treat her and when they did they discovered a cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes which meant she required not only surgery but chemotherapy.

After a severe reaction to her first chemotherapy treatment, and as an immunocompromised patient, Ms Short was left exposed in an overrun emergency department with Covid-19 positive patients and had to take action to protect herself.

Elaine Short’s bowel cancer could have been prevented if it were not for health service delays Picture: Tim Hunter

“I got myself up into a corridor and my medication bag had ‘cytotoxic’ written on it which kind of stood out. So I held that and I could see people would come towards me and see the bag and kind of avoid me,” the Baulkham Hills resident said.

“I was having a little giggle to myself, because they wouldn’t isolate me and I just thought that was ridiculous,” she said.

As she coped with her own diagnosis, Ms Short lost her mother to lung cancer and her father also passed away.

Now she has been told by the hospital there will be a 12-month delay in the next colonoscopy she needs to check whether she has new polyps that could become cancerous.

Bowel Cancer Australia’s Professor Graham Newstead said it was critical people presenting with bowel issues be seen within 30 days.

“Any delay beyond 30 days is considered inappropriate and beyond 120 days is shown scientifically to increase your risk of moving from a curable resection to possibly incurable and needing additional therapy which may or may not be successful,” Prof Newstead said.

Originally published as NSW woman got bowel cancer after ‘urgent’ colonoscopy delayed by seven months