A young woman who had two ovarian tumours in 10 years says she’s been forced to choose expensive private surgery because she’s been “silenced” by NHS doctors.
Jemma Bruce, 22, from Irvine in North Ayrshire, was first diagnosed with a benign ovarian tumour at 13 before another was detected aged 21. But she says doctors at University Hospital Crosshouse decided they would leave them unless her symptoms became worse.
At the time, the pain from the second tumour was leaving her in so much pain that she was vomiting on a daily basis, she said. Nine months later, after being repeatedly denied an operation, she finally underwent surgery. Doctors discovered the tumour had started cutting off the blood supply to her ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Jemma told the Daily Record that if her concerns had been taken seriously she would not have suffered for so long – adding the pain was so severe it left her housebound and forced her to drop out of college.
She now gets panic attacks and dreads visiting NHS doctors, often delaying seeking medical help because of being “scared of being pushed away”.
She is currently fundraising £7,500 for private surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, which the NHS has refused to provide, to help prevent future tumours and “get her life back”.
Jemma told PA Real Life: “I feel like so many women are silenced by doctors and are not being heard.
“I just wish they had listened to me, I was so upset yet so relieved to be taken to theatre (for emergency surgery).
“It should never have needed to wait until I was in an emergency situation for them to take action. I just want a normal life for a 22-year-old… it’s like everything is on hold.”
At age 13 in 2015, Jemma experienced excruciating pain in her lower stomach and was rushed to University Hospital Crosshouse, where doctors discovered a large ovarian tumour. “I was angry at my body and terrified,” she recalled.
She did not have the tumour removed as it did not require treatment, but it was monitored.
At 21 in 2023, Jemma then experienced extreme shooting stomach pains and severe back pain, and was diagnosed with a second benign ovarian tumour – which she and her family found “heartbreaking”.
Again, doctors at the hospital informed Jemma they would monitor the tumour and remove it only if her symptoms worsened.
Despite vomiting nearly every day from the pain of the second tumour, Jemma claims doctors refused to operate.
At the time, she was in her final year of a social work course at college, with hopes to become a social worker and go to university, but decided to withdraw because her pain was so severe.
“It felt like my life was over,” Jemma explained. “I felt like a failure, especially seeing everyone else going off to uni.” After nine months of repeatedly raising concerns, Jemma was rushed back to University Hospital Crosshouse.
Doctors discovered the tumour had begun cutting off the blood supply to her ovaries and fallopian tubes. So, Jemma finally underwent surgery to remove the tumour and believes if she was listened to, she would not have been in pain for so long.
She is now awaiting an emergency scan, with doctors suspecting she may have a third ovarian mass as she is experiencing the same unbearable pain again. Over the past few years, all Jemma has been able to think about is the pain.
She added: “I don’t socialise any more, I hardly leave the house. I have to have a hot water bottle on me all the time, even when I’m out, and it’s given me scars.”
Since withdrawing from college, she has been unable to work due to her ongoing health struggles. She is now also nervous about raising her concerns with medical professionals.
Jemma said: “I get very fearful now when it comes to my pain, it fills me with dread and can bring on panic attacks. It scares me so much…if I need a doctor’s appointment I’ll hold off for as long as I can until I know I’m really sick…because I get scared of being pushed away and not listened to.”
She is currently fundraising for a salpingo-oophorectomy, a surgical procedure to remove both ovaries and fallopian tubes. According to the NHS, this surgery is recommended for those at increased risk of ovarian cancer, those with a cancer-causing BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene variant, or those with a significant family history of ovarian cancer.
However, as Jemma feels she has not been listened to by the NHS, she has decided to have the surgery privately. The procedure, including consultations and after-care, is estimated to cost around £7,500 – but, as Jemma’s only income is from disability benefits, she is struggling to afford the hefty fee.
To reach her target, she has launched a GoFundMe campaign, which has so far raised over £300. She is hoping that after she has the surgery and recovers, she will be able to return to her studies and go to university.
“Having this surgery would 100% change my life, my ovaries have caused me nothing but horror for years, having them removed would give me and my family a peace of mind no other tumours would form,” Jemma explained.
“I would be free of the constant worry of ‘what if the tumour comes back’, my pain would subside, I feel like I would become me again.” The procedure will mean Jemma will no longer be able to have children naturally, something she has “accepted”. She also has a one-year-old brother, which she said has made her feel like a “mum figure”.
Currently single, Jemma says finding a partner is the last thing on her mind due to her pain, but she hopes that, in the future, any potential partner will accept her inability to have children. Dr Crawford McGuffie, medical director of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said: “We are sorry that Ms Bruce feels her concerns have not been addressed appropriately.
“However, due to patient confidentiality, we are unable to comment on individual cases. We would encourage any patient not satisfied with the care and support they have received to get in touch with us directly. This allows us to investigate any concerns as part of our complaints handling process.”
