A woman is sharing the emotional and painful journey of her sister’s unnecessary hysterectomy after doctors mistakenly diagnosed her with ovarian cancer. In September 2024, 32-year-old Rhian Butlin sought medical help for excruciating abdominal pain. Despite an initial scan being clear, the doctors dismissed her symptoms as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, two months later, when her pain worsened and her stomach began swelling significantly, she was rushed to the hospital. A second scan revealed a large 25cm tumor on one of her ovaries, leading doctors to recommend its removal.
Butlin underwent a full hysterectomy in December, along with the removal of her appendix and the lining of her bowel due to signs of swelling. Biopsies were taken from all three organs during the surgery. The recovery was complicated, with Butlin suffering from fluid buildup and sepsis. At one point, she was put into a medically induced coma, and her family feared she might not survive. Thankfully, she pulled through and was sent home to recover.
The initial news seemed promising when the biopsy results came back clear no cancer was found in the removed organs. Doctors suggested Butlin had endometriosis, which can sometimes appear similar to cancer on scans. Her family celebrated the news, relieved that the nightmare seemed over. But this relief was short-lived. Her symptoms soon returned, and she went back to her doctor for further investigation.
After reviewing her medical records, the doctors apologized and admitted that they had made a mistake. While Butlin didn’t have ovarian cancer, the doctors discovered that the cancer had actually been in her appendix a rare form of cancer that was missed initially. By this time, the cancer had spread to her pelvis and lymph nodes, and she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, which doctors stated was now incurable.
Butlin expressed the emotional toll of her journey, particularly her frustration over the unnecessary removal of her ovaries and bowel. “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,” she explained. “Then they did remove my appendix, but it wasn’t until months later that they found cancer there.” This error, she felt, had put her in a much worse position than if the cancer had been identified earlier.
Butlin began her first course of chemotherapy in April 2025, more than six months after her initial complaints of abdominal pain. Her older sister, Lindsey Rice, expressed her disappointment with the healthcare system. “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,” she said. The family’s trust in the medical professionals who had handled Butlin’s care was deeply shaken.
This series of misdiagnoses has left Butlin emotionally drained. The combination of a serious medical error and the fact that her cancer was found too late has significantly impacted her life and future. Despite these challenges, Butlin and her family are now focused on the next steps, including Butlin’s treatment plan, but the journey remains fraught with both emotional and physical challenges.
