Becky part 1.

Well I sit here trying to make sense of what has been going on with my twelve year old daughter. Where do I begin? How do I tell this story?

I guess from the beginning of her “sickness”.

It started in December 08 when I was called to collect her from the theatre in Guildford, where she was in a show.

She was not well; she suffered all over Christmas with stomach pains and lethargy. In January we went to the doctor who spoke to her about everything it transpired that she had not been pooing having bowel movements since December! Ok that explains it thinks me! So she is weighed and measured, 8 stone, perfect to her height. Given movicol to “help her go”. Back on an even keel.

She still suffered abdominal pains though and lethargy. She was eating well and keeping active. She lost a stone. So back to the doctor who arranges blood tests for her. They all come back clear. No IBS, Celiac, Thyroid issues, Leukaemia, Diabetes or other things that can be told through blood tests. So another blood test is done to rule out some other cancers (I am not told which because I did not want to know unless it happens she has one). A very long wait later and they are clear too. She is finally now referred to the hospital.

Meanwhile by March she has dropped another stone and is now weighing in at a tiny 6 stone. She is still very tired in the evenings after her school day.

She starts having dizzy and fainting spells in April, I put it down to the fact she has lost lots of weight and encourage her to rest in the evenings and take chocolate and coke at school during lunch (school nurse keeps them in her fridge for her!!).

Her dizzy spells have become more frequent over recent weeks and I have had to collect her from school early no less than 5 times between April and May.

On Monday 18 May I got a call from the school nurse who is worried about her. She was taken to the nurse having fainted. The nurse laid her on the bed to rest and encouraged her to eat some of her lunch. Becky was lain on the bed and talking to the nurse. She was tearful and cold. Then Becky’s’ eyes rolled back and “she was out of it”. The nurse said it was like when you give someone a general anaesthetic and just before they are asleep their eyes roll back and lose focus. It was similar to how a patient with epilepsy behaves. I collected her and took her to the doctor (as her hospital appointment is on Weds 20 May) i did not want to rush her to A & E as they would look at the latest incident and not take the past history into account. The Doctor tried to take her bloods for a blood sugar test but she would not give any. Her fingers would not bleed! She spent the day in and out of consciousness on the sofa yesterday. After a fairly good night sleep she woke only to fall over on the landing. She is now relaxing on the sofa and dozing.

Roll on tomorrow. I refuse to believe it is “hormonal” or “puberty”. I never suffered like this in my pre teens / teens. I would rather be told “it is one of those things, she will grow out of it”, than hear it is puberty!

Through all of this i have watched my happy, healthy, energetic child drop two stone, become really lethargic, faint and fit. I’ve seen her prodded and poked and have her bloods drawn. Not once has she whined, moaned, complained or questioned. I want her better. I want answers. I want her not to suffer any more. I’m not asking much am i?