Mum had leg amputated after doctors misdiagnosed rare disease as 'anxiety'
A mum was left needing her leg amputated after a rare vascular disease was diagnosed as 'anxiety'.
After noticing that she was struggling to walk for more than 300 metres without her legs feeling like they were 'dying', Danielle Thomas made an appointment with her local GP.
The 40-year-old was initially told she was suffering from anxiety, later being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a medical condition in which there is a problem with how the brain sends and receives signals, after visiting a neurologist.
However, it would later emerge that mum-of-two actually had Buerger disease, a rare vascular condition where arteries and veins in the arms and legs become swollen and blocked by blood clots.
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According to Vasculitis UK, symptoms of Buerger's disease initially present as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, caused by restricted blood flow.
In Danielle's case, the condition was only uncovered after she visited her GP over a suspected ingrown toenail, which led to her being referred to a podiatrist.
"As soon as I took my sock off and he took a look, he said there was nothing he could do to help," she recalled.
"He said that it was a circulation problem within my legs. I had gangrene on my toe, as it had begun to die due to limited blood flow."
Danielle was then referred to a vascular specialist who conducted a CT scan of her legs and found several blockages in both legs. After finding blockages in both of her legs, a diagnosis of Buerger's disease was confirmed.
Doctors informed the Nottinghamshire-based mum that the condition was most likely caused by an on-and-off smoking habit she has had since her 20s, which at times saw her smoke around 5-10 cigarettes a day.
She was also informed that she'd likely need her lower right leg amputated, as there was a risk of sepsis developing.
Danielle ultimately decided to have her right leg amputated below the knee, undergoing the operation this September.
She is now recovering from the surgery and crowdfunding to have her car fitted with specially adapted pedals, which would allow her to keep her independence.
The mum also believes that if she'd been diagnosed with the condition months earlier, doctors may have been able to save her leg.
"It makes me angry sometimes when I think about it," she said.
"They tested all of my nervous system, my brain, my cervical, but left out my vascular, which was the problem.
"I felt like I was overshadowed as I told the neurologist that it felt like I had grit in my veins," she continued.
"If I had been referred in July, then I would have stopped smoking and the blockages wouldn't have gotten so big... I think that they could potentially have saved my leg."
You can donate to Danielle's fundraiser here.
Brenna Cooper