Doctors unnecessarily removed two of my organs before figuring out what was actually wrong with me
A 35-year-old woman says doctors ignored her crippling pain for 15 years and removed two of her organs before figuring out what was actually at the source of her issues.Amber Williams, who lives in London, said years of agonizing pain were dismissed as “just periods” despite countless doctor’s appointments, repeated trips to the hospital, scans and major operations.She was left without answers after having her appendix and gallbladder removed — only to later be told there had been little or nothing wrong with the organs.“I was forgotten about for years and left in pain.If I hadn’t kept pushing, I don’t think I would ever have been diagnosed,” she said.Williams first began experiencing severe period pain after starting her periods aged 11.
By 14, her symptoms were so severe she regularly missed school.She said she was told painful periods were “normal” and got prescribed the contraceptive pill.She remained on the pill for around four years but said it did little to relieve her symptoms — and caused unwanted side effects including weight gain and severe mood changes.After stopping the pill in 2010, her pain continued to worsen.
In 2012, at age 21, she went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain and doctors suspected appendicitis.Her appendix was removed, but Williams said surgeons later told her there was nothing wrong with it.“I left without an organ and still without an answer as to why I was in so much pain,” she said.Later that year, she was diagnosed with PCOS, now renamed PMOS.Williams said she was told it could affect fertility and was largely advised to lose weight, while her ongoing pain remained untreated.Over the following years, she repeatedly returned to her doctor as her symptoms became increasingly debilitating.
She said she was routinely advised to take painkillers and sent home, despite undergoing numerous tests.She alleged that one medical professional even told her: “If you were really in that much pain, you ...