Teenager who complained of headaches dies of brain tumour

A teenage girl died after medics failed to spot that she had a brain tumour – despite seeing her 24 times in the last year of her life.

Natasha Simmonds, 16, was treated by 13 doctors but none of them ordered a crucial MRI scan until it was too late.

Her mother, Sarah Simmonds, claims that three months before her daughter died, one A&E doctor accused her of ‘putting the symptoms on’ and refused to give her a scan because they were reserved for ‘life and death’ situations.

Natasha, who was studying for a career in childcare, complained of headaches, numbness in her limbs, back pains, vomiting and problems with her eyesight.

But the paediatrician in charge of her care dismissed the symptoms as migraines. Natasha died on January 24, eight days after the tumour was finally discovered. It had twisted around her brain and spine.

Last night, Natasha’s grieving twin, Fiona, accused the health service of ignoring her sister’s complaints. ‘She was seen by so many people and none of them took her seriously,’ she said.

An inquest heard that Natasha, from Radstock in Somerset, had been attending hospital since 2008 and her condition got much worse in 2010.

She was referred to associate specialist paediatrician Colin Downie at Bath’s Royal United Hospital in February 2012, who said she had migraines. Because Natasha seemed to improve between each episode of ill-health, he said her symptoms were not serious enough for an MRI.

In the 11 months that followed, Natasha saw four paediatric doctors, six GPs and three A&E doctors, all of whom failed to diagnose the cancer.

Dr Downie finally ordered an MRI in November, nine months after he first saw the teenager, but the scan did not take place until January and the results were delivered only eight days before Natasha died. The scan showed a rare cancer – a disseminated oligodendroglioma-like leptomeningeal tumour.

Dr Downie told the inquest he regretted not asking for the scan to be carried out urgently.

Natasha was admitted to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol and had two emergency operations on her brain and spine. She died on January 24, from lung damage caused by the cancer.

At the inquest on September 19, Avon coroner Maria Voisin recorded a narrative verdict, concluding that Natasha had died from natural causes. She said there was no need to make a formal recommendation for changes at the hospital.

But yesterday Mrs Simmonds, 47, told the Mail: ‘We’ll never know what would have happened if she’d been given an MRI scan when we first asked for one.

‘At the very least she wouldn’t have died so suddenly and so frightened.

‘We were so shocked. We’d been told for so long that it was migraines, we never thought it could have been cancer. She knew she was really sick and before her second operation she begged me to take her home so she could die. She spent the last few days of her life terrified.’

Mrs Simmonds, who works as a GP receptionist and is separated from Natasha’s father, Ken, added: ‘She was a beautiful person, unique and one of a kind. I just can’t believe she has gone.

‘I trusted in the medical profession and I feel so angry and let down. I’ve been told lessons have been learned but that doesn’t help when it’s your child that has died.’

A spokesman for the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust said: ‘In the next few weeks many of the clinicians who looked after Natasha will be meeting to discuss this sad case and ensure that any opportunities for learning are not missed.’

This article is courtesy from The Daily Mail.

Narcoleptic schoolgirl who falls asleep 30 times a day because of swine flu vaccine hopes to be given £120,000 payout

A Scottish schoolgirl who developed narcolepsy after having the swine flu vaccine is hoping to receive a £120,000 compensation payout from the government.Chloe Glasson, 14, from Fife falls asleep without warning between 25 and 30 times a day.Chloe had the Pandemrix jab in November 2009 and started suffering the symptoms of narcolepsy just four months later.

Campaigners believe she is one of dozens of youngsters across the UK who developed the condition after having the vaccine. The government recently admitted for the first time that the injections can trigger narcolepsy in some cases. It is believed ministers will announce on Friday that tests are to begin on sufferers to see if they qualify for compensation.

Chloe's case is so severe that her family, from Kirkcaldy, are convinced the government will be forced to pay compensation. Chloe said: ‘What hurts the most is when people see me in public and I'm starting to fall asleep and they look at me as if I'm drunk or have been taking drugs. ‘I am no different to anyone else in that I have still got feelings and I can see the way they are looking at me.

‘I have still got hopes and dreams. I want to be a drama teacher when I'm older but I've really just got to take every day as it comes.’

Chloe says she also suffers mood swings and disturbing dreams as a result of her condition. She said: ‘The emotions I feel are so extreme, I can go from being really happy and chatty to really annoyed to really upset in a few seconds and all it takes is one little thing to set it off. ‘The dreams I have when I'm asleep are really vivid, I can feel the pain in the dream and sometimes it even feels like someone is touching me, it's really terrifying.’

Chloe has already to drop two subjects at school because she cannot keep up with the workload. She said: ‘When I go into auto pilot behaviour I don't really remember anything that happens, and luckily I've never been really hurt.’

Chloe, who was officially diagnosed with narcolepsy and catalepsy in December last year, added: ‘It can happen at any time. ‘Like standing up or sitting down. I've really been lucky that I've not hurt myself falling asleep while standing up and I ask myself everyday how I've managed. ‘At school I'll be sitting at my desk and this wave of tiredness takes over. Then you're eyes start to roll and droop and that's when you know what's about to happen. You just go out.

‘It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions sometimes and at first it was really embarrassing. ‘No one really got what was going on so they would kind of laugh about it. Even the teachers joined in at first. I've been reduced to tears so many times.’ Chloe’s mother, Rebecca, said: ‘It's just frustrating that it's taken them this long to admit there is a link. ‘Almost everyone involved knew that was the case and we're just trying to prove it. You just start to blame yourself.’

She added: ‘Chloe had to get the vaccine because she is asthmatic but now she's left with this condition for the rest of her life.

‘The scariest moment so far was when Chloe went missing for over two hours. She was meant to meet my mum in town but went into an automatic behaviour state and disappeared. ‘We were all frantic with worry and I had to call the police.’ Ms Glasson said the falling asleep was not even the biggest problem.

Chloe now also suffers from the debilitating muscle condition cataplexy.

Ms Glasson said: ‘Her cataplexy means she can collapse at any time and there is so many day to day things that we take for granted that she can't do.

‘No bubble bath, no swimming and she can't even use public transport on her own. She fell asleep on a bus once and ended up miles away.

‘For us it’s not just about the compensation, it’s about making Chloe's life better. We want people to realise what she's dealing with and to help make her feel more accepted. ‘Chloe is a really, really bright kid and she loves drama and art but it’s really unfair that she has had to drop two subjects. ‘It's been life changing for Chloe and the rest of the family.’

The UK Government recently admitted that the Pandemrix jab could be to blame in certain cases of narcolepsy. Families will get £120,000 through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme if they can prove 'severe' disability.

It is thought that for every 55,000 children who were given the injection, one has developed narcolepsy. Researchers, who published their findings in the British Medical Journal, studied 75 children with narcolepsy and found that 11 of these had received the vaccine before their symptoms began. Since 2011 it has not been given to people under the age of 20 because of the risk of narcolepsy. The UK Health Protection Agency has found that giving the jab to young children increases their chance of developing narcolepsy by 14 times.

Narcolepsy affects the brain's ability to regulate the normal sleep-wake cycle, causing excessive sleepiness throughout the day.

The long term neurological condition can cause sleep attacks, daytime sleepiness and, in some cases, cataplexy. There is no cure for narcolepsy but medication is available to help manage the symptoms, which cause side effects such as nausea, hallucinations and headaches. A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed they had written to four families previously rejected for compensation inviting them to reapply. Saying individual cases could not be discussed, he added: ‘The Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme provides support in the very rare cases where someone becomes severely disabled as a result of a vaccination. ‘Decisions on vaccine damage payments claims take into account the individual circumstances of each case and the latest available accepted medical evidence.

‘DWP has looked at some vaccine damage payments cases again in light of new information regarding swine flu and narcolepsy provided by the Department for Health. ‘Once this new information was taken into account it was decided, on balance of probability, in some cases that causation was proved.’

This article is courtesy from the Daily Mail.

It’s time to seize the chance and prevent needless child deaths

With meningitis still affecting thousands each year, is it time to introduce a life-saving vaccine? Sarah Freeman reports.

In January this year Andrea Walker was out shopping for bridesmaid dresses with her youngest daughter Ellie. Within the week, without any warning, her three-year-old daughter had died.

“Ellie was due to be bridesmaid at the wedding of my eldest daughter and she couldn’t have been more excited,” says Andrea, who lives in Keighley. “The next day she seemed a bit sniffly, but nothing major. Every parent worries about meningitis and even though Ellie hadn’t complained of a headache or anything like that, I did check for a rash.”

Relieved to find there was nothing abnormal, Andrea thought all her daughter needed was a dose of Calpol and a good night’s sleep. “She was such a bright, happy child and always used to wake up around the same time as me, but that morning she didn’t,” says Andrea. “I went into her room and she just felt so cold. I screamed to my husband to call an ambulance but it was too late.”

Ellie was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital and while a post-mortem initially proved inconclusive, a later coroner’s report concluded she had died from streptococcal septicaemia, a strain of bacteria which also causes meningitis.

“Ellie didn’t have a chance. In the months since she died I’ve asked myself so many times could I have done anything different, but it was out of my hands. Had I once thought there was something seriously wrong I would have taken her straight to hospital.”

The rapid speed at which meningitis and septicaemia can claim lives is one of the reasons why calls for the introduction of a new vaccine having being growing louder. It’s also the focus of Meningitis Awareness Week which begins today.

The Meningitis Research Foundation estimates that meningitis and septicaemia affects more than 3,600 people in the UK and Ireland each year. They can strike without warning, killing one in 10, and leaving a quarter of survivors with life altering after-effects ranging from deafness and brain damage to loss of limbs. Children under five and students are most at risk, but while a vaccine to protect against meningococcal B infection is currently under consideration, there are fears it may not be introduced because of costs.

“The Department of Health’s own studies show meningitis is the disease most feared by parents,” says Chris Head, chief executive of the foundation. “It’s one of the few illnesses in modern Britain that can kill or seriously maim a healthy child within hours of the first symptoms.

“With the UK Government committed to reducing child deaths it is inconceivable that a MenB vaccine should be licensed yet go unused in the UK.

“The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has failed to take into account the full impact of Men B and cost to the NHS, adopting a narrow view which ignores the years of expensive and traumatic treatment or the tens of millions of pounds which are paid out in negligence claims to families who successfully sue for mismanagement and misdiagnosis.

“Prevention has to be the best option, that’s why we have invested more than £17m in vital research. But now the UK has the chance to save more than 1,000 a year from the devastation of Men B. Surely we should be seizing it and taking that all-important step towards a world free from meningitis and septicaemia.”

This article is courtesy from the Yorkshire Post.