From the start of her diagnosis journey, Tamikea didn’t feel listened to. When she asked her GP about scleroderma, they would tell her to ask the specialists.
I was annoyed the doctors didn’t listen to me when I was admitted to A&E and told them that I had Raynaud’s. I knew Raynaud’s linked to many other autoimmune conditions and I had all the symptoms of a person with scleroderma.
It all began with Tamikea’s scleroderma story, 39, when she went to A&E with severe chest pains. The doctors discovered she had pericarditis – scarring on the heart – which they suggested was a result of Covid. However, Tamikea wasn’t satisfied with the diagnosis. She believed they had ignored that she had shortness of breath and chest pain, which she went in to address in the first place.
After being discharged she went online to investigate pericarditis and the first result that came up showed that symptoms of Raynaud’s often appear with pericarditis. She then checked all the symptoms of scleroderma and she found that she had them all.
Tamikea immediately called the GP and demanded a blood test. The following day she received a call from the respiratory doctor who informed her that they had found something in her blood, she replied that she knew it was scleroderma, which left the doctor aghast. She was referred to the rheumatology team to explain the treatment plans from there on who gave her a great deal of support.
Doctors need to listen to patients more, offer earlier appointments and blood tests as soon as possible. Early detection means early treatment and you will get the specialist help you need to move on and live the best life you can.