The hardest thing about being ill is looking fine and no-one believing you. At 16 my mother called a doctor out at 2am, she told her it was trapped wind. My mother's words were 'You just need a fart, how embarrassing'. I never went to a doctor again till I was 23, despite suffering every 7 months with the same symptoms. At 23 the pain was so severe, I had to go to A and E. They thought it was IBS and sent me back to my GP, who sent me to Gall Bladder specialist. He asked me to check for hereditary issues, and I learnt that day my grandmother had her Gall Bladder removed in her 20's. My Gall Bladder tests were clear, including ultra sounds, blood tests and X-rays nothing there! So my GP's didn't believe the specialist and sent me for another ultra sound. This time they discovered that I had a scarring on my right kidney from childhood reflux, and it only functioned at 24%. I was never sent back to the Gall Bladder specialist because the focus shifted to my right kidney. When my nephrectomy was booked, my new GP cancelled the operation writing to my surgeon to advice him that he believed it was Munchhausens.
I was devastated, I had to go through another 6 months of suffering until the kidney surgeon agreed for a 2nd time, to remove my kidney. At this stage I was suffering chronic pain every few weeks, it was like clockwork. The pain would start late afternoon, by early evening only morphine would help relieve the pain, and by morning I just felt like I'd been kicked in the ribs. The problem with the UK medical system is that they do an ultrasound 6 weeks after you are admitted to A and E, and bet your life that day you feel great that day and they find nothing!
A week after having my kidney removed I was back in pain, the next day I had a follow up appointment with the surgeon, so I begged him to do an ultrasound, because I still felt tender from the episode the day before. They found nothing! The surgeon told me it's like an amputated arm and my body believed the problem was still there and recommended I attend a pain clinic! I knew the pain was not in my mind, but my GP believed I had Munchausen's and my kidney surgeon couldn't help me anymore. I had a bottle of morphine that had been subscribed that week, and I lived off that small bottle for the next 18 months. Carefully rationing it every time I suffered an episode so I didn't have to go back to the doctor, or the hospital. 18 months later during a holiday in the USA, an episode of pain started at lunchtime, around 4 hours earlier than normal and I knew I had a bad attack coming that even my rationed morphine (which went everywhere with me) wouldn't help. At 8pm my partner dragged me to the hospital and told the doctors about my history. They did a CT scan, and I finally had an accurate diagnosis. I thought I'd had every scan and X-ray type possible in the UK, but I'd never had a CT scan. This revealed fluid around my Gall Bladder, I didn't have Gall Stones, I had Gall slush because my Gall Bladder only functioned at 16%, it was inflamed and green in colour. The USA surgeon removed my Gall Bladder immediately and I never suffered another day of pain!
The frustrating thing was despite having clear blood tests and no Gall Stones, there were lots of systems that should have rang the alarms bells for doctors years earlier. I suffered with pancreatitis for 5 days just 1 week before they removed my Kidney, which should have been diagnosed as reflux of the Gall Bladder, my pain was localised to the Gall Bladder area and it can be a hereditary condition. I also suffered from a child with worms , and this stopped the day my Gall Bladder was removed. Does anyone know if this condition is connected, I have never found out?
I just hope the doctors learn from these experiences, and other patients don't suffer unnecessary from lack of knowledge and experience of individual GP's and Surgeons.moreless
Mystery Diagnosis
Monday 10:00 PM on Discovery Health
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Show Summary
- Returning Series
Are you suffering from a life-threatening illness? Are your bizarre symptoms baffling your doctors? Are they misdiagnosing your ailment as a result? This program shows how some indomitable patients refused to give up and found amazing conclusions to the mysteries of their diagnoses.moreless
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David Guion
Narrator
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Categories
Documentary, Health & Lifestyle, Science
Themes
disgusting nature, fake reality, fight for survival, fighting doctors, self destruction
