A mother of two undergoes a medical nightmare, complete with a misdiagnosis and an unneeded surgery. In September 2024, Rhian Butlin, 32, suffered “excrutiating” stomach pain. However, her symptoms were dismissed as polycystic ovary syndrome. Two months later, she was rushed to the emergency room in agony and abdominal swelling so severe she looked nine months pregnant. A scan revealed a 25 cm tumor on her ovaries. In December, Butlin had a full hysterectomy to remove her uterus. At the same time, she had her appendix and bowel lining removed since they began swelling. Afterward, she learned the ovarian cancer diagnosis was entirely incorrect.
Undergoing an Unnecessary Hysterectomy
In the meantime, Butlin suffered terribly after the procedure. She had a fluid buildup followed by sepsis, which led to the doctors putting her in a medically induced coma. “We were told our little sister possibly wouldn’t make it through the night,” her older sister, Lindsey Rice, said in a GoFundMe post. “Our world fell apart. Rhian’s children [age 11 and 12] were absolutely beside themselves,” after four weeks without their mother. “Thankfully, Rhian pulled through… She was sent home to recover.”
The organs were sent for biopsies during the hysterectomy but it took two months for the doctors to follow up. The results showed no indication of cancer in any of the removed organs. Therefore, doctors said she must’ve had endometriosis, whose scans can be mistaken for tumors, says a 2019 review. “She didn’t have cancer after all,” Rice said. “Can you believe how happy we all were. We cried, jumped for joy. The nightmare was over… Until 24 hours later..” The ordeal wasn’t over for Butlin, who works as a dental nurse. Her symptoms returned and she ended up back at her doctor’s office.
“They said, ‘We are so sorry, we have gone through your notes and you did actually have cancer. But it was in your appendix and it is one of the rarest forms of cancer,’” Rice recalled to the Daily Mail. Although her appendix had already been removed, the tumor had spread to her lymph nodes and pelvis. Her cancer was now stage 4, reports People. And doctors say it is incurable.
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From a Hysterectomy to Chemotherapy
“I’m just emotionally drained. I’m constantly scared and some nights I barely sleep,” said Butlin. “It’s just been a very scary journey, if I’m honest. Obviously, I’ve had a full hysterectomy when I did not need to. I’ve had my ovaries removed when I did not have ovarian cancer and I’ve had the lining of my bowel removed when I did not have bowel cancer. Then they did remove my appendix in December but it wasn’t until months later that they found cancer there.”
Now it’s about six months since Butlin first sought treatment for her abdominal pain, and she has begun three months of intensive chemotherapy. But she and her family are disappointed at how doctors had handled her case. “It’s not been the best experience,” Rice said. “If they figured it out earlier on, then we would not be in the position we are in now. It feels like we have been massively let down…”
Rice started a GoFundMe for “my little sister Roo” to fundraise a vacation for the single mom and her two children to look forward to after the first round of treatment. “We want to get a little holiday booked so then when she finishes these three months of chemo, she has a break and can start again. And obviously with the money she’s getting from her work. That’s barely covering her bills at the moment, you know, and we just wanted to have a little part that can go right.”
More About Appendix Cancer
The appendix is a small organ on the lower right side of the abdomen. Scientists are unsure of its function but some believe it aids the immune system. Appendix cancer is extremely rare, affecting about 1 or 2 people in a million in the U.S. each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The tumor can be benign or malignant, like in Butlin’s case. Its symptoms vary, and may not appear until after it has already spread. They include bloating, increased waistline, digestive upset, abdominal fluid buildup, abdominal pain, and appendicitis. Like with all types of cancer, the outlook depends on the type of tumor, its grade and size, the person’s overall health, and response to the treatment.
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