A mum who needed an urgent MRI scan to assess a possible brain tumour says she was left "humiliated" after being told she was too overweight to use the machine.
Since the initial appointment, the mum-of-two says that she is "no closer" to arranging another consultation, or getting the diagnosis she so desperately needs.
Jackie Nulty, 33, has revealed that she has been suffering from excruciating migraines, dizziness and an inability to concentrate since the start of October.
Immediately, she was referred for an MRI scan by her GP to check if her symptoms were due to a brain tumour, or another illness.
But months have passed since the mum originally saw her doctor and she claims she has been passed around her local NHS service.
Shockingly, seven weeks have gone by since she first attended her GP surgery and she still has not had the scan she needs to give her answers.
Ms Nulty says that after weeks of hassling her GP, she was referred for an MRI screening at a community clinic.
But "embarrassingly", just hours before her appointment, she claims that she was told she is over the weight limit and so would not be able to use the machine.
The mum-of-two has been told that she needs to be seen at the hospital to have the scan - but is yet to receive a letter for an appointment.
She told the Manchester Evening News : "It's been seven weeks and I'm still no closer to getting an appointment or diagnosis. I am struggling to even look after my children.
"I am terrified I could have a tumour or dementia. My husband is really stressed out and worried and my symptoms are getting worse. Sometimes I even struggle to follow conversation."
Her first visit to the doctor was on October 17, where she claims she was told by her medical practitioner that she required an urgent MRI scan to diagnose what was wrong.
She said: "I’ve had migraines, dizziness and I’m feeling absolutely awful.
"I can’t walk for very long and I can’t concentrate. I was playing with my child’s train set and couldn’t even do that.
"The doctors said they would send me for a scan within two days. Two days later I didn’t get an appointment so phoned the doctors and they said it was a locum I spoke to and they followed the wrong procedures so I hadn’t been referred.
"They told me to go to A&E and ask for an MRI scan. When I got there they treated me like a time waster and said a normal doctor wouldn’t just send me to hospital for an MRI scan."
Ms Nulty - who says her weight is due to "emotional eating following a difficult childhood" - claims she was told to go home and take paracetamol.
And the following day, she went back to her local GP, but claims that she was just told to visit the A&E with a note.
The 33-year-old said: "I have been to A&E three times and waited eight hours each time and still didn’t get an MRI scan.
"My doctor suggested I go to Salford Royal Hospital but they told me they couldn’t give me one. They gave me a CT scan which was clear but said I’d still need an urgent MRI scan.
"On November 1 I was finally told I had been referred for an appointment a local clinic on the 14th. They did a phone call first just to check I could have one.
"They were asking me what I weighed and when I told them they said it was over the limit for the community scanner and that I needed to have one at the hospital. I was so embarrassed and couldn’t believe my doctor didn’t know this before they referred me. I was just really humiliated."
Shockingly, after her GP tried to refer her to Wythenshawe Hospital, South Manchester, when she phoned them to ask when her appointment would be she was told they didn't offer MRI scans.
She said: "I finally got another appointment on November 21 but it was back at the Ashton Community Clinic which I know I can’t go to.
"I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"I said to my GP 'do you just expect overweight people to die?' I am not going to be able to lose four stone overnight and I don’t think I should have to. There are a lot of overweight people in this country and I want to give a voice to people like me."
According to the NHS, the maximum weight limit for a conventional MRI scan is 25 stone before specialist bariatric equipment is required.
A spokesperson from NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, told The Mirror: “We are sorry to hear of Ms Nulty’s experience and understand the anxiety this will have caused.
“The NHS does all it can to ensure patients receive the care and treatment they need, and specialist bariatric equipment is available. All patients are assessed and those who need urgent care are prioritised first.
“It is difficult to comment further on this case due to patient confidentiality. All patients waiting for care should receive a letter from the care provider. If Ms Nulty would like this matter to be considered further, she could contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at her local hospital.”
