Man told he has only 6 months to live just because doctors ignored his symptoms as 'lingering cold'

The old man's entire life was uprooted despite having sought professional medical help as soon as his symptoms began.

PUBLISHED 5 DAYS AGO

Man pondering about life in hospital. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Thomas Barwick)

People everywhere seek professional medical advice from doctors but what happens when they have erred? A British man from Manchester was given only six months to live after the doctors incorrectly diagnosed him due to his persistent symptoms of a ‘lingering cold.’ Warwick Smith struggled at his job as a court clerk for months, unable to communicate properly with his colleagues. He suspected something serious but his faith in the doctors’s expertise had not faded yet, per Manchester Evening News.

Doctor Sitting beside a Man Lying on the Hospital Bed. (Representative Image Source: Pexels |
Tima Miroshnichenko) — Doctor Sitting beside a Man Lying on the Hospital Bed. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Tima Miroshnichenko)

The 67-year-old man was diagnosed with laryngitis after months of suffering with throat pain and bouts of fever. Laryngitis is characterized by an inflammation of the voice box, typically during the cold and flu season. But it was as if the cold had persisted longer than usual. “I knew something was wrong, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t normal. The doctor said it sounded like laryngitis and not to worry about it. I said, 'I’m feeling really worried, it’s been a few months and this can’t be right,” Smith, who is from Littleborough, Greater Manchester, told the news outlet.

An man touches his throat as if in pain. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Catherine Falls Commercial)

Smith’s brother had died from throat cancer two years before and it became a cause for concern whether the disease ran in the family. More so, he was not relieved of his symptoms yet. He finally sought help from a specialist following which his life would change. "My brother died from throat cancer two years beforehand. I was worried at the back of my mind because of my family history. They told me to wait and it got worse and worse,” the man said. A series of tests conducted on him revealed scary results. In October 2022, Smith was diagnosed with stage 4 laryngeal cancer with only six months left to live if untreated.

A patient in intensive care after heart surgery. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Engin Akyurt)

It is a rare form of throat cancer constituting about 0.7% of all cancer diagnoses, per American Cancer Society. He expressed his honest feelings about his journey and could not help but feel anger towards those who misguided him, though inadvertently. "My feelings were anger more than anything. You just feel so, so angry. I asked what the outlook was,” he shared. The only way forward would be to get a laryngectomy that would take away his ability to speak. “They said if you leave it, you have six months max or you can opt for a total laryngectomy. It will remove the lymph nodes, but you won’t be able to talk," he added.

Doctors performing surgery. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Pavel Danilyuk)

Smith’s life was about to change. He would lose his job, his independence, and only five years more as another shot at life. Nevertheless, he went ahead with it and got his voice box removed in a rigorous surgery lasting about 10 hours. The grandad went through a full neck dissection and total laryngectomy. However, he would be able to speak with a throat stroma– a surgical opening in the neck that serves as a new airway allowing a person to breathe in their neck, per Cancer Research UK. But this was a challenge for the man in his 60s, as he relearned his ways of communicating with people.

"You just have to practice. I used to rabbit on a bit, so living in a world of silence is so frustrating,” Smith said, who also had to quit golf. While an alternative to speaking, it comes with its challenges, of course. He wakes up every four hours at night to clean out the TEP valve, and people presume he is deaf as well. “I used to type things out on my phone. You’re just so desperate to speak,” Smith admitted. According to ACS, people aged 55 or older are more susceptible to the disease.