Sompting woman left in agony after being diagnosed with neurological condition on day of lockdown

A Sompting woman has been left in excruciating pain and desperately seeking answers after being diagnosed with a neurological condition on the day of lockdown.
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After years of chronic pain Bernadette Brandon, 70, was told she had neuropathy on March 24, but was left with no treatment and unanswered questions as the pandemic worsened.

Her condition has left her in agony, she said, like ‘someone is pouring acid into my brain and eyes’, and has forced her to visit A&E several times after tearing the skin off her face.

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“I can feel it getting worse, it’s scary and I can tell the pain meds are not quite as effective anymore,” she said.

The Royal Free NHS hospital is pictured in London on February 10, 2020, (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images) SUS-200622-154758001The Royal Free NHS hospital is pictured in London on February 10, 2020, (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images) SUS-200622-154758001
The Royal Free NHS hospital is pictured in London on February 10, 2020, (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images) SUS-200622-154758001

“In the evening I just sit in tears in pain because there’s nothing to do. I think under normal circumstances I would have got a letter to say a biopsy has been arranged and then it would go from there. But I don’t know, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know where to go.”

Bernadette said without answers to her questions her imagination has ran wild as the pain medication became less effective.

When the painkillers are working life is manageable, she said. When the pain gets too much, it is unbearable.

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“I can’t tell you what I’ve thought about doing – I’ve thought ‘I don’t want to be here’ more often than not,” she said.

Bernadette was diagnosed by a consultant at the Royal Free Hospital in London and was full of praise for the NHS, particularly during the pandemic.

But she said she wanted to share her story because there must be other people in her situation who had fallen through the cracks as coronavirus took precedence.

A spokesman for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust said some services had to be reprioritised to protect patients during the pandemic, but appointments were only cancelled or rearranged ‘if clinically safe’.

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Some face-to-face and virtual consultations continued, the spokesman said, and every effort was made to keep patients up to date with changes.

“We’re working to get services back up and running in a safe way as soon as possible, and will keep our patients updated. We do apologise for any inconvenience, and would always encourage patients who have concerns to contact us through the appropriate channels. This would be our patient advice and liaison service (PALS) in the first instance.”

Neuropathy is a disease that attacks the nerves, often leaving the sufferer with chronic pain, tingling sensations, numbness or weakness.

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