‘Everything is either anxiety or your period’: Readers share experiences of being dismissed by NHS GPs

Too often, young people with serious illnesses are dismissed or told they’re “too young” to be sick – and Independent readers have been sharing their own experiences of being ignored by the NHS.

Readers shared experiences of being dismissed by healthcare professionals, and speculated whether that was down to age, gender, or assumptions about their symptoms.

One reader’s story mirrored the challenges faced by patients like 19-year-old Milli Tanner, who went to 13 GP appointments and A&E visits over two years before being diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. She was initially told her symptoms were caused by piles, IBS, or her age, and faced long waits for urgent testing before finally receiving a diagnosis.

Readers highlighted the emotional and physical toll of such dismissal, with one sharing being misdiagnosed for three years despite a private MRI showing multiple active MS lesions.

Another described how a family’s Lynch Syndrome history was overlooked, contributing to preventable deaths from bowel and uterine cancer.

Overall, Independent readers stressed that listening, taking symptoms seriously, and empowering patients are crucial to prevent young people from being failed by the system.

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Source: The Independent, 2 November 2025