A man said his life was saved after he suffered a terrible reaction to acid reflux medication. Grandad-of-seven Steven Wise had been experiencing the unpleasant digestive symptom for a year.
The 71-year-old was eventually prescribed Lansoprazole – a strong acid reflux medication – after over the counter medication proved ineffective, but he suffered an almost immediate allergic reaction which was so bad he thought he was going to die.
Steven was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London, in September 2023 and given an adrenaline shot, endoscopy and a CT scan. The scan then revealed he had a mass in his bowel, which was later diagnosed as stage 3 bowel cancer.
Despite Steven having zero symptoms of the illness, he was later scheduled to have surgery to remove the 7cm lump from his colon just three weeks later. And it was a complete success.
Steven, from Hampstead, London, a tennis and football coach, said: “If it wasn’t for that tablet reaction I’d never have known I had cancer – it’s given me a second chance to live life to the fullest.”
Thinking he would die due to such as severe allergic reaction, Steven recalled: “My body didn’t take well to it at all, and I totally panicked.
“Within a week, they called me back to say that they had actually found stage 3 cancer in my bowel. I was in complete shock – I hadn’t had any symptoms. Without that scan, it would have gone to stage 4 and I would have almost certainly died. Otherwise I felt fine.”
Having only had the scan because of the reaction, he praised the medical team at the Royal Free, who he says went above and beyond to ensure his comfort. He said: “They were incredible.
“The doctors originally warned me I might need a stoma bag, but I asked them if there was any way around it. The surgeon even re-stitched me just so he could prevent me having a stoma bag, I’m so grateful.”
His treatment plan included chemotherapy in tablet form as a precaution to prevent the cancer from returning, and Steven recently received his all-clear – almost exactly a year after his surgery. He’s now in a five-year follow-up program, and he was recently given the all clear after his latest colonoscopy showed no signs of cancer.
And he has no plans on giving up his sports coaching saying: “I was always told the chair is the enemy. You’ve got to keep doing stuff and keep active. I’m kept busy with my grandchildren and life is good. I’m out playing golf again and truly grateful to be here.”