An 11-year-old girl nearly died after doctors allegedly dismissed her burst appendix as a ‘tummy bug’ for three weeks, her furious mother has claimed.
Daizy Adams, from Plymouth, first began complaining of stomach pains before she went on holiday to Spain at the end of July.
But as her symptoms worsened, she began to lose weight – leaving the five-and-a-half stone girl as ‘weak as an 80-year-old’, her mother Sharyn Partridge said.
Hospital staff discharged Daizy, who looked ‘anorexic’, with gastroenteritis a week later, and after hours doctors made the same incorrect diagnosis.
But a week later, Ms Partridge said her daughter begged doctors to let her be kept in Derriford Hospital – where the true cause of her illness was finally discovered.
Daizy required emergency surgery to repair her bowel and flush the life-threatening infection from her body, after her appendix exploded and was ‘nowhere to be seen’.
Daizy Adams, from Plymouth, first began complaining of stomach pains before she went on holiday to Spain at the end of July
Ms Partridge, 41, said: ‘Her bones were sticking out. She looked like she’d lost a couple of stone. She was saying to me, “Mum, I don’t want to look at myself”.
‘I took her home and she was just lolling on the sofa. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t like her at all. She’s usually a maniac, she a very hyperactive kid.
‘I was absolutely heartbroken to see her like that, with the weight loss. It was so hard to see her like that.
‘I had to take her to the toilet – she was like an 80-year-old woman, she’d be bent over.’
Ms Partridge continued: ‘She weighs five-and-a-half stone. We’re just trying to build her back up.
‘I think what happened is beginning to hit her now. She panics about her scar, but I tell her that scar saved her life and that it’s a special scar.
‘She could have died if I hadn’t called the doctor’s again when I did.
‘She’s very wary of doctors now, she’s very angry at them. And she’s been begging me not to take her back to Derriford.
‘She’s going to get there, she’s a good kid. I’m slowly getting my crazy Daizy back.
‘I was very angry at the doctors. I nearly lost my daughter. I’m still angry now. They did not see that she had a dangerous infection.
But as her symptoms worsened, she began to lose weight – leaving the five-and-a-half stone girl as a ‘weak as an 80-year-old’, her mother Sharyn Partridge said
‘As a parent, you don’t give in. You know your child best, you know them the most. I’m not one to take them to the doctor’s willy-nilly – but I knew she wasn’t right.’
When did Daizy’s ordeal begin?
Daizy began complaining about her sore stomach on July 27, the day before she was set to go to Spain with her father.
Ms Partridge dismissed her concerns as just being ‘nervous about the flight’. Daizy had thrown up five times on the way to the airport.
I was absolutely heartbroken to see her like that, with the weight loss. It was so hard to see her like that
On August 1, he had taken her to see a doctor who said it was just a bug and that she would probably get better in a couple of days.
He took her straight to Derriford Treatment Centre when they returned to the UK on August 4. They said she had gastroenteritis.
She looked ‘anorexic’
Ms Partridge, a delivery driver, said: ‘When I picked Daizy up from her dad’s the next day, I cried. She looked like she was anorexic.’
Daizy complained of a constant dull ache that would spike every now and again, and so Ms Partridge took her to her local GP Practice, Ocean Health Centre.
They were referred to Derriford Hospital that day, August 8, with her GP suspecting she had appendicitis.
Hospital staff discharged Daizy, who looked ‘anorexic’, with gastroenteritis a week later, and after hours doctors made the same incorrect diagnosis (pictured in hospital being treated)
But a week later, Ms Partridge said her daughter begged doctors to let her be kept in Derriford Hospital – where the true cause of her illness was finally discovered
But her concern continued after she was apparently discharged that same day, with doctors allegedly also diagnosing gastroenteritis and dehydration.
A check-up at Ocean Health Centre 40 hours later also allegedly provided the same diagnosis, as Daizy’s condition continued to worsen.
By August 15, Ms Partridge still did not believe her daughter had a tummy bug, and after another call to Devon Doctors at 10pm they were back in Derriford Hospital.
Doctors were confused
More confusion struck, as doctors allegedly diagnosed Daizy with an ovarian cyst before surgery revealed an infection attacking her bowel.
Ms Partridge said: ‘Daizy hates doctors and anything like that, but even she was telling them, “I need to stay here – you need to keep me in this time”.
‘She knew she needed to be there. They kept her in and did an ultrasound, and the doctor said, ‘I can see why Daizy’s in pain.
‘Then they called a gynaecologist, and we were told they believed she has an ovarian cyst and that they needed to operate.
‘Daizy was worried and said to me, “What if I can’t have children?” I told her it would be okay and put her mind at ease.’
Daizy required emergency surgery to repair her bowel and flush the life-threatening infection from her body, after her appendix exploded (pictured with Ms Partridge)
Daizy began complaining about her sore stomach on July 27, the day before she was set to go to Spain with her father. Ms Partridge dismissed her concerns as just being ‘nervous about the flight’. Daizy had thrown up five times on the way to the airport
An hour after being wheeled into surgery, Ms Partridge started to wonder what was going on.
Then, one of the surgeons came out and revealed something very serious was going on and that a stomach specialist had been called.
Undergoing emergency surgery
Ms Partridge said: ‘I told them to do everything they can, I need my baby to come back to me.
‘She was in surgery for five hours, I’ve never seen so many people operating on someone. I was absolutely devastated.
‘The surgeon said in 30 years they have never seen anything like that.
She added: ‘Her appendix was nowhere to be seen, just pockets of puss with infection, and the infection had started to attack her bowel so they had to repair it.
‘They had to wash her out to try and get rid of the infection. From then on the doctors were fantastic. I was so relieved I hugged the surgeons.
Ms Partridge, 41, said: ‘Her bones were sticking out. She looked like she’d lost a couple of stone (pictured with her other daughter Tilly Adams, nine)
Still very weak, Ms Partridge said her daughter has started to realise extent of her ordeal – and is very angry with the doctors who missed her diagnosis
Ms Partridge said: ‘She has to take five lots of medication a day. She’s getting better, she moves very slowly and she’s very weak’
‘When she came out she was in intensive care. She looked peaceful but she was on a ventilator.
‘They told me it would be a shock to see her, but said to talk to her because she’d be able to hear me.’
Blue-lighted to a specialist hospital
Following the surgery, Ms Partridge said they were blue-lighted to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. She stayed there between August 17 and September 8, when she was finally allowed home.
Still very weak, Ms Partridge said her daughter has started to realise extent of her ordeal – and is very angry with the doctors who missed her diagnosis.
And she believes the outcome could have been very different if she had not kept insisting that there was something else wrong with her.
Ms Partridge said: ‘She has to take five lots of medication a day. She’s getting better, she moves very slowly and she’s very weak.
Has anyone accepted blame?
A spokesperson for Devon Doctors said: ‘We are very sorry to hear of Daizy’s plight, however unfortunately we are unable to comment on individual cases.’
A spokesperson for the NHS, speaking on behalf of all the organisations involved, said: ‘Daizy has clearly been very unwell recently and has been through a difficult time. We are very sorry for any distress caused to Daizy and her family.
‘Although no formal complaint has been received, contact has been made with the family by the different organisations and we will be thoroughly reviewing the concerns raised and if, moving forward, there is any learning to be taken from it then we will absolutely ensure this occurs.’
A spokesperson for NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group said: ‘We are sorry to hear about the distress that Daizy and her family have experienced.
‘NHS England are the organisation responsible for commissioning GP practices in the Plymouth area and we understand that they are responding to the concerns raised.’