Mum's warning after doctors 'accused son of faking symptoms for attention' only to discover it was horror Victorian disease
A mum has claimed that doctors repeatedly 'dismissed' her young son's concerning symptoms as they believed he was faking them 'for attention'.
Megan West has told how she took her four-year-old Elliot to the GP numerous times after he began to walk and run in a 'weird' way in December 2024.
The 25-year-old, from Coventry, spotted that her son seemed to be putting his feet too far out to the sides while also flaring his arms.
She then grew more worried after the little lad began experiencing night sweats, weight loss to 'the point where you could see his bones in his chest' and 'constant sicknesses'.
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But after sharing her concerns with a doctor, Megan claims that she was reassured Elliot was just suffering from a viral infection - while they also allegedly suggested that her son might be exaggerating his symptoms.
"I took him to the GP so many times," she explained. "He'd walk and run funny, he would tend to have his hips swinging to each side with his arms flaring around and knees touching.
"I took him when I noticed his legs are not as strong as they should be. The doctor told me he was neurologically intact and had good leg power and was likely doing it for attention because he had a baby sister."
The mother-of-two said that Elliot continued to complain that his legs 'don't work', prompting the worried parent to take him to Coventry Hospital's A&E department in June last year.
X-rays revealed that the four-year-old had lymph nodes on his lungs, before medics then informed Megan that a Victorian lung disease was behind her child's health issues.
Elliot was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis or spinal TB, a bacterial infection that can affect the bones in the spine.
Megan believes that the symptoms which doctors 'dismissed' as a viral infection were actually signs of the infection which is also known as Pott's disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It explains that spinal TB 'starts in your lungs before it moves to your spine' and many sufferers 'experience chronic back pain and muscle weakness in their arms and legs'.
The experts add: "It can lead to a curved spine or damaged vertebrae. Pott’s disease can be fatal in some cases."
Symptoms include back and neck pain, weakness in the arms and legs, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss and a fever. If it goes untreated, the illness can cause lasting damage to the bones in your spine.
Megan believes that GPs who checked Elliot over should have 'listened to her concerns more' before it got to this point, as she said: "I feel we were a little bit dismissed.
"I do know it is hard to diagnose children but if you put all the signs together, he had all the symptoms of TB."
She explained that Elliot's complaints about his legs 'not working' were actually the result of his 'spinal cord compressing' due to the havoc spinal TB was wreaking on his health.
"I absolutely did not expect it to be this, it was a massive shock," Megan went on. "We were just scared for him, shocked and terrified for what he was going to have to go through and how it would be fixed."
Elliot underwent a spinal fusion surgery - which connects bones in the spine, preventing movement between them and therefore pain - at Birmingham Children's Hospital in September last year.
Medics warned that there was an 'intense' risk, while Megan was left 'terrified' that he might not make it out of the operating theatre. But Elliot would likely 'become paralysed' if doctors didn't surgically intervene.
The four-year-old's operation was thankfully a success. He is now on tuberculosis medication and 'feeling much better', Megan said.
Elliot is currently restricted to walking only and isn't allowed to run, while the little boy may also have to undergo another operation in the next six months if the mass on his spine has not sufficiently shrunk.
"He's back playing, trying to do all the things he shouldn't be doing yet," his mum said. "His walk is practically back to normal. A physio will work with him when he's allowed to run to help fix his gait.
"He still has his odd days, but feels much better than before surgery. He spends most of his time currently recovering in the house due to his limits and he can't do usual daily activities other children can."
The family will find out whether Elliot needs further surgery when he undergoes another CT scan to 'check the progress' his spine has made.
Despite feeling 'dismissed' by doctors, Megan said she 'does not blame' her son's GP, adding: "I understand TB is especially difficult to diagnose in children.
"I do however wish they'd have listened to my concerns more and perhaps looked at the bigger picture with his previous check ups, but all that matters is Elliott is now recovering well and on the right path.
"Listen to your child and push when you don't feel things are right because no one knows their child better than yourself, obviously GPs don't always get it right. Kids don't fake things for too long for attention."
Olivia Burke