Woman claims medics ‘gaslit’ her by saying she had IBS for 2 years

A woman who looked ‘five months pregnant’ has claimed she was ‘gaslit’ by medics after they dismissed her endometriosis as IBS for two years. 

Sarah Mahon, from London, had suffered with heavy periods as a teen. 

But in 2022 she began experiencing agonising cramps that left her nauseous and, on occasions, even unable to walk or bed-bound for hours. 

Sudden bouts of bloating, lasting up to three days, also saw the 29-year-old’s stomach turn ‘hard’. 

Despite visiting seven different doctors, five believed her symptoms were ‘digestive-related’, she claimed.  

It was only when she went private in February that she was diagnosed with the condition. 

Recalling her ordeal, Ms Mahon, who works as an animator, said: ‘Four of the doctors told me I had an IBS and another said I had irritable bowel disease (IBD).

‘I felt like they didn’t believe me about my symptoms. I felt so dismissed about the whole thing. 

‘One of the worst parts of this whole experience was the gas-lighting that I received from doctors.’

She added: ‘I had asked [doctors] about endometriosis and told them my mother had it but they said it was related to the indigestion issues and just wouldn’t test me.

‘I was told it would take a lot of resources for them to test me for something I didn’t know I had. I was dismissed over and over about it.

‘I didn’t know what to do at this point. I was googling my symptoms and everything matched up with endometriosis.

‘Some mornings I couldn’t move my arms and legs because I was so tired — the fatigue was so bad. 

‘And showering was so hard. Washing my hair was such an effort, I’d be exhausted after and have to have a nap after.’

Ms Mahon also stopped having sex with her boyfriend ‘because it wasn’t worth the pain’, she said.

Her ‘insane’ bloating, which could be triggered by something as small as a cup of coffee, forced her to wear baggy clothes. 

‘My friends all said I look full-on pregnant. It was all inflammation,’ she added. 

Endometriosis occurs when cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb are found outside the uterus. 

Each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. 

Unlike the womb cells that leave the body as a period, they have no way to escape. 

Symptoms include pain in the pelvis and abdomen, extremely painful periods, pain during sex, trouble conceiving, with the huge impact on sufferers also potentially leading to depression.

There is currently no cure for endometriosis and treatment is designed to manage the symptoms, often by keyhole surgery to remove or destroy excess tissue. 

These procedures may give months or years of pain relief, but the problem often recurs. 

In the most severe cases, a full hysterectomy may be recommended, but even that may not fully resolve the condition. 

It is believed to affect around 1.5million women in the UK and 6.5million in the US. 

But despite being so common, many women struggle to have their pain and symptoms taken seriously and can be forced to wait decades for a diagnosis. 

IBS can cause similar symptoms, with sufferers often struggling to find effective treatment for the pain, cramps, bloating and diarrhoea, leaving many housebound and in pain. 

There’s no cure, but diet changes and medicines can often help control the symptoms. 

Exasperated by her repeat diagnosis, earlier this year Ms Mahon booked a private consultation at a clinic in London. 

Scans later confirmed she was suffering with the condition and in April she underwent a £7,500 operation to remove the excess tissue in her pelvic wall and between the uterus and rectum. 

She said: ‘The post-surgery pain was nothing compared to how it’s been. The pain has gone completely. I have so much more energy now. I feel like a new person.

‘I was told my body was constantly trying to repair itself and was constantly inflamed. My doctor told me I did the surgery just in time before it developed further.

‘The surgery went really well and the doctor told me my ovaries weren’t affected and I should be okay when it comes to trying for a baby. I’m trying to stay positive about the future.

‘It’s a cruel irony that the condition can give you a bump and cause fertility issues.’

Now, Ms Mahon is urging others to demand answers from their doctors and ‘not give up’ on getting a diagnosis.

She said: ‘I say to other people do not give up. I’m really lucky I caught mine before it caused any more damage.

‘If you can, try and see a specialist straight away and contact people in similar positions.’

It comes as a damning report in March also revealed women must wait almost a year longer to be given an endometriosis diagnosis than before the pandemic.

It now takes an average of eight years and ten months for doctors to identify the painful disease, an increase of ten months since 2020. 

Most women made at least one visit to A&E and almost half needed ten or more GP appointments before being diagnosed.