06 March 2024 , 09:49
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A mum feared her son could have died when what was first thought of as constipation or a kidney infection turned out to be a life-threatening condition that caused him to lose a testicle.
The 16-year-old boy's ordeal began with severe groin and stomach pains. Even after medical consultations at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, and antibiotics, the agony persisted. It wasn't until he was rushed to Dumbarton Health Centre where another doctor pointed out a serious issue.
His quick diagnosis led to an emergency surgery at Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital where it was discovered he had testicular torsion and that gangrene had already started - which could have been deadly if not attended to straight away. The operation included removal of his affected testicle.
The boy's mother shares her worry about further surgeries and the prospect of his other testicle being removed due to complications. Reflecting on the situation, she said: "I keep thinking to myself 'what if'? What if the other doctor hadn't called us in, what if we'd gone to A&E and sat for hours? He might not still be here. I work in a hospital. I know how busy they are. I understand that.
Vale of Leven Hospital (Lennox Herald)"But the pain he was in was horrific. He was in the car screaming with pain and I knew something was seriously wrong. Someone needs to be held accountable for this. I worry that lives will be lost if something like this happens again." She also thinks her son's autism may have affected how doctors perceived his pain level, reports the Daily Record.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
"I felt as if I was being treated like some sort of over-protective mother. I said so many times that I knew how much pain he was in and it certainly wasn't constipation. The doctor at the Vale examined him and asked some questions. My son said it wasn't sore when he last went to the toilet. And that's when they thought he might be constipated. I actually laughed in disbelief. He's certainly not constipated, he's got IBS so he's the opposite."
A urine sample was taken by the doctor who also gave her teenage son a box of laxatives and an antibiotic prescription. When the urine sample came back clear, they were asked to take another one and give it to the GP on Monday. The child's mother added: "He could hardly walk. He started to get clammy on Sunday night and we were up all night. On Monday morning we took a new urine sample and went straight to Dumbarton Health Centre for it opening.
"When we got there, one GP said he couldn't see my son. I was really upset and angry. As I ran out to the car intending to head straight to the hospital, my phone rang. Another doctor at the health centre had overheard our conversation and offered to examine my son. Within minutes he said he needed to be rushed to the RAH. The blood vessels had twisted in his testicles and the blood supply had been cut off."
The situation has had a lasting impact on the youngster, with his mum adding: "He's in a lot of pain, but mentally it's been a bigger issue. It's all happened so quickly; it's been failure after failure. I got him into a supported college place. But he's missing out on that because of this."
"It took us a lot of time to get him into that. The impact on him has been huge. He's terrified about having to go back to the hospital. And the right testicle may be removed now as well. That was twisted too. He's in a lot of pain, but I'm worried now he won't tell me how bad it is because he's so scared about going back to hospital."
A spokesman for NHSGGC said: "We can't discuss specific cases for patient confidentiality reasons. However, we want to reassure people that we aim to provide high-quality patient-centred care in line with appropriate clinical standards. Sometimes, symptoms change over time, so it's important to use all available resources like NHS24 to get the right care setting."