In May 2019, Charlie Puplett, a 45-year-old British woman, began to seriously worry about her health. She suffers from unexplained weight loss, poor appetite and intestinal problems. Despite these worrying symptoms, doctors diagnosed him with an eating disorder (TCA), explains Between us. This first consultation marks the start of a year of medical wandering for Charlie, who encounters incomprehension from health professionals.
Each medical visit is a new disappointment for Charlie.
She sees a different doctor each time, and one even suggests she’s anorexic and in denial. At no time are additional tests prescribed to detect other pathologies. Ignored by doctors,
Charlie finds herself alone facing her pain and her doubtsunable to understand what is really happening to him.
“I was very scared”
The situation takes a dramatic turn when one evening, Charlie vomits blood. Rushed to hospital, she finally discovers the true cause of her suffering: colon cancer.. This diagnosis, as unexpected as it was terrifying, plunged her into deep anguish. “I was very scared and kept saying ‘No, it’s not possible’“, she confided in an interview with the newspaper The Independent.
This late revelation has serious consequences. Charlie has to have emergency surgery to remove two thirds of his colon and has an ostomy bag fitted. This treatment, although effective, leaves deep physical and emotional scars. Now in remission, Charlie lives in the “constant fear” to develop other potentially fatal illnesses.
“It is important that…”
This mishap pushes Charlie to file a complaint with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The mediator expresses his regrets about the situation: “Not only did she have to undergo unnecessary surgery, but it also affected her emotional well-being.“For him, Charlie’s symptoms should have been seen as warning signs from the start.
Healthcare professionals are then encouraged to learn from this error to prevent it from happening again. “It is important that when mistakes are made, organizations recognize what happened and commit to learning from those mistakes“, adds the mediator.
She no longer trusts doctors
For Charlie, this misdiagnosis shattered his trust in the healthcare system. She now has difficulty trusting doctors and lives in constant anxiety. Each new pain or symptom is a source of worry, making daily life difficult.
Charlie hopes that his testimony will serve to raise awareness among health professionals of the importance of accurate and rapid diagnosis. She also wishes to encourage patients to insist on obtaining additional examinations. when doctors’ answers do not seem to correspond to their reality.
